Committed: A Memoir of the Artist's Road

by Patrick Ross

A unique and ambitious contribution to the annals of the memoir genre. It tells the story of a Washington, D.C. journalist-turned-lobbyist who disguises his bipolar disorder as well as his estrangement from his parents and heads out on a five-week cross-country U.S. road trip, engaging with creative and generous individuals who trigger in the author a yearning to pursue an authentic, art-committed life.

To embrace that life, however, would require tremendous change. He would need to break with his funders, face down his fear of a bipolar spiral that might endanger his relationship with his wife and children, and come to terms with his family legacy of mental illness. The book's intricately woven narrative lines form a brutally honest self-portrait of fear, loss, and growth.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Writing

239 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2014

Reviews

[Jessica McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick Ross' memoir contains all the things I enjoy most about this genre. I veer from celebrity memoirs, which too often contain high drama, glitz and narcissism. I prefer memoirs by ordinary people, dealing with life, overcoming obstacles and learning something along the way that they have the courage to share with the rest of us. Ross delivered this in a quiet way with clean, entertaining prose.

After an engaging introduction, the book begins with the author embarking on a business road trip for his Washington, D.C. lobbyist employer. His task is to interview a range of artists about copyright infringement. Spending five weeks driving solo across the country provides a great deal of opportunity for Ross to examine his life -- where he has been, where he is now and where he would like to be. The interviews and conversations with the artists begin to lean more toward creative passion, life and balance than toward the legalities of copyright. His road trip soon evolves into a journey of inspiration, reflection and self-discovery.

Ross' story reminds the reader that none of us are perfect. We all have baggage that weighs us down as we go through life. Whether that includes a dysfunctional family, divorce, health challenges, fear of failure or any number of other trials, the key is to keep moving and striving to overcome. I found myself smiling and nodding along as I read this book, especially connecting to the author's insights regarding family, parenthood and the desire to live a creative life.

Too many of us get stuck in a place we'd rather not be, sometimes out of fear, sometimes out of complacency. Ross' memoir is a story about having the courage to get unstuck. If you enjoy books in the vein of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, you will enjoy Ross' memoir. I highly recommend it.

[Melissa Crytzer Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a refreshing way to start 2015: reading a new genre! Yes, believe it or not, I am a first-time memoir reader and might have missed out if not for getting to know Patrick Ross through his Artist’s Road blog over the past few years.

I’m not sure all memoirs are like his, but Ross’s COMMITTED offers a refreshing literary style with beautiful turns of phrase (many relating to the physical environment he travels during a road trip). It also tackles the tough issues of mental health and the common tug and pull faced by creatives attempting to live art-committed lives. The memoir adds yet another layer, too, as it shares the creative stories of artists Ross interviews during a cross-country business trip.

This memoir by Ross, a Washington-D.C. lobbyist (former journalist), spoke to me on many levels, as someone charting my own creative path. Many passages were quotable for those of us starting the new year with renewed passion for our art:

“The art-committed life is all about perseverance. It’s about creating your art when life tells you there is no time. It’s about honoring your muse when there is no immediate economic return. It’s about being willing to take on new challenges alone.”

…and…

“What informs one’s writing is the life one has lived.”

I really enjoyed this memoir about Ross’s creative journey, a journey made infinitely more painful as a result of a strained relationship with his bestselling author mother and a family legacy of mental health struggles. Ross’s courageous story sheds much-needed light on the realities of bipolar disorder and offers hope for individuals wanting to commit to their art. This was the perfect book to start out the new year with creative enthusiasm!

[Sherrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick Ross took me on a five-week road trip from Portland, Maine, to my hometown of Portland, Oregon. I should clarify and point out that it wasn't a journey we made together, in the same vehicle, on the same plane or train. It's what I felt as a I read Patrick's memoir, Committed: A Memoir of the Artist's Road. ...

