Sagewolf Interviews

Aris Janigian: Author / Yogi / Book Collector / Potluck Hoster

Sagewolf Episode 68

@arisjanigian
arisjanigian.com  

The scene:
We are sitting in the sun on a chilly Spring day just outside Aris’ living space, which is attached to his private library of 1 billion books (actually 5,000 ish). Aris begins the interview a bit withdrawn, perhaps shy, perhaps melancholic - like any truly great writer is expected to be - but warms up throughout and by the end is truly lively. It has taken me a moment to return to editing and releasing interviews. I saw Aris in yoga the other day and we shared that we had such fond memories of what a great interview it was, it is. Join us as we explore the human condition and how it is captured with words.


Highlights:

  • Bestselling author of “Waiting for Lipchitz at Chateau Marmont”
  • Moved to Fresno from LA eight years ago
  • Began writing in the 5th grade. First book: “The Adventures of Hallelujah Harry”
  • What makes a “gifted” writer?
  • Two novels by the age of 25
  • Writing because you have to write...you have something to say
  • Began writing regularly his junior year of college, as a medicine
  • Using writing to harness a self-destructive energy
  • Why publish? > ego, being noticed, being seen, vanity, loving people
  • Wanting others to feel the richness of their internal life
  • Helping others find themselves
  • Connection is the root of many creative endeavors
  • Suffering is a character trait that serves writers well
  • Patience/a long view is important when writing one book over many years
  • Maturing out of immediate gratification
  • Tragic humor and satire
  • Embracing one’s own madness, coupled with self-compassion
  • “Essentially we’re scripting our own lives continuously”
  • No one can define great art, it has a transcendent quality
  • Relying on the judgement of others to measure you
  • Trusting informed readers for feedback
  • We would be nothing without the love of other people
  • Community makes you feel at home in the world
  • Observing others as they journey through the world
  • Conflict > Friction > Fire > Life, warmth, light…
  • Writing “aggressive”, “racist”, “sexist” books
  • Uncomfortability creates an opportunity to elevate consciousness
  • The world is not static, we must constantly revise our approach
  • “One should be happy to be confronted with a genuinely authentic new perspective”
  • Yearning to be confronted by someone with your own flaw or bias
  • We identify too much with our own thoughts and opinions
  • Trained as a scientist - PhD in Research Psychology, specifically Social Cognition
  • Taught college psych for 23 years
  • Research him on Google scholar for his papers on human studies
  • Advice to younger self: “Get help sooner.” (meds, therapy, yoga/meditation)
  • 19 year yogi
  • Play more
  • Grieving when you can’t write
  • Longest writing “slump”: current, 1 1/2 years…
  • Novel writing comes from a different place, it’s like a puzzle


A taste:

  • “We view our selves as western expansion does, an American cultural egotism that creates dynamism.”
  • “Most of our rhetoric, our language, is oriented towards youth.”
  • “The novelist mind requires that you see everything when you write one sentence.”


Favorite saying:
(He can’t remember. Ask his friends for the notes they take of the funny things he says.)

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Love, Sagewolf xoxo