Hittin' the Wall, and bouncing back
It's Sunday, a day of rest for those who work Monday through Friday, but not any different from most other days for those who happily run their own businesses. This includes anyone, but especially so-called "creative types" whose muse may run hot and cold, if it runs at all.
For five days following the Monterey Jazz Festival, I was dragging physically, and pretty tired mentally too. Ideas which usually flow out of me with ease were stopped up. I struggled to get out a decent sketch for my wonderful new client on Thursday, had a brief, productive meeting with him on Friday and, thankfully, had a good breakthrough on Saturday. Got off a good, fun sketch and received good feedback today.
For another long-standing excellent client, however, I have struggled with a pen in hand and piece of paper in the other, to come up with a good idea for a Thanksgiving card.I spent time on the Internet, looking up one Thanksgiving site after another, the history of it, the Pilgrims and the Indians, how to make a kids' Thanksgiving screen saver, how to best cook a turkey - anything to spark some ideas. I got off four sketches, none of which I feel all that confident about for being inspired. I await word from the client, who is often quite creative and witty himself. We shall see.
At the Friday networking group that I was a mere substitute at, one mmeber expressed surprise that I conceptualized as well as drew and painted. It is knowledge that I thought was common, and now will have to remeind people of that. I really honed that skill with my four years at a newspaper, reading articles and always coming up with visual ideas for them. And, I mean "always". So, I will do it again for this Thanksgiving card.
In the ebb and flow of our daily lives, I think it is most important to respect these times when we are not necessarily firing away on all cylinders, be able to rest, and know that work will get done at a better time, not too far away. We pressure outselves to generate income and new, great art, and sometimes the body rebels and shuts down, no matter what the brain is trying to make it do. It keeps shouting out commands only to be met with a shrug and a nap.
Today is a new day, and I feel terrific, full of pep and creative energy. Where I'll direct that energy is anyone's guess.
For five days following the Monterey Jazz Festival, I was dragging physically, and pretty tired mentally too. Ideas which usually flow out of me with ease were stopped up. I struggled to get out a decent sketch for my wonderful new client on Thursday, had a brief, productive meeting with him on Friday and, thankfully, had a good breakthrough on Saturday. Got off a good, fun sketch and received good feedback today.
For another long-standing excellent client, however, I have struggled with a pen in hand and piece of paper in the other, to come up with a good idea for a Thanksgiving card.I spent time on the Internet, looking up one Thanksgiving site after another, the history of it, the Pilgrims and the Indians, how to make a kids' Thanksgiving screen saver, how to best cook a turkey - anything to spark some ideas. I got off four sketches, none of which I feel all that confident about for being inspired. I await word from the client, who is often quite creative and witty himself. We shall see.
At the Friday networking group that I was a mere substitute at, one mmeber expressed surprise that I conceptualized as well as drew and painted. It is knowledge that I thought was common, and now will have to remeind people of that. I really honed that skill with my four years at a newspaper, reading articles and always coming up with visual ideas for them. And, I mean "always". So, I will do it again for this Thanksgiving card.
In the ebb and flow of our daily lives, I think it is most important to respect these times when we are not necessarily firing away on all cylinders, be able to rest, and know that work will get done at a better time, not too far away. We pressure outselves to generate income and new, great art, and sometimes the body rebels and shuts down, no matter what the brain is trying to make it do. It keeps shouting out commands only to be met with a shrug and a nap.
Today is a new day, and I feel terrific, full of pep and creative energy. Where I'll direct that energy is anyone's guess.
posted by Rich Sigberman at
12:06 PM
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