Evocative of William Least Heat-Moon's famous, Blue Highways, Patrick, by this time a journalist-turned-lobbyist, travels from one end of our country to the other interviewing artists of a variety of genre--painters, musicians, writers--seeking their response on issues of ownership and copyright of an artist's works.

Read more here ...

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for every artist!

I had been following Patrick Ross's blog, The Artist's Road, with pleasure for quite some time before I purchased a copy of his book, COMMITTED: A MEMOIR OF THE ARTIST'S ROAD. The book does not disappoint.

Part memoir, part exploration of the creative process, Committed: A Memoir of the Artist's Road is a narrative of Ross's experiences and revelations during a five-week cross-country journey to interview various artists about copyright infringement for a documentary. Ross begins by taking the position of the objective journalist, but he soon strips away his veneer of dispassionate observation to reveal his own ambivalence about living the creative life as well as his personal struggle with mental illness. The journey to discuss copyright concerns becomes one of self-revelation.

Ross's writing is eloquent and beautifully descriptive. We feel the claustrophobia of the musician's home studio, smell the freshly baked muffins in the home of a song writer, and in one of his most powerful passages, experience the transcendent moment of driving from the Plains up into the Rocky Mountains.

Artists are often forced to balance the needs of family and time with the passion of creating art. It is a sad fact that, in this country, few artists can earn a living from their creative work. Again and again, Ross poses the question to his interviewees: "What does it mean to commit to the creative life?" The answers are varied, but they all follow a similar theme. As I read through this book, I found myself underlining certain responses because they spoke to me and my own life as an artist. When Ross interviews Bob Kurtz, a musician and a composer, Kurtz tells him, "What you think about all day long should be what you do, then." Joseph Campbell, the famous mythologist and writer, echoes a similar sentiment when he advises people to "follow your bliss."

But Ross knows that pursuing one's passion also requires fierce determination. He explains, "The art-committed life is all about perseverance. It's about creating your art when life tells you there is no time. It's about honoring your muse when there is no immediate economic return. It's about being willing to take on new challenges alone." These words are so true they should be a framed poster in every artist's studio.

At the beginning of this narrative, Ross dismisses himself as a more of an advocate than a creative, but I would disagree. Ross has created a book every artist needs to read.

[P.J. Reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I only give 5-stars to Virginia Woolf, so 4-stars is high praise coming from a crank like me. Patrick's road story turns out to be a portrait of America, which, as a non-American, I appreciated, especially since, to a non-America, America is not always a pretty sight. But Patrick Ross turns out to be a refreshing sight indeed, and by that I mean he tells the bare-assed truth or he doesn't bother to say anything at all. What a relief to read a writer who calls it like it is -- from the dirty details of his family relations, to his own considerable vulnerabilities, to his assessment of the artists he visits across the country.

My first reaction after reaching the Pacific and the end of his journey was to feel a clamouring for more journey, more Patrick, more truth. Why not make another cross-country trip with another focus. "More Committed." I see a series of such books.

I would recommend "Committed" to every aspiring artist. Patrick's journey certainly left me with an honest sense of the artist's life. It's not an easy life and it's not often lucrative, but the one constant is that these people are nourished to the degree that they have committed to escaping what society expects of them. In this day and age, that escape is becoming evermore important.

[Wendy Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a few memoirs/autobiographies in the past. They have mostly been written by comedians - not sure why I'm drawn to them in particular, but they've never disappointed so I'm not going to analyse it too deeply. I've read one memoir written by a writer - 'On Writing,' by Stephen King. But I was drawn to reading 'Committed' after discovering Patrick Ross's online blog; something about his engaging, conversational tone and genuinely sincere interaction with his 'audience' made me confident that I would enjoy reading his story. Little did I know just how much he would exceed my expectations above and beyond that with this book.

