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Posted by storymonger on Oct 15, 2014 in The Writing Life | 2 comments
The genius. The vibrant brilliance of the artists. Most of my all-time heroes are artists. The greats, like Steve Jobs, J.R.R. Tolkien, or Hayley Williams. Indeed, these people are artists of such skill and talent that they simply cannot help being great.
It’s hard to imagine any possible link between masters such as these and more ordinary sorts of “artists” like the rest of us, but no matter who you are, if you’re an artist you have something in your core that is unique to your creative mix. It’s your ID card to the International Artists Club, and it’s called failure.
Every artist has failed. Every artist has experienced a block in their genius. Because every true artist has a genius, and every artist has felt that genius fail.
What do I mean by genius? Well, I’m not talking about Einstein. When I say genius, I’m speaking of the part of your core that makes you particularly adept at an individual art. It’s like the supercharger that makes a car a sports car and not a sedan. Or the extra X chromosome that makes a person female and not male. I’m talking about the part of your DNA that makes you a creative person. But sometimes this genius just flops down on the couch, kicks its feet up, and refuses to work.
While it’s true that sometimes all you really need is a hard kick in the seat of the pants, sometimes the problem is more complex. Here are nine simple ideas that can help jumpstart your genius and get you back on the road of productivity again.
Take a break. Working too hard for too long on too little sleep and too much caffeine looks dedicated and reckless in the movies, but in real life it’s just stupid. Sometimes what you really need is to go to the beach for the day. Stop thinking about your project and spend some time doing something completely unrelated and relaxing. Just get out of the hobbit hole for a while.
Exercise. This would also include getting out and busting your butt in some real, physical work. You might not enjoy it, but spending several good, hard hours pouring sweat while stretching your muscles and straining your body has a wonderful way of restoring focus to your genius and relaxing your stressed mind.
Sleep. This is not an excuse to be lazy, but seriously. Get your sleep. Find out how much your body needs, and make sure you get it. Without it, you’re guaranteed to fail. A tired mind is never a productive one.
Consume some good, quality art. This could be movies, novels, a trip to the local art gallery, a trip to see a concert, ect. The art form you choose to consume need not correspond to your particular field. The point is that the art is good art, and art which you enjoy. Find some good art, and spend some time relaxing with it.
Get in touch with nature. I personally enjoy taking my camera out and using the macro mode to take detailed pictures of things like flowers, bugs and other tiny natural objects because it forces me to slow down and observe the details. Disconnecting from all the noise can be a wonderful way to restore your energy and perspective.
Kill the addictions. Whether it’s coffee, TV, smoking or whatever else, addictions have a way of consuming your time and blunting your mental edge. Things like TV or video games can really work against your creative genius because they offer easy distractions.
Ditch the stresses. If your life is full of unnecessary and random stress always pulling at the edges of your frayed mind, you’re not going to be creative. Financial, relational, school or job stress can all be absolute homicide to your creative genius, and you have to protect yourself from them wherever practically possible.
Get regular. Find a time every day to work on your writing, your music or whatever else, and do it. Every day. For thirty minutes or an hour, or whatever time you have. Keep it manageable, but make it happen. Adopt a No Excuse mentality and make it your motto. It will pay off.
Keep things in perspective. Remember that your art is not the center of the universe. People first. Faith first. Remember to keep your priorities straight, and I promise you it’s going to make you a lot more productive.
This is not a complete list, and it’s not meant to be. But I do think it’s a pretty effective approach, and if you take the time to apply just a couple of these principals, you’ll notice a difference. Keep things balanced, and keep things in perspective.
Whatever you do, keep being a genius.
Eli is an aspiring author and self-proclaimed marketing genius from Dothan, Alabama. Thus far he has completed four works of fiction and is toying with two or three more between work and school hours. In addition to his passions for writing and business, Eli is a firearms fanatic and enjoys sport and tactical shooting, as well as hunting. He is working toward publication and hopes to own his own business one day and move around the country marketing his books. He also loves Coca-Cola and believes in vampires.
photo credit: “lapolab” via photopin cc
Rachelle O'Neil October 15, 2014 What a beautiful post! Your points are spot-on, in my opinion, and every writer needs to be reminded every now and then that we have a gift, too. Thanks, Eli! Reply
What a beautiful post! Your points are spot-on, in my opinion, and every writer needs to be reminded every now and then that we have a gift, too. Thanks, Eli!
Emilyn October 16, 2014 Thank you for writing this. When you think about it, the Greats are only ordinary people who used their genius and didn’t quit, and the world happened to remember them. Reply
Thank you for writing this. When you think about it, the Greats are only ordinary people who used their genius and didn’t quit, and the world happened to remember them.
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