Programmed for Learning

Life is slanted to learning, taking things in, absorbing. It makes it difficult to switch to sending information out, presenting it, teaching.

You have to learn to use information almost as soon as you get it. Practice producing with the new knowledge. The craft is in not only the identification but the preperation for presentation.

Flooding the Input

I seem to be rushing and jammin information into my brain in an attempt to increase the output of the machine that is my creative mind. Is that going to work? While I agree that some knowledge critical base is needed, and continually worked, it may be more condusive to quality and lengthy works to open the release value and let it flow.

As gross as it sounds, I need a mind vomit.

Lay it all out. If nothing else it should clear the pipes from any grime of self criticism or clogs of self doubt. Build the practice of flow with a stamina to sustain it.

Reading Critically

As I work on learning the writing craft, I am becoming self aware of an innate sense of where the energy of a writer rises, falls and peaks within a give work. In books I feel I can pick out the chapters that they were struggling with, the sections where they just put something together, just as well as the enthusiasm and thrill that spawned or sped the writing along.

This is a good think (intentional, not misspelled), it tells me I am learning. Now I need to build my understanding and recognition of paragraph structures and intent.

This is a confidence builder, not only on increase ability, but on the humanity of my fellow writers. This is not to slight my fellow writers, just a recognition that writing is many times work, and with understanding I am closer to becoming.

Varying Degrees of Quality

With human endeavors, particularly artistic ones, 'works' are not always of the same superiority as previous works or even of future ones. Every painting by DaVinci was not a masterpiece like the Mona Lisa, every album by the Pink Floyd was not as refined as Dark Side of the Moon. To even approach a masterwork, one must develop their skill and practice their their craft.

This prepares you for the inspirational. The time, the place and the work; aligning to create that defining masterwork.

Not everything gets better with age, but you can strive for a consistent high quality, and know that you have the confidence and potential for great work when it's time.

The day belongs to the Rut

There is a TV ad where the guy, walks the same path, to the same place he parked his car, leans against the same spot next to the water cooler and so on. This all leaves a well worn pattern of where he is and what he does. The car he sees pauses him as he daydreams about doing something different.

I want my freelancing (writing or other) to be that catalyst to free me from my rut. I don't like my rut, it tires me and drains me. I feel energy and motivation siphoned from my very blood. This rut fuels complacence. My creativity is anemic in the darkening as the rut deepens. Time is now, no better than now, later may be too late; to get out of the routine.

It is now more of what I can not do with time and energy, that what I can accomplish. This ends soon, the seeds are planted, the watch is made for the glimpse of opportunitity. The run for escape and self-reliance and freedom for creativivity wil be mine!

Glass Ceiling

What was it that kept me from learning the complete Tai Chi form (short and long)?, Was is the same thing keeping me from recording the CD, learning the song, making the change, taking the leap.....?
Damn, I've got a glass ceiling. And its self imposed too.

Time to use the hammer of peserverance, beyond the glass ceiling. That I know its there, removes its persistence. "There is no ceiling" (as in "there is no spoon")

This will work, but only if it was the ceiling, and not the juggler's drop, when balancing all life entails. - [but then that is priority, is it not?] -

Spreading The Word

If one blogs in internet space and no one reads it, is it really a blog, or just anonymous databits taking up precious (but cheap) disk space for the entertainment and benifit of no one?

How do you get interest and traffic? Well they (whom ever they be) needs to know about it. But still the question is 'How'?

I know the answer - it was in an old shampoo commercial - you need to tell (or interest) two freinds (or even strangers) about the blog, and they'll tell (one can hope, can't they) two friends, and they'll tell freinds, and so on.....

Quantity versus Quality

Success seems easier pinned to quantity and speed of output. How does this work and apply to more creative endeavors of art, writing, music, etc.? Obviously if you can do 'more, better, faster' that should be a success definition. More and Faster can be achieved with effort, better is a different story (pun intended).

I don't think I want to be the low cost provider in a creative endeavor, but can I be a quality provider without quantity and speed?

Only if the quality is much better than the competition and is clearly visible, and downright obvious.

Stamina

Can my stream of creativity around a single idea, maintain over the duration and effort to completion without resorting to filler. Am I trained by all the web content, the 60 second commercial, the highlighting the scanning and skimming? Even this blogging, excentuates and re-enforces the staccato thought. Am I destined to be the sprinter in a marathon?

Immersion and paitence may be the method of extraction. There are key points and hooks in every work, but I must think in terms of build up and dispersion, relavant and supporting of the hook.

The bones are the foundation, but it is the flesh that gives it life.

Too Many?

S-O M-A-N-Y B-O-O-K-S. How can they need any more?, be any more that can be written? Are all those romance novels really different?..Why can the market accomidate x books on the Red Sox Championship season, they are all about the same season, and I would bet most of the buyers of those books, were fans and saw most of the games.

Maybe its perspective and insight that people are buying. Maybe a chance to re-live, even in the case of the romance novels, maybe they are not that much different, but instead they take the reader back to a place they want to experience again (or similarly). And maybe its like music, were the writer takes a limited specific (notes/language) and organizes it into one of an infinite number of combinations and produces 'works' of varying levels of merit and sucess.

Differentiation

I certiantly recognize myself as unique. But how do I really differentiate myself from others that are similar, at work, at a certian skill, a capability, or a contribution? Is that just more marketing? Is success based on presented and perceived differences versus actual differences and value?

It starts with the belief (and truism) that you are different, then experience, results and advertising (?). This is a walk to find one's self, and tell everyone along the way what you have found out.

Here's the Rub

An article or writing of orginality comes from one's self, its source internal and its authenication is only your belief. Given that it lacks credibility, unless voiced from authority, demonstrated by experience or collaborated. Complete collaboration is pagerism, is it not? Where's the orginal idea?
In writing how do you bridge between Essay (no source but the writer) and Copying (Referencing others [ which is giving full credit, thus not plagerism ]) to create a contribution of value, a submitable piece?

This is the answer I must find. And once found I must practice it and be fluid and intuitive in generating work in the space between these two.

It Tingles

I now see the box I'm in. The limitation posed by my surrounding, self imposed(?) prediciment. With that knowing, I tingle with potential, though I don't see the potential, or more importantly the the likely results, this is what gives me pause. The good news is it is not a pause of inaction, it is contenplation, as in hunting for a solution to a puzzle.

Is that, the puzzle is solvable, an assumption or a truth?

Technology Trouble

Been having trouble with the old blogger this morning....thoughts on writing have been replaced by technical frustration....so the thoughts were surplanted and never recorded...Hmm...maybe they'll come back.