On the face of it, 'Committed' might appear to be simply the story of one man's road trip across America, interviewing artists and 'creative types' as part of a government-funded campaign for protecting the creative rights of artists. And, at least in the beginning, it's clear that's how Patrick himself views it too. But this is because he is a 'buried creative,' investing his energies in championing the creativity in others in order to distract himself from following his own artistic path. As he travels through various states interviewing creative people of all ages and from all walks of life, their words have an effect on him, making him question his own life choices. Patrick's road trip evolves into not just a geographical but emotional journey, unearthing old insecurities and wrestling with inner demons from his past - including his Bipolar Disorder. After much soul-searching, he eventually reconciles all of this with his drive to live an art-committed life.

What I loved most about this book - and there is a lot to love - is that Patrick is unflinchingly honest throughout. He doesn't sugar-coat the behaviour (or his opinions on it) of any of the people in this story - including his own. This makes for uncomfortable reading on a couple of occasions, but only in the way that it should be; Patrick is not afraid to dig deep into his soul and allow the reader to feel his pain along with him. But at the same time this is never done in a self-pitying or self-absorbed way; he gives each 'character'(for want of a better word, since they are all real-life people) their moment in the spotlight with great respect and generosity, never once jumping in front of them with the literary equivalent of "but anyway, now back to me..." In a memoir, it takes a skilled writer to achieve that balance, and Patrick succeeds admirably. Here's the thing; while I can be touched and deeply affected by things I've read in books, I don't cry when I read them. Never happened to me before, ever. Until I read this one. Maybe it's because I'd been following his blog before then, which made it feel more like I was learning the story of a person I sort-of-knew-even-though-we'd-never-met (the internet's weird like that, isn't it?) But you don't have to know anything about Patrick beforehand to love this book. You don't even have to be a 'creative type' yourself, because it's about so much more than that. It's about the human spirit, facing your fears, the understanding that leads to forgiveness, and finding the courage to trust your own instincts.

[K.M. Weiland · Rating 4 out of 5]

In most books, we're lucky to get to glean from the experiences and wisdom of one person, but Ross's unique approach to the memoir offers the creative insights of dozens of artists, working in all sorts of media. Woven throughout is the undercurrent of creativity: its risks, its costs, and its rewards. Ross's unique creative burden - familial and personal - bring an interesting spin to the tale, but still offers a reflective mirror in which anyone on the artist's road will be able to see a familiar face. We all struggle with the dark sides of the craft, with the things we have to give up to remain committed, but also with the yawning darkness whenever we turn away from that path. Ross has given us all a message: we're not alone in our amazing, lonely, difficult, rewarding journey. He's walking the road with us, and if he can do it, so can we.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having given up writing for many years to earn a living and raise my family, I found Patrick Ross’s journey, and his questions about having given up on writing early in life, one to which I could easily relate. Sometimes when we are very young we tell ourselves we aren’t good enough, that no one will be interested in listening to what we have to say, that money has to be made and obligations must be met – that last is true, but what does it really mean to meet our obligations? And why does meeting them so often seem to mean we cannot also follow our heart?

These are the questions pondered (and, finally, answered) in Committed, A Memoir of the Artist’s Road.

“Why am I obsessed with others’ creativity? Why did I drift from the creative path? Can I return to it? Should I?”

I don’t often read memoir. I’m a fiction gal. And when I’m not reading fiction, I’m usually reading research materials, in the form of biographies and history books. But Ross’s memoir was an unusual one, and appealed to me, in that it was about his journey interviewing other creatives. His journey took him across the United States, to mountain cabin retreats and urban settings, all in the pursuit of learning about the lives and choices of artists of every ilk: painters, song writers, musicians, and of course, writers, all of them occupying a substrata below fame, but all of them also making a living following their passion. He filmed these interviews. They took place in living rooms, studios, and park benches. Some of the interviews were not terribly interesting, but some of them stand out, and these formed the draw on his quest, forcing him to take a hard look at his own choices, and assumptions he’d made in the past, and to question decisions that no longer seemed to quite fit, if he was going to live a life that mattered.

