Plumber's Block

Tis the season for madness, panic, despair and depression.

And those are the good parts. It's less than a month until Christmas and you still have six months worth of work to do. The kids are screaming about the things they want which will cost more than Trump's wall, the relatives keep calling and threatening to come and stay (forever), the school/church/PTA has a bazaar/ cake sale/ spaghetti dinner which you have to provide enough stuff to feed the sixth division of the Chinese army, the fridge just made an odd sound and belched out an odor that there is no polite description for and The Thing on the Couch hasn't moved since the Wednesday before thanksgiving and the only sign of life is his death grip on the remote control. Thank God the holidays only come once a year!

So what is the Ole Trawler going to say about all of this to lift your mood, lighten your load and bring light into the darkness which has settled over the entire world like fungus or Global Warming?

You are lazy.

That's right, I'm talking about lazy creative people who use the season to avoid working on their art.

I you are an artist you have to work at your art all of the time. There is no time out, pause button or reset, you have to keep going in spite of all of the things which get in the way and the holiday season is sure to bring on that dreaded curse of all creative people, Writers Block.

You know all about Writer's Block, or if you don't I'm gonna tell you cause it is a pet peeve of mine and I whine about it every chance I get cause there is nothing that burns me more than to hear some writer moaning about being blocked when the truth is they are just too lazy to get up off the couch and start working.

Let's be clear, if this were any other profession you laugh at the notion of being blocked. You wouldn't put up with a plumber who has Plumber's Block. Bad tooth and need a Dentist? Sorry I have Dentist's Block you just have to wait for me to get the right inspiration to work on that bad tooth. You understand I am a creative person and can't just produce on demand like a trained seal.

Horse radish! Let's step back to the glorious days of radio. You remember, like television or the Internet without pictures. Why go so far back? Because it is one of the best examples of why creative people can't be blocked.

In the days of radio, the shows went on twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The demand for scripts was ravenous, rapacious, voracious and there was no alternative. The show was going on the air at the scheduled time with or without a script. So the writers were in a constant cold sweat working to beat the clock.

And guess what? They did it.

That's right, those creative people came up with scripts on demand. There just wasn't any time for Writer's Block.

And the strange thing is this applies to all areas of creative effort, if you have to do it, you can.

The notion that you have to wait for inspiration is like waiting for a politician to do the right thing. It might happen but more often than not they just feather their own nest.

So when the ideas just won't come what do you do?

Do something. Albert Einstein said, “Life is like riding a bicycle, in order to keep your balance you have to keep moving.” So is inspiration, to get it, you have to get going.

I write so I know all about Writer's Block, usually that means I am just too lazy to sit down and write. When it isn't laziness, it is because I am bored with what I am writing. Fix Writer's Block, switch what you are writing. I try to keep at least three stories going at once.

Sure that takes a bit of concentration but I have a trick memory so I can always remember just where I left off and can pick it up right away.

But what do you do when you aren't Rain Man.

Take notes, use a tape recorder, join a writer's group, have a coffee klatch with other writers and above all do something.

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And every other artistic discipline is the same, stuck, keep going.

When I can't work on a photographic project I want to work on, I work on what is available. I'm trying to locate veterans and get their pictures for a project I want to do in the new year. But guess what they have lives and opinions and they don't always want to help me with my little project and why should they. They've already given their pound of flesh whether is was overseas or at home and they should get to do whatever they damn well want. So when there are no veterans to shoot I shoot what I can find.

My cats are always willing to pose. They think the camera is fascinating and they are little drama queens so they love preforming for me. And that is a good thing cause I would do nothing if I could.

The holidays are a great time for doing creative projects. There are lights and ornaments and packages and people, festive decorations and food, food and lots of food.

So when the inspiration needle hits empty look around. There's a whole world of interesting things to fire your creative rockets. Don't be that guy, the guy with Roofer's Block.