May 22, 2016

A Message for the Lazy Creators.

Easy A screenshot

I’ve been a lazy writer these days.

You could call it a dry spell. Lack of motivation or inspiration or concentration.

Whichever way you spin it, I’ve only been a writer in name—not in practice.

I scribble random thoughts down from time to time. A snippet of a story, a quarter of a poem. But I look back on most of it and think, “Was I drunk, tired, or both when I wrote this?”

Being a creator (which, by the way, we all are in some form) can be a tough job. It’s a process that is often full of pressure and expectation and competition.

In my role as an editor for elephant journal, I sometimes find myself comparing my talent with that of others. I’ve read submissions that made me wonder, “How come I couldn’t think of that?” Or when another author’s piece is met with overwhelming praise, I’ve found myself sitting on the couch, chocolate donut in hand, thinking, “Well, it wasn’t that great.”

Creating anything is a powerful process, but it’s also anything but linear or easy or predictable. While I normally find joy in putting pen to paper—or finger to keyboard—lately I’ve just felt an overwhelming sense of blah about the whole idea.

Then a few days ago, I received a message from a friendly, talented fellow creator who wanted to share his latest work with me. I first heard of Will B. Bell back in January when his stunning choreography to Adele’s “All I Ask” went viral. I shared my feelings about it in this blog.

So when I pressed play on his latest video, I knew I would love it. I knew the precision and emotion in his physical interpretation of music would move me; that the endless talent and energy from the dancers would leave me breathless and probably in tears.

What I didn’t expect was that watching his creation, sharing in his creative process, would make me want to write again—but it did. I haven’t penned the Great American Novel yet or even the Sort-of-Awesome American Short Story, but the words are flowing with more ease and lightness and joy.

Because sometimes the greatest inspiration comes from surrounding ourselves with the beauty others create. From watching someone else craft their masterpiece and do their thing with passion and bravery. And sometimes the most powerful part of creativity is sharing what moves us.

So go write or choreograph or dance or sing or draw or paint or garden or sew or code or build or whittle or graffiti or do whatever your soul calls you to do. And once you do it, share it with the world so that us lazy creators can be inspired to get off the couch and get back to doing our thing.

Check out Will’s latest—for inspiration:

“Love in The Dark” -Adele | Will B. Bell Choreography from Will B. Bell on Vimeo.

 

Author: Nicole Cameron

Image: YouTube screenshot

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