Crazy thought here, but I think it's important to have stuff going on around you while you are trying to get something creative done. Whether it's a sketch for tee shirt contest, outlining a story, painting a painting...or working on a blog.
Having distraction around you can be a good thing. Whether it is a bit of too interesting music, a list of chores that you keep thinking about that needs doing, or a child that needs attention or whatever; having these things going on in the background can be helpful. Now, I'm not advocating working in a full on hurricane, but what I am saying is that if you are doing something creative that requires a bit of concentration, having constant distractions can actually help you to grow in your creativity.
Between building up a movie podcast and blog with my brother, writing a kids book, trying to be diligent in getting content made for this blog, a gaming blog in the works, not to mention the freelance work I do here and there--things have been busy. And the midst of that busyness there has been plenty of opportunity to learn this same lesson over and over and over again. If you can't get the fun stuff done when the world seems to be blaring a trumpet in your ear, how can you be expected to do it in those craved for quiet moments? And what if those moments never come?
You could spend all day pining for those perfect moments to be creative. You might imagine yourself looking up from a drawing board, sketch pad, a notepad, or a laptop as you look out a window and think some grandiose thought about the human condition or what-have-you. You pensively stroke your chin, knowing that a profound bit of artistry is on the verge of emerging from your ever fertile brain. The only problem is that you've been waiting all day for this mythical moment and that bright, sunny light is a street lamp and the grandiose thought is actually you contemplating having a bowl of popcorn while binge watching something rather than working on the stuff you were planning on doing all day. What's the point of trying after all, the best inspirational moments have passed. They were gobbled up like so much else of your day.
The problem isn't really that you don't have the time though or that the "really good thoughts" have been used up for the day. The problem is you didn't buckle down during the distracting parts. Those awesome, chin-stroking moments were available to you all day long, you just had to not let the distractions win.
It's a constant struggle to get the ideal moment that we dream of. I'm not saying that they never happen, or that they are a rare thing. What I am saying is that if you can't get yourself to thinking creatively, to be imaginative against the relentless press of the mundane--then how do you expect to have the discipline or ability to fully appreciate when the perfect moments do come along? What will it matter to you if the sun is shining as you look out the window onto the most inspirational scene imaginable if that becomes the norm for your creative time? Yes, we need to take full advantage when they come along, but we also need to be ready for the hard push that will come before those perfect moments.
I guess for myself I've started to learn to appreciate those moments a bit more and learned to push myself to be creative even when the world seems to be coming hectic and unglued. If I hadn't started to learn to be creative during the distracting times, then the quiet moment like the one I am enjoying as I write this would seem less special to me.
Distraction is helpful.
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