...Mostly because I've been busy. Work has been ramping up in the office, which is both good and bad, and I've been trying to recenter my creative efforts on the third collection of stories (tentatively titled "Under a Black Rainbow, a title which speaks to the thematic nature of all the stories so far; dark, super weird, confusing, provocative, and impossible).
There can often be huge stumbling blocks when someone has multiple avenues for creative output. When the writing doesn't seem to be jiving, I'll mess around with music for a bit. When the music doesn't seem to be jiving either, I'll move on to some kind of physical art (collage, painting - neither of which I'm great at). And when the art isn't coming? Well, I'll often lose myself back in my own writing or the writing of others.
But I've been so busy this week that I've had no chance to dig into any of those endeavors. And that's often a good thing as it means I'm leaving my apartment and engaging with life as it happens outside of my bubble. Too often I find myself content being locked up in my apartment creating when I could be out and about having conversations with friends. I'm lucky to have had a few friends from San Francisco and Arkansas in town this week, which meant I would work and then immediately head out to see them every night this week.
Exhausting, but worth the time spent away from the creative hustle. Of course, that means plenty of other things end up falling by the wayside...which is disappointing, but normal and expected.
There are very rarely times where I say that I'm too busy to see or do things with other people. I tell them I'm writing, which is a HUGE time suck for those that know. Sure, you could spend a half-hour every day writing, but I prefer writing marathons. Where, if the piece is coming along nicely (or not nicely, as is often the case), I like waking up early, brewing coffee, and marinating in that particular story all day long or until it's finished. I've started and finished a very small number of stories within a 12-hour period, but I've certainly worked on most of my stories for full days, if not full weekends.
Because even if I'm not putting words on the page, I'm actively thinking on the story. I may be staring at the screen trying to figure out where to go next, but I'm focused intently on the project at hand. I've not had that luxury this week, but thankfully I will have all Sunday to brew up a pot of coffee and marinate in a few stories that have been building up inside my head over the last couple weeks.
And that's all to the good. Often the creative mind needs a break from the creative work so that when one returns to the creative work, it simply comes without too much struggle. The words will most likely pour forth for a good hour or two and then I'll end up staring at my screen again, but at least I will have put words on the page and I will not have wasted my Sunday. I will not have wasted the time afforded me to create.
(Image by Anthony Clarkson)
this post is so amazing, I'm so inspired to keep working hard on steem.
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