Awhile back (say a year or so), it occurred to me that I’ve never had a legitimate creative pursuit. Furthermore, it occurred to me that whereas I can be a passionate person, I live my life without a passion that is unique to me. A driving force, something that I love. Because of this, I decided that I would delve into the world of writing, fiction specifically. After taking a class, trying to develop not only a hobby but to find and then increase my ability, starting a blog, and so forth ... I found that I often lack inspiration and let it all fall to the wayside. Working on not letting that happen.
My writing, I feel, is not something I'm particularly proud of ... But I think that’s because I have yet to find my identity (and I’m too harsh of a critic). One thing that I would like to discover, that would help my writing, my creativity, my livelihood is a way to translate (well) my brand of humor in a way that has an appeal for an audience.
I'm seeking inspiration.
Chomp-chomp.
8 comments:
try writing.
Try this I swear it will help you find your voice and inspiration. every morning when you wake up the first thing you do is write three pages, in a notebook. not type but write with a pen or pencil. it doesn't matter what you say, you can fill three pages with 'I don't know what to write'-just do it, every day, no matter what day it is and what you have going on. try that for a few weeks and I guarantee you will see results.
for an explanation of why it works, try reading 'The Artist's way' by Julia Cameron
http://books.google.com/books?id=c0nWPPIpr6YC&dq=inauthor:Julia+inauthor:Cameron&pgis=1
As a writer who's dabbled in many forms of fiction myself, I will say this, and every writer out there will tell you so: write what you know. If you want to write about something you don't know, research the hell out of it. Greg's comment is a good one, I've done this myself, but you don't have to do it in the morning, anytime you want, sit down and just let your stream of conscious flow. Also...read. A LOT. All writers steal from all other writers and that's a fact. To verify that, all you have to do is read every other fantasy novel that's been written since Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
Also, is there anything that fascinates you? Perhaps morbidly? Don't be afraid to write about anything that might not be "acceptable" or that might make you uncomfortable. The best part about writing is that you can explore any side of you you want without ever having to show it to anyone. You can burn it, trash it, or send it to a publisher.
Tony Morrison called the writing and reading of literature "The Dance of the Minds". My favorite quote.
i think this brings up a bigger question... "what qualifies as a creative pursuit?" in advertising, creative means you either write or you work in some form of visual composition. for me, creative expression equates to simply making things; to act on inspiration or to make something out of nothing or to take something existing and make it your own. it's the attention you give something, not what you do with it, that qualifies the pursuit as creative. Some of the most creative people I know are barely capable of doing more than dreaming... learning a craft is easy.
The ability to visualize or develop a concept, to me, is only a single stage of a the creative pursuit ... expressing it, bringing it to fruition is what must be achieved to receive any value that is to be had out of the experience.
Perhaps that's why I have a hard time seeing myself as a creative person, because I want to see value out of something that I've put time/thought against.
Aside from all of that, I agree mostly with Nick's comment of acting on inspiration to make something out of nothing (or a different something out of something). An idea is a seed, a seed that is up to you to cultivate, however you see fit.
ahhhh! you feel that an idea has no worth if it remains an idea and never materializes into something? i have many canned responses to this... in fact, it's difficult to prioritize which i will preach first!
the intrinsic value of an 'idea' or 'concept' is NOT in one's ability to bring it to fruition -- to make it real or tangible. the idea... the original though or inspiration is all that matters. it's all that is interesting in art... it's all that critics can faithfully write about... and it's all that anyone can actually aspire to.
secondly, what did any of the great Modern (era) artists accomplish? they created a fundamental rift in pre-establish thought... they changed, forever, the way art was interpreted and tickled the fancy of the intellect as well as the senses. nobody actually ever 'got' their work for christ sakes! it wasn't about what they made.
Yes, that's a difficult thing to differentiate. As a dancer, I have flashes of inspiration all the time for choreographies, shows, etc. but not very often do any of these come to fruition. In fact, when I try to make them come to fruition, I realize how much they suck. :-) Or realize that perhaps someone else could have brought my idea to fruition better than I could.
In any case, dreaming about an idea is still fun as hell, even if it never comes to anything. Just feeling inspired is, in itself, a gift. There's lots of ways to find inspiration, but bringing it to fruition takes a heck of a lot of time and effort...as I am finding out. :-)
I suppose the moral of this sermon is...don't be afraid to dream. Cheese, thanks very much, I'll be here all week bringing you more fabulous cliches.
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