motivation

[anotheranon]

In between bouts of getting cat meds/cleaning up cat messes over the weekend, I finally felt the impetus to start making stuff again. I'm not sure what's been holding me back; partly the $ situation, but I have to wonder if that isn't just an excuse for laziness, or a lack of inspiration.

I've seen the same thing in my writing over the past month - short, lackluster things that really aren't interesting, at least to me, and I have to wonder how interested readers are when the writer isn't. Interestingly, as my inspiration to sew has come back, so has my inspiration to write.

I hate falling into this rut of just "going through the motions" in my creative endeavors - after all, I do these things for FUN! And it's not as if I want to learn how to better force the words/stitches when I don't feel like it, I'd much rather learn to force the inspiration when it is absent.

I throw to my friends, because many of you are involved in creative pursuits - how do you keep the juices flowing, or kick start them when they've dried up?

Comments

[hadesgirl.livejournal.com]

I find that a lot of times, when the stress level is high, the juices stop flowing. Either that, or they REALLY flow because it is an outlet for all the energy. For me, I ask for input - as an example, my inspiration for Dark Son dried up, and a simple e-mail to Mad about it provided some remarkable ideas and I feel I can write it, and hopefully finish it, again.

Working with you and Semmie has given me great pleasure and our discussions about what is happening have given me many ideas. I think it's a matter of plugging ahead and working through the dry spells - I know not everything I write is good, but I do the best I can and realize I'm doing it for myself because I like it. Of course I want others to read and like my fic as well, but I have to do it for myself first. I find that no matter how dry it gets, there is always that one new idea around the corner that will rejeuvenate the story. Bounce ideas off of us - ask for opinions - ask for critique. I for one, value every little nugget of information y'all give me, and it DOES help the process, believe me!

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I'm learning that there is something to be said for going through the motions and working through the discouragement. To be perfectly honest, I can be very undisciplined in my creative endeavors (not just writing) because I let setbacks and "busywork" (for instance, cutting out patterns is very dull) get to me. It's a bad habit that I need to work on.

I am finding that talking with you, Semmie and others DOES help, I'm just so used to working alone that I forget that I don't have to work in a vacuum!

We've got to have another get together, with no distractions. On yer laptops, get set....!

[hadesgirl.livejournal.com]

Eeeek!!! Wait till I get the new laptop first...
next weekend hopefully!