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January 11, 2013

“Be as Crazy as your Conscience Allows.”

“Writer’s block results from too much head.

Cut off your head.

Pegasus, poetry, was born of Medusa when her head was cut off.

You have to be reckless when writing.

Be as crazy as your conscience allows.”

~ Joseph Campbell, A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living.

I was feeling so inspired the past few days, yet always seemed short on time to do anything about it. There are scraps of paper next to my laptop, by my bed…fragments of ideas I wanted to grab hold of in the midst of a sea of emails and editing. So, I decided I would take the day off from all that to write.

(Cue crickets, tumbleweeds or other metaphor for nothing happening.)

So far I have:

Practiced yoga.

Showered.

Checked all of my email accounts and fought the temptation to dive into work mode.

Made and drank three cups of tea.

Made and eaten some Saag Aloo.

Skyped a bunch about work stuff.

Thought about all the unfinished things that will be waiting for me.

Lay on the floor with my legs up the wall, looking at the ceiling contemplating WWJCD?

(What would Joseph Campbell do, of course. What were you thinking?)

And I realized the problem with taking the day off to “write.” I can write daily, and make a practice of it, but you can’t put your inspiration in a box to save for later. Instead of putting my ideas scraps of paper to save for a time that will never arrive, I’d rather be a little reckless, be a little fevered and ride it when it arrives.

And thankfully, my conscience allows me to be crazy on a regular basis.

Off to cut off my head and see what happens; be back soon.

 

 

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