I think that perhaps work/busyness in life can stifle the mind. Perhaps it is just a lack of time... So many responsibilities makes it very difficult or nearly impossible to ensure a relaxed time for creative thinking.
Before I had a family and a job it seemed that I was more apt to do something creative. I remembered my dreams and wrote them, I enjoyed writing poetry, drawing or even sculpting -- but now it's as if the creative thoughts don't even appear anymore, I forget my dreams, and my motivation to be an artist has vanished.
I think that perhaps this is a common complaint for many people and I want to sort it out. Is it work, stress or some other factors that contribute to this problem?
In an effort to both express my problem while being creative (because I understand doing is better than complaining) I wrote a bit of a rough story to express my thoughts. Short Story Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I think it does. Work or stress? Both, because most professional-type jobs, I suspect, give you more tasks to do than can be performed in the amount of time they pay you to be there, and so you feel guilty every time you think of anything else.
Posted by Mig (Member # 9284) on :
I'm with you on the stress factor. After a particularly hard day, I just want to veg in front of the tube and do nothing active. Even reading for relaxation is less demaning than trying to create something. I remember something about Stephen King. He used to work in a laundry, he found the job mindless, but it gave him plenty of time to think about what he wanted to think about. He could write when he got home or on breaks. He didn't have to spend he free time thinking about work. Unlike many of us, he hadn't already spent the whole day in front of a computer monitor or writing other things (memos, letters, briefs, etc.). Many times, after a day of writing and thinking for work, the last thing I want to do is more writing or thinking. My theory: the more you have to think at work, the more you want some physical outlet. The more mindless, the more you need a thinking outlet. This may be why my garden is so nicely maintained, IMHO.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
If I have a rough day at work, school, or just social difficulty I come home, plug in my guitar or put on my keyboard headphones and vent my feelings.
I've written some stuff that for at least me, sounds marvelously sorrowful and sometimes angry.
But then again my angry is more like Beethoven angry not metal angry.
Posted by xnera (Member # 187) on :
I find that as I get older, my creativity manifests itself in different ways. When I was younger I would write (even if just journaling), or bake, or create some kind of art. I still do these things, but on a much more limited basis due to time restraints.
Now, I may use my creativity on the job to write job procedures, or come up with a killer new spreadsheet to analyze data, or determine an effective filing/job tracking system for myself. It's all creative stuff, just not what one traditionally thinks of as creativity.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
quote:Originally posted by Icarus: I think it does. Work or stress? Both, because most professional-type jobs, I suspect, give you more tasks to do than can be performed in the amount of time they pay you to be there, and so you feel guilty every time you think of anything else.
My big problem is that I know I can finish everything in about half the time required, but for some reason I can't just make myself sit down and do it. *eyes half-finished marketing plan for new client*
It's like I had trouble with writing poems in high school English class.