Sometimes, I fear, one may have so much creative energy bundled up inside themselves, that they cannot figure out what the hell to do first. Such was my life on Friday, sitting at my computer at work, trying to figure out what to do first: should I redesign my website? Write songs to attempt to finish a concept album I’ve been working on and off for about two years? Practice songs for a show I’m playing for NORML Con in two weeks? Write more of the Quake Saga (coming Sept 4th!)?
Orrrrr play Final Fantasy on my phone?
… Well, it is a really addictive game.
Here’s what I need to do: Focus.
This all makes me wonder: how does one focus? How do we get done the things we need or want to do? For artists, how does creativity get funneled into creation? I’m trying to think of how I write songs, but really I don’t know. I do know that I am not in a songwriting position right now. I can’t think of anything good, and no … I dunno, I have no spirit for it. Sometimes I do, and I write lots of songs. But now, not so much. So there goes the concept album idea.
Some people need music playing, some need to be moving, standing, dancing. Some people need drugs. Whatever it is, there needs to be some kind of energy medium that takes place, a catalyst, where the potential energy of creativity gets filtered away from the general energy of life. It’s a strange process.
So now, of course, I’m sitting in bed writing on my girlfriend’s laptop, telling you about this somewhat mediocre thought process I’m going through right now. Bear with me, I’m still a bit rusty with the whole blogging thing.
Hey Josh!
I used to hang out at the old Writingz site back in the day under the name schoonerboy. I love that you’re making music and acting, because I’ve been doing the same on and off back in Sydney. Except now I’m in Hong Kong for a bit.
How’s acting and music going for you? I like your songs. I especially like how prolific you are at recording them, as it has been taking me months per song. I’ve been working on an ep now for nearly three years, which is freaking ridiculous.
As for writing songs… I find I write when I’m just mooching around with my guitar with no real purpose behind it and then I’ll hit a random sequence of chords and a song will fall out. This tends to be when I feel happy and free and confident – or depressed and lonely and with way too much time on my hands. Either way, it seems to be whenever I don’t feel pressured to do something else.
Maybe creativity occurs when there’s plenty of time and no commitments?
Schooner! Hey man, I recognize your Tumblr site. Glad to hear from you again.
My music and acting is almost entirely on the back burner right now. I’m just trying to get settled now that I’ve moved to Portland. Some might say two years is plenty of time to get settled, but not for me!
Also, I’d argue that creativity is more potent when you have deadlines and a sparse amount of time. Seems that way at least. That’s why FAWM works so well, because you only have a month (the shortest month, too) to create fourteen songs. Kind of spurs your creativity. At least it does for me.
But, to each their own, really.