I suppose most would consider it a trite and tired cliché to say that "Nothing ever goes as expected."
Chiché or not... it can certainly be applied to this mysterious thing we call "creativity."
Why am I even writing this?
Well, I have been thinking about this idea that I often try to make plans for what I want to accomplish on any given day, and most of the time — at the end of the day — what I actually accomplish ends up looking nothing like what I set out to do.
Fortunately, I am blessed with the ability to have a lot of flexibility in what I do — there's no "boss" telling me what to do, and when — as long as we are able to pay the bills as they come due.
This month, for example, I figured I was going to "write a lot." Made sense: We're starting in towards fall, and I'm spending more time inside. And yet? So far, September seems to be the month this year in which I have felt the least inspired to write.
At the same time, I have felt like my powers of concentration have been near an all-time low. And yet? This past week I was able to dig in and get 100+ new items listed for one of my eBay stores. Not even sure how I managed to do that...
As some of you know, I paint on stones (see my @alchemystones alt for more), and I had a positive feeling that the Covid restrictions and stay-at-home mandates would help me have a "banner year" with that aspect of my creative life.
Has that turned out to be true?
Not in the slightest! In fact, I have felt slightly alarmed by the relative lack of inspiration I have felt... and the negligible flow of new ideas and finished items coming from my hands. I actually went several months without completing a single piece, which is something that hasn't happened since mid-2017. And back then, we were busy running an art gallery, so I actually had an excuse.
Maybe it's simply part and parcel of the creative life that it is unpredictable... and maybe that's the reason many artists get labeled as "unreliable flakes." I certainly feel like a bit of an unreliable flake, although the only person I am really flaking out on is myself.
As I sat back and considered this "random ramble," I couldn't help but remember Ann the therapist's words from some weeks back, reminding me that there's a subtle form of "Covid Depression" out there... not something that hits you like the "wall" that is full-blown clinical depression, but something that sits over people like a subtle gray filter on an otherwise sunny day.
Really? Am I actually feeling the effects of this new "pop culture affliction?" Yes, I'm poking a bit of fun at it... maybe I shouldn't be.
What's funny about that is that I still have plenty of interest and enthusiasm for both planning and brainstorming, it's just the execution part that's a bit lackluster. Which is somewhat strange — at least in my own case — because I tend to be far better at "just DO-ing" than most people... often with very little advance planning.
Not entirely sure what to think about that...
I suppose this is where I should stop this bloggy ramble and launch it out into the world before the clock strikes midnight... so I can at least head to bed with the knowledge that I did manage to get a post out on Sunday!
Here's hoping you all had a good weekend, and wishing you a safe, productive and CREATIVE week ahead!
How about YOU? Does your creativity ebb and flow? Has this year been good for you, creativity wise? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 20200913 23:55 PDT
0110/1337
Yip - that is pretty much me. I have just accepted that I am a "wing it" kind of gal and things simply have to come naturally! :) !tip
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I end up laughing at myself @jaynie, because I am pretty much a planner... for all the good it does me! I guess it just goes to show that life has other plans from those things we deem to be important...
You just explained perfectly what I am feeling.
I have photos for posts all set up for weeks now but to write those stories I have not been inspired to though I should be.
when I sit down to write what comes out is NOT how it starts at all. I am a doer too but find myself doing less and less constructive things even on Hive. It makes no sense because Covid did not really change how I spend my days but there is a mist of something in the air. Best way I can describe it.
Thank You for writing this and putting into words what I too am feeling. It was an eye opening..well more like a head bobber of a read :D
I like that @snook, a "mist of something in the air."
I guess it's time for me to revisit all those little pieces of paper I took notes for "blog ideas" on, back at a time when I felt a lot more inspired!
We make plans then life slaps us and laughs at us for each day seemed to have already been predesigned for us. My crafting section in the house have been nothing more than a bunch of unfinished projects for quite a while. And this pandemic has even brought more anxiety and pressure because we expect that we should habe plenty of time for all the other stuff we set aside pre-quarantine. And yet, it's September but some of us still has the same set of unfinished works still longing and calling to us to complete them. Lol.
Well, there's no point in rushing in and forcing ourselves to create just for the sake of creating.
And yeah, same. May we all have a creative and productive week ahead. :)
I hear you... my "unfinished projects" pile seems to be bigger than ever; the only thing it feels like we really accomplished this spring/summer was to create a really good vegetable garden.
Around here, much of the anxiety relates to the fact that we seem to be working more (we're both self-employed) for less income. That's not an equation that works very well...
I am suffering Covid Anxiety...
I dread having to leave out every morning to navigate through the mass mental illness that is spreading across this nation.
I can appreciate that for you... particularly being in the profession you are. Ouch! I wouldn't want to have to be out there among them crazies on the road, every day.
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Pretty excited about all the creative people on Https://Blurt.blog these days #blurt
It'll be interesting to watch and see how that project goes... beginnings are always difficult, and you have to give people a really good reason why they should bother...
But it's early days, yet.
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STOPHi there @cuddlekitten, cute as always, I see!