Today I had a great conversation with my daughter. We have been so busy, we haven’t had one of these talks in weeks… no, months. This was one of those “A to Z” conversations, where we discussed everything from sell-out singers to stuph we did as a family. We also talked about creativity, which, due to stresses of life, I have been lacking. I had been thinking about what to post over the last few days, and I was stuck. Big time. I was hoping that this long weekend would relax my mind enough to allow my creativity to blossom, but I got to today, and… nothing… I hate when that happens.
So Imani and I were talking, and lo and behold, something amazing happened. No, I didn’t get a huge revelation for a deep blog post, or anything like that. I started realizing that I had been getting “nuggets of inspiration” over the last few days. Building blocks for future blog posts, new songs, and other creative projects. I have those nuggets written down, waiting for the right time and place for them to germinate. In the back of my mind, there’s a little excitement about the potential, even though in the front of my mind it feels like I can’t put two sentences together.
I was reading about the writing journey of my friend J. She was writing about a particular piece that she was able to plow through, just cuz she’s good like that, but in retrospect, she knows that she would have been better suited to have done it differently – placing the project “in the vault” until it was the right time (my rough paraphrase of a much better description by J). This was an important lesson for me, especially since I was planning on forcing a post and a song (kinda hard to write a song when you only have 4 bars).
Sometimes, having things in your vault is just as important as having them in completed form. Dreams can be just as powerful as reality, and can be the building block for the reality you are set to create. When you are on a mission, it is hard to have that patience to allow something to stew for a period of time, but when it all comes together, it’s worth it (I’m writing that more for me than anyone else… gotta finish 3 songs and a guest post… in due time though 🙂 )
One thing good about gold is it is valuable both when it is used, and when it is stored – probably because it is one thing that will always be good. Those creative things that start in us can also be that way, if we let them be.
I guess this is my blog post about what I didn’t do or write, but rather what I found that I will use later. It will be fun to see when all of this gets finished, when the creativity will flow, and if the final product will remotely resemble the initial dream. That’s fun, and primes the pump for creativity. Let’s see where this one takes us, ok? 🙂
Notable Notables
J’s latest installment on her journey to publishing brilliance: http://fearofwriting.com/blog/2011/08/js-journey-rejection-like-snow/
The Fear of Writing blog, helping people push past their fears to realize their dreams: http://fearofwriting.com/blog/
Imani’s Dance Company, Tahira: The Pure | Dance Theatre: https://www.facebook.com/TahiraPDT
Ken, you said “I’m writing that more for me than anyone else…” in regards to letting things stew for your songs and a guest post, but I felt like you wrote these insights for me, right when I needed the double-check.
I’ve been feeling so dried up lately I was even thinking of putting the FoW blog on hold until sometime later when I feel more connected to it – and less intimidated by the “chore” of making regular posts (and coming up with ideas for all those posts). Plus I was frustrated that at least three topics I wanted to write about felt so unwieldy, I didn’t know how to tackle them. Then today, during a conversation with a writer I’m coaching, things she said about the EXACT fear of writing issues I want to write about gelled my original ideas and suddenly I knew how to write them.
Now, instead of feeling like shutting down my blog, I’m in the mood to write. I’m about to go do that right now . . . but first I want to say that your post was perfectly timed to remind me that having something stewing is just as important as a finished product. I love that I got instant confirmation of my experience from your writing. And some of it was so quotable I want to write it in big curlicue letters and pin it to the wall of my office, especially this:
“Sometimes, having things in your vault is just as important as having them in completed form.”
and this
“One thing good about gold is it is valuable both when it is used, and when it is stored.”
Thank you for writing this. And thank you for the kind mention of the Fear of Writing blog. It lives on! (Whew.) ;~)
Milli I’m glad that you decided against putting Fear if Writing on hold. I have benefited so much from the site, both as a reader and contributor. It’s interesting to me that this has come full circle, as the impetus for my post came from FoW…
Thanks so much for your comments. They lifted me up on a very trying day
Good to hear that you were able to spend time with Imani going over A-to-Z. Also, good to be reminded, and, not always to my liking, that creativity can’t be forced .
It was fun, Peggy. I miss those times, and often don’t realize just how much until I get to do it again.
I hear you on not liking that fact. Guess it makes us appreciate when the creativity flows 🙂
Thanks for commenting
I’ve been meaning to comment on this since you posted… Now the original comment lost its touch, but the main thing I thought of when I read your post is how right you are. How creativity has such interesting ways of showing up out of the blue and thoughts we “file” as insignificant at the time turn out to be nuggets of gold.
well, it didn’t lose its touch with me, Estrella. thanks
I apologize for missing this post, Kenneth. I’ve had a terrible time with being connected to the internet lately. I log on when I’m able, and even then it’s not guaranteed I’ll be able to bring up certain sites, even my own! My situation being what it is for now, which I certainly hope to rectify soon, I have to say I came to the same conclusion as you wrote here, just from a different angle. Initially, I found myself becoming so frustrated and upset over this connection issue, I couldn’t stand myself, (haha!) and I had to finally sit my bum down and get quiet, and really listen to guidance from Spirit. The answer came in the form of a wise friend who said, “go slow, be deliberate, patient”. I replied, “that is the wise way to go…and then there is the time to move…when the decision reaches it’s fullness, ripe, juicy, ready to be bitten.” The answer clicked into place, and I knew it would all happen when it was ripe to do so. All within me settled, and I relaxed into putting my focus on the things that were pressing in the moment, which I actually needed. But, wow, I can so relate to chomping at the bit to get out of the gate! Thank you for this, and yes, even now, a month late reading it, I am so appreciative for what you shared here.
Hi Cindy,
Sorry about the connection issues, I know how frustrating that can be. It is interesting how even that can be a tool in the hands of the Father for us to hear His voice. We had a similar situation just this week, where our plans were thwarted, and all we could do is sit in silence. It was only then that we got direction. Not that this is the only way it can happen, but it is nice when it does.
Thanks for your comments, and glad that you could reply 🙂