But it’s weird; I can’t do nothing. I used to be able to do nothing, once upon a time. I could sit and just stare out the window, or listen to music and just daydream.
Daydreaming, I guess, has become my job. My daydreams go on paper to be shared.
Does that mean I keep none of my daydreams to myself?
No.
Because some daydreams shouldn’t be shared.
And some are just too big and don’t feel like they’d fit in the world outside of my head.
This wildly random absolutely stream of consciousness post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Find the prompt here and join in! It’s fun!
This post is part of Just Jot it January, and our prompt of the day is from Di. Check out her blog here!
There was a time when my favorite thing to do to escape the world was reading. It still is right up there, but lately I’ve been reading more for research and work than for pleasure.
So about a year ago, when I was looking for something else to pass the time, I started knitting again.
I love creating things. It’s one of the reasons I love to write, though that, too, has become a job. Not that I don’t enjoy it still, but it’s gone beyond a pastime and into something I have to do.
So yeah, knitting. If they weren’t so expensive, I’d make blankets for all of you.
This knitty post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!
As January 1st quickly approaches here (happy new Year to those whose clocks have already changed!), I just wanted to remind anyone who is interested that my other new prompt begins tomorrow for The Escapist Coloring Club. I’ve designed a badge in paint – it’s nothing to write home about, but it’s something. I’ll likely change it eventually to make it more fancy.
The prompt post will go up tomorrow with the rules, which will be slightly different as the prompt is, so far, only once a month. If you’d like to start preparing your posts today, I’ll be asking for one full shot of your colouring project, and at least one closeup of a part you’re particularly proud of, if there are any. Don’t forget, your prompt photo can be your own colouring, your kids’, or even your significant other’s if you’d like. The prompt will go live at 9:30am (-5 GMT), and entries will be welcomed all week, so don’t stress over it! The entire point of this prompt is to give yourself time to relax.
With that, I wish everyone a healthy, joyous, and prosperous new year. Cheers to 2018!
“Keeping body and soul together is an annoying business.” – a line by Charles Daniel Jacobs, Chapter VI – Revival ~ Stephen King
I was going to post this quote as a One-Liner on Wednesday, but it resonates with me beyond being able to leave it alone – I have to write about it. And that’s really what it’s all about for me.
What is a soul? Is it our life’s energy? Is it what makes us who we are? Is it what places us here on earth from where ever in the universe we come from? I suppose it depends on your belief. I believe it’s what drives me to be who I am. My nature, if you will. It’s what I was born with.
I am a writer. This is not something I chose for myself; I, like many others I have met, seem to be made for this occupation, as it surely is for artists in any medium. We are made to create – we have this in common. The poet who lives to make emotions and sensations come alive on the page; the musician who must play; the artist who needs to express herself in pictures; the architect who strives upwards, brick upon brick; the knitter who lovingly measures, stitch by stitch her work – the one thing each of us shares is the ability to stand back and say, “I created this out of nothing.” And oh, what satisfaction it brings! Our creations are what make our souls shine!
But, as relating to the quote, we all have our limitations. Whether it be physical or a matter of responsibility or both, there are times when we are inspired to create but can’t. For me, at times, it is an ache. A feeling that if I can’t just sit and write… something… I’ll go crazy. I think of Julie Andrews – her botched throat operation must have been beyond devastating. Or Phil Collins’s spinal cord injury that has left him unable to play the drums or even hold a pair of drumsticks. For some the physical disability didn’t stop them – Beethoven who continued to compose after he became almost completely deaf, and drummer, Rick Allen of Def Leppard who lost his arm in a car crash, to name a couple. They are the exception rather than the rule, but it goes to show how the compulsion to keep going can help to overcome what may seem like impossible obstacles.
“Keeping body and soul together is an annoying business.” Indeed, Mr. King. It’s an annoyance, a stress, a heartrending misery that many of us experience. It is a human condition. It is the plight of the creator.
The good news is, I’m getting some editing done. I’m allowing my imagination to wander and I’m picking up on my character’s vibes; getting their words from their mouths to the page, as well as their actions and their thoughts. Spending some serious concentration on my novel is something I’ve been trying to do for a while, though it’s not likely to last into the weekend. Unfortunately, my ex crapped out on me yet again, so I have the kids. Again.
The bad news is, it seems that all I’ve been able to do for the last couple of days is be creative. So while my right brain takes the lead I haven’t been able to come up with anything to write about on my blog. I’m all kinds of imagination and no real life. It’s a good way to be – I think so anyway.
Still, in a way it’s frustrating. When I’m “in” my novel, I walk around the block on my paper route and I see nothing around me. The absence of photos these past few days (is it weeks already?) is proof. I go into this trance-like state, sometimes even walking right past the houses I’ve been delivering to for two and a half years now, and having to back-track. My family has to say things to me three times before I understand the words. Which is interesting to me, because according to the research I just did, the left brain (that I’m not using very much of these days) is responsible for words, among other things.
I suppose I should be pleased about this. In my experience it’s hard to get to the point I’m at right now, able to use my creative side. When I’m pulled out of it usually, by having someone interrupt me when I’m trying to write, I get so annoyed that it takes me hours to go back, if I can at all.
It must, however, be extremely inconvenient for anyone who tries to interact with me when I’m like this. Wouldn’t you hate living with a writer? I would.
I must check to see if I start off with my left foot to go up and down stairs when I’m right-brained…
How can we all be more creative? How can we be inspired?
I came across this really great Youtube video today. It’s John Cleese, talking about where our creativity comes from and, not surprisingly, humour.
I can’t stress how fantastic this video is. If you’ve ever been stuck on what to write and how to go about finding the tools within yourself to spark your creativity, you MUST watch this.
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