Today’s Word: Inspiration
Here’s a little glimpse into the inner workings of a creative person, be they painter, filmmaker, sculptor or other discipline that requires being in touch with innovation and inspiration:
Doubt, fear, procrastination and uncertainty are all common things. You who create know what I’m talking about. And those that do not create have had experience with these elements before as well.
I’m talking about a different thing though. The uncertainty of your merit. The doubt of your skills. The fear that what you do will not be good or new or interesting. And the procrastination that comes from that, because its easier to say I have a revolutionary novel in the works than to actually write it and face the facts that maybe its just a fun fantasy novel. Procrastination in a creative defense mechanism.
I am fairly prolific when I want to me–once the ball begins to roll, I have no trouble keeping it going. But god help me if that ball stops because it takes a monumental amount of motivation to get it going again. Lately I have lapsed into bad habits, mostly due to too much time, too many projects going on at once. I was working on near to 9 different projects, from comics to novels to short films. This is often called spreading yourself too thin. I call it an addiction to creation. It’s a problem of attention and interest…instead of sticking to something and making it polished and sparkling…Id rather move on to something else new and fresh! But it’s a habit usually I have under control.
That sweet poison, however, leads us to a different problem. It’s called ‘what do I work on next?’ When you are your own boss there’s a lot to take into consideration. As always I want to push my work to the next level, to be honest and realistic as possible and not gum up the works with a lot of flash and thunder. Though there are times flash and thunder have a purpose. The point is, it can be hard deciding what to work on next….obviously work on what you are passionate about. But what if nothing catches your eye at the moment? Well, that’s no excuse to let your discipline fall into rust and decay. You must push forward! So then which project? Or if you have no project, what the hell matters to you so much you must tell it?
Hard questions boy and girls. Hard questions indeed.
But lets think for a moment of solutions. There are a variety to consider–looking at trailers for obscure indie films, or main stream blockbusters. Reading interesting novels or short stories online. Drawing a picture. Sounding off with another creative in regards to a kernel of an idea you have, expanding it into a flower.
Notice a common link? All of these elements are external elements. They do not originate from within. And hey, they can work. I do all of the above from time to time. But the point is, there is no need to seek answers elsewhere when you have it all inside of you. Direct access. When things get hard, usually it means there’s external factors muddying the water. It gets hard to see through. Worry about jobs, work, bills, creative pressure, standards, markets and the like.
These are distractions. They come from other places and should find no purchase in your creative landscape. Yes, they are important. Yes, you should not ignore them. But they have no place interrupting your process. Make a place for them and leave them at the door like you would your shoes in a special, private place. The clearer you can make the water, the easier it becomes to create.
In the end, when you know yourself in entirety and can understand the difference between your thoughts and the invasive thoughts of other people, creation becomes a joy like no other, and refining, rewriting, reworking….all become part of the larger process.
Inspiration flows freely. Like attracts like in the unseen world.
