Meet Michael D. Smith | Writer and artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael D. Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael D., why did you pursue a creative career?
Writing and art energy have always resonated with me as nothing else has. I began writing and drawing at age seven, and seemed to have taken to it as if I’d done this in a previous lifetime and was now simply picking up where I’d left off. The earliest writing was heavily influenced by Grade B 1950’s science fiction movies, and by the fifth grade I’d found my kid science fiction voice with “Voyage to Venus,” starring my newly-minted space hero Jack Commer, who later became the focus of my adult Jack Commer, Supreme Commander SF series. I also illustrated the stories, designed spaceships, and drew comics of dinosaurs and alien attacks.

Though unexpected things happen in any writing session, it comes down to fun work. In contrast my visual art, obviously nonverbal, remains surrounded by an inexplicable numinosity and is harder to pin down. I’m never sure what will happen when I take up pencil or paintbrush. But as with writing, I navigate by seeking out the feeling of high energy and emotional resonance.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Eighty percent of my creative output is writing, and twenty percent visual art. This seems an appropriate balance for me. In both areas I choose whichever activity sparks the most energy. In that state both writing and art are fun and compelling, and I’m motivated to keep exploring new techniques. I’ve never had anything approaching writer’s block unless I begin veering toward a low-energy state, such as an obligation to write a certain way, or to please or impress others.

Visually, I work in both abstraction and realism according to how the energies can best be channeled. Abstract artworks are like bizarre dreams you struggle to convey to a listener. Sometimes a realistic image is needed to ground me in what’s real.

I write both literary novels and literary science fiction, which I hope is a step up from space opera, although space opera is a fun term for some great experiments out there. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between my science fiction and literary novels, which are infused with absurdist elements. I’m starting my nineteenth novel now, and I’m proud that thirteen of the first eighteen have been published. Of the remaining five, I’ve happily accepted that those experiments should remain in the desk drawer.

The best part of my writing is the satisfaction that comes with a solid investigation of “what’s been psychically going on recently,” and this includes even the fun, fast-paced plots of the science fiction. All my fiction has a psychological quality, even in its humorous moments. When it’s coming out well it opens up new inner territories for exploration.

I love it when I see someone reading my work and laughing; I then demand to know exactly where they are in the book. And I very much enjoy drawing the characters, and the drawings often give me insight into character development.

I try to parcel pieces of myself to all the characters, both male and female. Often my novels have an ensemble cast nature, in which half a dozen main characters take equal turns on stage, allowing me to represent some of my best and worst qualities across a wide range of people and scenes.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I’m an introverted writer/artist, I don’t seek much outside entertainment. But I’d gladly open up to whatever my guest might decide; one of my first guests to Dallas had us recreating the Kennedy assassination route through Dealey Plaza, where we found ourselves careening the wrong way north on Houston Street against an onslaught of southbound cars. I won’t make that mistake again.

I might recommend trips to the Dallas or Fort Worth arboretums, and the art museums in both cities. For those who share my interest in aviation, I’d take them to the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field (https://www.flightmuseum.com/) and the Cavanaugh Flight Museum at Midway Airport in Addison (https://cavflight.org/). These outings would probably be fueled by whatever Indian restaurants we encounter on our way.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve always been grateful to my wife Nancy for her observation that “Everything you do in this life is for your art.” It reminds me that whenever I feel oppressed by exterior obstacles, I can remember that they’re also art supplies, that I’m here to observe, participate in, and process everything around me for my writing and visual art.

Website: https://sortmind.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-d-smith/13/47a/4b/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sortmind

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Michael.D.Smith.Writer

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/orangerhinosmith

Other: blog: https://blog.sortmind.com Asylum and Mirage (novel): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BVD8ZM23 The Jack Commer Series (7 novels): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NTFRQ1V