Eat, Surf the Net, Make Chai, Take a Walk, and Oh Yeah...Write

Oh, the creative process. Sometimes I feel like the creative process for me is some sort of mysterious non-existent thing that happens while I'm doing other more concrete things. Things like eating, surfing the next, making chai, or taking a walk (as my blog post title indicated).

Hence becomes the frustrating part of being a writer - the writing part. And I chuckle to myself as I write this, because this is also the most enjoyable part of being a writer! I guess I should rephrase it to "getting started writing."

On any particular day I waste an exorbitant amount of time doing not much of anything, and trying to motivate myself to do that writing thing that I love so much. And it's annoying sometimes (like right now), and disappointing at other times (why can't I just do it like Nike?).

But I've also come to realize that this is just how my creative process works. I write in spurts and always have. That means I spend long amounts of time not doing a whole lot, and then I sit down to write and it's like my fingers can't keep up with my overflowing thoughts. I go into this sort of meditative state where, I suppose, everything that was churning in my brain while I was doing those mindless activities decides to reveal itself.

I don't think I'm alone in this dilemma. I think a lot of artists have a similarly difficult time actually sitting down and doing what it is that they do. I think we are the best procrastinators on the planet!

But I also think this is just part of the deal, either for me or for writers and artists in general. And when I tried to explain to my bosses back in corporate that I work in spurts, and just can't work for 8 hours straight every day and therefore need the freedom to piddle around a little bit, they'd often look at me with a combination of confusion and incredulity. Never mind that I always got my work done ahead of deadlines.

Pfft.

And so this morning I have eaten, surfed the net, grabbed a Dr. Pepper (let's face it, here in Texas it's just too hot some days for chai), attempted a walk/run (did I mention it's hot here? I was thwarted 10 minutes after I started by the Texas humidity), and now I'm writing a blog. Is it what I need to be doing? No. I need to be editing my book, or writing up a media segment, or otherwise doing some paying projects.

But that will come. Later this afternoon. After I've dilly dallied around a little bit longer.