Category: Creativity

Presidential Election 2016 Means Your Chance to Create

So, I won’t go into the horrible horribleness of the 2016 presidential election cycle (which, incidentially, seems like it’s been going on for four years). There’s enough stuff in the blogosphere about that.

However, I want to make a simple suggestion. After you cast your vote (you are going to vote, right?), then get in front of your computer and tap into your inner creative. Why? Well, with all the emotion and energy swirling around the election, perhaps you find yourself full of opinions. Perhaps you want to vent. Perhaps you just want to escape.

Well, that’s all grist for the writing mill.

I know it’s sometimes hard to sit down and write, and we can’t always pick the exact moment when inspiration will strike, but I really would harness the power of November 8. Even if you just spew out a bunch of your feelings as to how the 2016 presidential election made you feel, well, that’s progress. Trump and Clinton have been so much with us lately, let them inspire your characters. Perhaps Johnson and Stein can join the action as well in the supporting cast? What of all this espionage talk?

See, the best stories are all around us. We don’t have to make them up if we’re immersed in them. When high tension moments like the 2016 presidential election come around, find time in your schedule to write. Because, long after these folks have left office, the characters they inspire can live forever.

Optical Illusion of Old Man and Young Woman Tests Who We Are

An MSN link crossed my desk today. It took me to a Today article by Scott Stump relating to another Internet-breaking optical illusion (from Playbuzz) featuring two pictures that supposedly determine your personality. You can see the story and the illusion here. Click the link and then take a quick look.

So, what did you see first in the optical illusion? The old man? The young woman? A bunch of scribbly lines separated by a question mark? Well, according to the news story, the picture you see determines your personality. Just an FYI, I saw the young woman first. That means I’m positive and optimistic, but sometimes impulsive. Hmmm…. I mean, yeah, I’m a positive and optimistic guy , and I’m sometimes impulsive, but geez–I like to think I have some of those “old man” qualities as well (calm, faithful, good leader, and a bit of the ol’ perfectionist).

Oh, internet. The tangled psychological webs you weave.

Anyway, all of this optical illusion stuff got me thinking about how what we see so often defines us. Not just what we see, but how we see. I’m sure the world is full of calm young women who have great leadership skills. I’ll also bet there are plenty of older men who are positive and optimistic, yet make impulsive decisions–especially when it comes to golfing attire.

See, it’s not so much about what we see when we look out at the world. It’s more about how we interpret what we see. If we are younger, and have disdain for the older generation, we may not want to follow the lead of even the most calm, assured leader. If we’re older and a little jaded, we may not think the younger generation–with their smartphones, tablets, and optical illusion websites–has much to contribute, no matter how positive and optimistic they are.

I know I’ve turned the science of the story on its head, but I guess I’m more in the it-doesn’t-matter-how-I-am-if-I-don’t-appreciate-who-you-are camp.

Anyway, I bring this all up because I believe that in the creative world, we can transcend the borders of how we’re supposed to be, as well as get past our judgments of how we believe others should be. When we make or play music, write or read books, or get in front of the computer to write (or read) a blog post, we should try to get past snap decisions about who we think someone is, and delve a bit deeper into who they are. A poem on a website with no picture or name is what it is, no strings or illusions attached.

You see, creativity is a window into a person’s deepest places–beyond quick pics and scribbles. Whether you believe you are the old man or the young woman in the optical illusion, you can push past that and create worlds of your own. If you’re a calm leader, then tap into your impetuous side and write a quick short story that’s out of your comfort zone. If you’re a positive and optimistic person, then visit your shadow side and play a darker song on that guitar.

Take another look at that optical illusion. I’ll wait.

Did you see both the old man and the young woman? Good. Embrace that view.

(Note: if you want to play on Playbuzz.com, check out the original game here.)

Link: Writer’s Block – What Do the “Experts” Say?

One of our favorite subjects here at Josh P. Creative is writer’s block. Not because we perpetually suffer from it at JPC (we don’t), but because all the writers we know suffer from it at one time or another (they do).

It’s a thing. A phenomenon. A reality of life. If you spend money, you’ll pay taxes. If you spend creative energy, you’ll hit a block. It’s very simple. Anyway, I came across a very interesting article at The Writer on writer’s block, and  wanted to share it with you. Here it is:

http://www.writermag.com/2016/09/13/beating-writers-block/

Check it out–not because you’re blocked, but because you’re creative. It never hurts to read about how others overcome their challenges.

