TRUTH? Despite the benefits of having a routine, my natural tendency is to avoid habits at all costs. Naturally, this has led to my own creative downfall.
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Also mentioned in this episode of DYKC?™ // Julien Smith // The Creative Habit
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The journey IS the most important part in my book. How to get you into that frame of mind? I don’t know. Perhaps you need to not focus on being perfect and just create for a while. Create on all channels and worry about if it is good or not later.
I can’t leave the house without music. It might be my iPod, a CD or just the car radio, but wherever I go I need music. It spurs my thoughts into action and always keeps the creative juices flowing. New music is an amazing thing to jerk the mind in a new direction. Try something you never listen to and I’ve found it makes your mind suddenly think different. Sounds simple, but give it a try.
I’ve love to see you take your video camera with you ever day. It is small. It is easy to bring. Every day challenge yourself to capture one story. Maybe it is your story of the day. Maybe it is someone elses. But, capture them. Even if you never publish them (although I hope you will) capture them and look at them. Out of those stories what can you take and learn. What if you ask others about their creative journeys?
Water doesn’t get held up by obstacles. Sure, a damn might stop it from going in the direction it originally intended, but it’ll always find another purpose or direction. You’ve got so much going on inside of you, but I think you worry about letting it all out.
Enjoy the journey. Idle well. You can do it!
now that i have a proper mp3 player, i don’t leave home without it. listening to music, other people’s shows, grabbing some unknown podsafe joints while i’m on the go, it all has the potential to inspire me. funny that CC mentioned a video camera…i thought that should be your “pencil” as well. just judging from the few things on DYKC TV, it seems like it would be a natural extension of your arm.
if i had the fluidity of water, my Christian walk would be a lot tighter. doing the right thing even when no one’s looking would be second nature to me. perhaps if i could flow like water, i wouldn’t be so shook at the idea of what God would require of me if my walk with Him were completely and totally together. just because JC walked on water doesn’t mean i’ll be able to finally do the dead’s man float this summer. in such a case, i have to acknowledge all of my glaring imperfections (my idealized self doesn’t even have a chance to exist these days) and get with the gettin’ of being in sync with the One that created me. (note to self: stop being so damn rebellious for a minute and submit already…)
submission hurts. routine seems banal. however, it’s the best way to take the journey (as CC alluded to) and tighten up your game as you go. perfection is not humanity’s strong point, therefore perfection is the last thing you should worry about. if that were my biggest hang-up, my podcast never would have taken flight. scrapes, bumps, and bruises go along with the creative hustle sometimes.
to be perfect is to leave your earthly tent behind, and quite frankly, i’m not ready to see you leave this planet yet. you’ve got too much to do and learn and share, and i hope to be in the midst when the knowledge drops. i’ll have both arms outstretched w/cupped hands, that’s for sure…
perhaps i’ve told you this before, but you can say in five minutes what takes me a half hour to say. THAT IS A GIFT. and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. not everyone is blessed with the ability to “make it plain.”
I’ll second what Macedonia said. It amazes me how you can cut through the bullshit and get immediately to the heart of the matter in a way that anyone listening or reading can understand.
You call it “the truth”, but many can’t get to that.
Run with that. I think it is your water.
Routines – Habit – Perfection/Productivity
Productivity
It’s tough with creativity because creativity isn’t laying bricks. There’s hard work in creativity but there’s other things – the tools, the inspiration . . .
and
with creativity there’s tons of failure.
I hear you.
I’ve failed so many times. Wow. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve failed.
Twyla’s back is amazing, by the way. She clearly doesn’t use tech to organize her thoughts. She goes with a big project box where everything gets dumped in but she’s clearly living a creative life.
Great hearing you work it out. Great!
Twyla’s book . . . not back. oops.
You may think you’re against habits, but they’re all around , you haven’t recognized them. Your personal hygiene, your marriage, your life is built on habits & routines. They are natural and keep life in balance & order. As for pencil, your kicks are your creative outlet and “take” you to your stories; you are living your stories.