The problem it seems may be one of self-priming. Without priming, the well will not flow free. Without free flow, the energy goes to waste or is never expended at all. Energy without expenditure is simply potential. Potential and a few dollars will buy a large cup of coffee.
All of the above explains the paucity of posts on this blog. It explains the dearth of worthwhile photography over the recent months. It is a condition of my creative existence that I have momentum, that I actualize the latent forces within my brain. Momentum breeds momentum. Once I get going, I find it very hard to stop. Witness the time not so long ago where on this very blog I posted and entry a day for over one year.
That is a lot of posting. While some of it was fluff and fill, much of it was inspired and heartening to me. I wonder if I ever again can achieve a similar feat.
The reason this matters is because as of late the tasks of writing and photography have acquired a difficulty I struggle mightily to overcome. The energy to get started rarely manifests for long, and I wrestle with bouts of angst triggered by comparison to my past efforts. It is the feeling of "I should be writing!" that gets me all wound up.
It is a mystery to me why creatively speaking things should be so difficult. I know the conventional wisdom is that one should write/draw/photograph/paint etc every day even when you do not feel like it, to keep the discipline up and the energy flowing. I do recall that feeling of engagement and satisfaction I get when I do get going, when the ball is rolling, when the mojo is workin'.
That feeling is wonderful. Now to overcome the lassitude between me and it.
It is no good thing to think of yourself as lazy, unambitious or lacking in imagination, but that is precisely what troubles me during these short fall days. The notion that I am waiting for something to come along and knock me out of my complacency seems all too real. "Carpe diem!" shouts my conscience, and I would, if only I could get myself off the couch.
03 December 2013
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Oh, I can so identify with this post, Irish. Maybe there's something in the air...or we share a brain malady. I've been trying to finish a writing project for weeks, but my procrastination levels are off the chart. Then, when I don't write, I get upset with myself--though not so upset apparently to just bloody sit down and write--and instead, I...drift...
ReplyDeleteI told myself three days ago I would respond tomorrow...so I guess I am right on time. ::grin:: The drift is seductive sometimes.
DeleteIt is a hit and miss thing with me. I sometimes am so into my photography I drop everything else. Sometimes I write and forget all other activities. It is an ebb and flow.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with that all the time!
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