 

Winston Scrooge Gets Us Thinking about the Reality of Writer’s Block

[In this series, Creative Blog Profiles, joshpcreative.com takes a peek at what other creative bloggers are producing and profiles them here. They don’t necessarily know it’s happening (although we do the pingback/trackback where we can), so we’re prepared to remove an entry if they get mad. Hopefully they won’t. We just want to find creative stuff to tell you about.]

I happened upon a very interesting blog post today at Winston Scrooge. The post is about writers block. In a very clever twist, Winston Scrooge props writer’s block up in a chair and makes him/her a character to which Scrooge can speak. The result? A somewhat uncomfortable, but very honest, tour of the writer’s mind. The underlying foil? Fear. Read it and see what you think of the post. Does it resonate with you? Make you laugh? Cry? Hit really close to home? Engage the dialogue and see where it takes you.

If you read joshpcreative.com, you know I like talking about writer’s block. One of the things that intrigues me is the idea that people who so love to create can find themselves so stymied in their attempts to create.

That’s no small thing.

Writer’s block (and writing itself?) is, in a sense, a sort of self-imposed tortue. Anybody who has ever put finger to keyboard or pen to paper to create a character…a story…a world…knows that at some point or another the doubt creeps in. The fear creeps in. The block is thrown. Yet, we willingly advance. We reluctantly stop. We willingly advance again. Over and over. We push ahead until the story is finished because it isn’t just a hobby, but a way of life. Creation runs in our blood, and we don’t live unless we wordsmith and bust down the wall that can block our way. Writers risk and endure writer’s block because it is a necessary evil on the way to a completion. On the way to truly living.

How do you handle writer’s block? What do you do when writer’s block sits in the chair across from you or stands next to you and leans over your keyboard? How do you make it to “The End” when writer’s block begins?

Read what Winston Scrooge has to say and let me know.

 

Don’t Let Negativity Clip Your Wings

See, the problem isn’t that we don’t have ideas. It’s not that we don’t know how to write. It’s not that we need approval or anything like that. The problem is that we let negative thoughts and distractions creep in. That’s the reason we get stifled.

The only thing that clips our wings is negativity. If we can learn to block that out, we have a clear path to soar creatively. Ways I’ve tried? Meditation. Journaling. Playing guitar. Talking through blocks with a trusted friend or family member.

The ways are endless. What’s your way to soar?

On Star Wars Day, May the Fourth (Draft) Be with You

So it’s May 4th. As any Star Wars fan will tell you, this is Star Wars Day. Why? Because…well…MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU! Get it? Get it? “Fourth” instead of “Force.”

Clever!

I love Star Wars. I’m not sure why, but it probably has to do with the whole “out of nothing, a great one rises” hero’s journey archetype thing and all that jazziness. There’s something exhilirating about a (spolier alert) hero who rises (literally) from the dust of his home planet to take on the scourge of the Empire.

You can actually see that saga continued in the new Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. I did. Twice. In the theater.

Anyway, I just wanted to give a piece of advice on this Star Wars Day 2016: never stop writing. That’s a common theme on this blog, because I am well aware of the doldrums that can hit when we are working on a new book. We start. We write. We ramble along. And then, somewhere in the mix, we have the tendency to put the whole thing in a drawer and forget about it. We lose the force, as it were.

But on this day, we say, “May the 4th be with you.” And you know what? Today, we can take that to mean that it’s the fourth draft that will be the key. I know, I know, it’s a stretch, but as with any religious holiday, we have to go beyond the obvious trappings and find the deep meaning.

I edited my first book over 15 times (with two readers). The second? Probably almost 20 edits (with four readers). It was probably more. A lot more. But I’ll be conservative. Each edit gets the juices flowing in new and exciting directions. Each edit got me past a problem or insecurity. Each edit a new saga. Each tweak a new way to connect with the writing force that’s a part of each of us.

So today, on Star Wars day, fight the good fight against the dark forces of procrastination. Fight the Darth Vader in your head that tells you you’ll “never” or you “can’t.” Resurrect a draft from the ashes and take on the empire of writer’s block. Be the author who rises from the ashes and finds greatness!

At least until that next edit comes along.

In the meantime, live long and…oh, wait…right…

May the 4th be with you.