“The artists I’ve most admired on this trip have won me over with stories of determination and grit. The art-committed life is all about perseverance. It’s about creating your art when life tells you there is no time. It’s about honoring your muse when there is no immediate economic return. It’s about being willing to take on new challenges alone.”

Along the way Ross thought about his family, his mother in particular, by his account a difficult woman, a writer, whose emotional antics kept his life off kilter. His thinks about his father, a man possibly suffering from the same bi-polar disease that plagues Ross himself, and his own children, who were affected by the trickle-down of these dysfunctions in his family of origin.

“I leveled the man who surrendered his creativity to a questionable lobbying cause. I demolished the young adult paralyzed by fear of mental illness. And like a patient sniper, I took out that child who couldn’t create without his mother’s approval.”

For anyone who has come away from a family with a narcissist or other ill family member, these reminisces will feel painfully familiar.

“I very much disliked living in a home where one loved one would hurt another and then both would pretend it never happened.”

“To be in my mother’s life means playing by her rules, and the first rule is that you accept reality as she defines it.”

There’s some hilarity along Ross’s journey, it isn’t all grim introspection. There’s a visit to a Hormel Spam museum, as well as run-ins with interesting characters who weren’t on the agenda: a lonely millionaire, hookers, and the gracious people you bump into crossing heartland America.

[Esther Bradley-detally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick Ross's books is more than a good read. Committed, a memoir of The Artist's Road (his very fine blog) is unique, courageous, sensitive and highly worth reading.

Patrick Ross is a professional storyteller who spent a decade as an award-winning journalist covering D.C. politics, having worked with a U.S. senator.

The theme, or one of the many themes in his account of a cross-country trip, focuses on the artist's commitment. He interviews artists who are comitted to an authentic, and purposeful dedication to their artist lives.

Committed is also a memoir about change, about creativity, repressed or unrepressed.

Patrick Ross reveals internal struggles, family legacies of dysfunction and accusations. And this memoir reveals the affects of his 5 week road trip, which triggers his own put-away-in-the-closet writer's call.


Committed is a book about all of us in one sense. We are now working, living, surviving, scrambling, starving or satiated, for safety, economic security, and thus the overused word "brand," sprouts into being.

The author is a man who has the courage to change. He is also a man who has the courage to reveal.

As a writer myself, I recognize that there is no security, but security finds meaning in actuating potential. I personally found his direct honesty/not confession/ a dropping of the veils of self, the social self heartening. We are all on a journey, and that journey the process of becoming our true selves, which does not mean a dance down a gossamer path, but one of facing the grit, crisis, and victory in our lives.

We are all frail. We are all creative in some ways. We need courage.
Anxiety in my mind's eye, is repressed creativity. Patrick Ross shows us this process, and it was a road trip that did it.

I recommend this book to all artists who need encouragement, or who have had encouragement; to all who struggle finding their path. Committed is heart felt, well written, and sustaining.

[Donna]

Committed: A Memoir of the Artist’s Road This is actually the first time I’ve read a memoir; I’m not typically drawn to them, to be truthful. But having become aware of Patrick Ross through social media (can’t recall if it was Twitter or through a blog), I was attracted to the high quality of his blog posts, their content usually being on the intellectual side. In turn, I became aware of Committed and knew I’d be purchasing the book as soon as it was released. This personal story is written as well as any page-turning novel.

I knew Patrick has a command of language and expression, so I expected an interesting read, but didn’t know a memoir could be so compelling. The reader is taken on an emotional journey of discovery, told through the eyes of a man who struggles with bi-polar disorder. As one would expect, it took a lot of courage for him to disclose his condition to the world, fearing the stigma.

