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.
A
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.
