Let There be LIFE. Explore Your Inner Child.
Creator: Bronzino / 'Garcia of Medici', ca. 1550 | Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Grind!
Grind.
Grind?
As a creative in the pursuit of happiness, you see your world through your craft.
You are told by a system that you have to put in countless hours and sleepless nights and write until you bleed on the paper, so one day you MAY achieve greatness.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Or, let me rephrase that: bear in mind that two things that seem polar opposites can both be true at once.
What good are you if your shell is depleted? Your soul malnourished? Your relationships destroyed by this obsession you carry within as you type, and type, and type?
Hard work is important. It puts you above the average crowd, makes you stand out, and fosters a climate in which you are more likely to thrive.
BUT.
You don’t live to write. You write to feel alive. And if you don’t establish a balance where you allow yourself to explore other things in life, you will NEVER become the master craftsman you dream of turning into.
Creativity is a complex beast. It’s the sum of a gazillion variables that greatly vary based on how you are “wired.”
But here are a few common factors that influence your creativity and ability to produce:
Your energy, both physical and mental (what you refer to as headspace).
Your upbringing. Were you intellectually stimulated as a child? Taught concepts and events that weren’t discussed at school or with your friends?
How well-traveled are you? Have you ever been exposed to other cultures? (And no, the strip mall Chinese takeout doesn’t count).
Do you read?
Do you like to try new things?
Now, let’s take a look at this list. Where’s the pattern?
Energy-Stimulation-Travels-Reads-New Things
Yes, you guessed it: they all stem from one main behavior — exploration.
How can you create effectively while burned out and rather provincial/unsophisticated? How do you come up with exciting concepts and settings when writing is the only major thing you’ve ever experienced?
That’s why writer's block is a myth. It’s underlying depression, a lack of life experience, or discipline. It’s not that you cannot put words on paper; it’s that you’re not in the right place to do so effectively.
Explore your inner child. Develop new hobbies. Take breaks and trips. Go try new foods. Learn a language. Get promoted.
Have good sex (getting promoted twice here)!
Get excited about the finest things in life (even if you can’t afford it yet)! You need a personality! You need to be defined by a sum of things rather than a fixed number.
This is often overlooked, especially in the U.S., where a deadly grind culture has convinced us to shut the fuck up and commit to the ultimate sacrifice because… The American Dream!
Ha! Right.
Let go of those nonsensical beliefs and put YOU first. Honing your craft is equally important, but it is a marathon, not a sprint. I know we’ve mentioned that before, but this is even more relevant here.
Where’s your inner child? Have you found him/her, their laughs echoing on the beautiful, massive blank canvas of your life?