Patrick, a journalist-turned-lobbyist, set out on a U.S. cross-country road trip, to interview “creatives” to document their feelings and thoughts about their art, their lives as artists, and their feelings about artists’ rights, this trip being funded in the name of copyright law for artists. As one would expect, the variety of art and personalities behind that art, covered the full spectrum, but they bore one thing in common: passion; they are committed to their art.

Written with frankness and forthrightness, Patrick exposed the flaws and strengths, not only of his family members and the interview subjects, but of himself, including things heartbreaking and distasteful. He painted extraordinarily vivid pictures through his spot-on, fresh and concise descriptions of people, places and events, allowing the reader to experience this journey close-up and personal. In embarking on this 5-week drive, he did not know he’s ultimately be affected in a deep, personal, revelatory way. This artist’s road destination: creativity.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really fortunate to get an early copy of Patrick's memoir Committed. Once I started it, I didn't want to put it down! The story Patrick shares is one that many creatives know: the discovery and act of embracing our creativity, which doesn't always come easily. Patrick shares his battle to becoming a Committed Creative and I am a better person for having read his work.

I completed a video review of Committed: A Memoir of the Artist's Road where I draw and doodle about the book while I discuss the memoir.

You can watch it here: http://artistthink.com/2014/10/20/boo...

[Lynne Spreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this memoir a lot more at the beginning, but I couldn't reconcile the earnest-but-challenged dad/husband with the person the writer becomes later in the book. I started losing interest when he described visiting Cheyenne, Wyoming. At about 85% I started skimming.

[Kathleen Pooler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Committed: A Memoir of the Artist’s Road is a brave, candid and well-crafted memoir that intertwines an external job-related road trip across the country with an internal journey of self-discovery and healing.

Patrick is a Washington, DC journalist-turned-lobbyist who struggles with bipolar disorder and alienation from his parents when he sets out on a 5-week cross-country road trip as part of an assignment to interview creative professionals about copyright infringement.

Not only do I meet a wide array of creative professional artists, photographers, musicians and writers, but I experience Patrick’s inner journey as he grapples with his fears about the bipolar disorder he has struggled with since childhood, his relationship with his family and his growing awareness of his need to change. With each person he meets and interviews, he reflects upon a part of his life that he needs to face.

The first chapter is riveting and sets the stage for the journey ahead. By the time I meet each artist, I feel prepared for the inner dialogue, reflective of his pain and struggle.

Patrick’s writing is mesmerizing, so rich on detail, I feel I am riding shotgun as he careens through the country. His exquisite scenic detail and believable dialogue bring each character alive on the page. With gripping honesty, he shares his worst fears, often showing his vulnerabilities through reflections about the artists he interviews. At one point, when he brings his daughter, Marisa, a talented artist herself, on the journey, I see the role creativity plays in their family life.
It is in the slow yet powerful unfolding of this inner and outer journey that makes this memoir so compelling. Because the author brings me so close to his pain, I can celebrate his triumph of discovering the art-committed life he has fought so hard to achieve.

I came across a quote recently that I feel sums up this memoir: “ A good story brings you into someone else’s experience. A great story leaves you no choice.” (Author Unknown)

I highly recommend this transformational memoir about searching and finding the art-committed life.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The value of the best memoir is in how it both brings us into the life of another and teaches us something about ourselves. Patrick Ross' "Committed" takes us on a beautifully written journey both literally and figuratively and looks at how sometimes the creative path isn't about discovering who we are as much as allowing ourselves to BE who we are. The artists he visits along the way are perfect in their imperfection. As much as I highly recommend this to the creative or aspiring creative, this memoir is for anyone looking to understand what it means to be truly and authentically themselves. I have written a much more in depth review on my blog. http://artscapes.ca/2014/12/02/commit...

[Nicki Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrick Ross takes us across the country as he interviews writers, musicians, and artists about the creative process. In the process, he reveals his difficult family history and his struggles with bi-polar disease. The trip leads him to realize how important it is for him to live a life committed to art.

[Aviva]

Need to think about it before I write a review.