An interesting experience this week.
Someone encouraged me, and it has made more of a difference than I ever would have imagined.
If you’re a creator, then I know, like me, working is an emotional roller coaster. One week up. One week down. Sometimes one day or even one hour up, and the next one down.
Lately, I had been more down than up. Several viable project sat untouched in my computer. These are the real deal. If I finish them, something is very likely to happen.
Yet day after day, I found a way to avoid them and work on paid writing or administrivia or playing solitaire or anything at all not to have to look at the yawning chasm of the creative page.
(I love the story from Charles Strouse, the composer of Annie and Bye Bye, Birdie. Someone asked him about his process of writing with collaborator Lee Adams. He said, “We would meet mornings in either his apartment or my apartment, and then we would talk about sports, politics, religion. Basically anything to avoid work.”)
Boy, I know how he felt.
But I forced myself to open a file. To work on some lyrics. To finish one thing. It took three weeks. And I sent it to the producer of this project. He sent me an email back.
And it was encouraging.
I won’t bore you with details. Besides, what encourages me might not encourage you, and the point is I found the email very encouraging.
It was short. It was kind. And it turned my roller coaster into a bullet train. It bolstered my confidence. It sent me back to my system of daily time dedicated to creativity and a daily list to work through during that time.
I’m moving ahead on things that have been stalled for months. Some of it is even decent. Of course, it will all get rewritten. That’s what we do. But at least there is something to rewrite.
And it started because someone encouraged me.
And I’m going to remember that the next time I have the opportunity to encourage someone else.
OK. That’s it, and that’s enough.
Someone encouraged me, and it has made more of a difference than I ever would have imagined.
If you’re a creator, then I know, like me, working is an emotional roller coaster. One week up. One week down. Sometimes one day or even one hour up, and the next one down.
Lately, I had been more down than up. Several viable project sat untouched in my computer. These are the real deal. If I finish them, something is very likely to happen.
Yet day after day, I found a way to avoid them and work on paid writing or administrivia or playing solitaire or anything at all not to have to look at the yawning chasm of the creative page.
(I love the story from Charles Strouse, the composer of Annie and Bye Bye, Birdie. Someone asked him about his process of writing with collaborator Lee Adams. He said, “We would meet mornings in either his apartment or my apartment, and then we would talk about sports, politics, religion. Basically anything to avoid work.”)
Boy, I know how he felt.
But I forced myself to open a file. To work on some lyrics. To finish one thing. It took three weeks. And I sent it to the producer of this project. He sent me an email back.
And it was encouraging.
I won’t bore you with details. Besides, what encourages me might not encourage you, and the point is I found the email very encouraging.
It was short. It was kind. And it turned my roller coaster into a bullet train. It bolstered my confidence. It sent me back to my system of daily time dedicated to creativity and a daily list to work through during that time.
I’m moving ahead on things that have been stalled for months. Some of it is even decent. Of course, it will all get rewritten. That’s what we do. But at least there is something to rewrite.
And it started because someone encouraged me.
And I’m going to remember that the next time I have the opportunity to encourage someone else.
OK. That’s it, and that’s enough.
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