December 2 Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
(Author: Leo Babauta)
Change the word "writing" to "creativity" and this prompt is more applicable to me. What do I do each day that does NOT contribute to my creativity? And can I eliminate it?
Well, let's start with the oh-so-obvious. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, chauffeuring... all those lovely mom/wife/domestic goddess activities that I love to hate. Unfortunately, until I manifest a small fortune to pay for domestic help, I cannot see my way clear to eliminating any of them while remaining a responsible and loving mother/wife/domestic goddess. So they stay. Sigh of Resignation.
Then there's tv... but I don't watch all that much to begin with and when I do, it is usually because I NEED some no-thinking-required down time. Call it justification if you must, but my limited mindless entertainment is not currently on the chopping block. Sigh of Relief.
How about the day job? Probably one of the least creative things in my life. Can I eliminate that? Much as I'd love to, it pays the bills. And bills must be paid. Dang. Drat. Darn. Huge Sigh of Disappointment.
Okay then, the gym? Physical therapy? Logging calories at MFP? Huge time drains there that don't contribute squat to my creativity. But let's face facts. Totally necessary to my health and well-being. Part of the Fit & Fab by 50 Plan. Non-negotiable. Sigh of Determination.
That leaves computer time. Blog time. Blog reading and blog writing. Blog hopping - one link leading to another and another and another. And I readily confess that I can get lost in the time-warp of my google reader and lose hours of my life in a blink. Even though I try to rein this activity in by limiting blog subscriptions to 50 at any given time (currently at 48).
As unnecessary as this activity might seem to outsiders - or heck, even to my immediate family - I'm going to tell you that this activity DOES contribute to my creativity. And since I'm a lawyer and all, I can make a very convincing argument that this is fact, not justification.
You see, the blogs I read feed my creative soul. They are a source of inspiration and connection with kindred souls who "get me" in a way that my own family does not. Some of my best ideas and most cherished creations were sparked by something I read or saw pictured in someone else's blog post. I can take those ideas, those sparks, and mold and shape them into something totally my own. I can give birth to beauty and love and insight and magic because another beautiful soul touched me with their words, their photos, their creations. And I get the added bonus of fostering meaningful relationships with friends all over the globe whom I might never have met in the physical world. How can one deny the necessity of such an activity? How can one even suggest that such a connection would not enhance creativity? It's almost... blasphemous.
So Google Reader stays too! Triumphant shout with raised fist.
In summary, having considered my daily activities, I'm thinking maybe a little more dust won't hurt anyone. What do you think?
Sighs can be so appropriate, but triumphant shouts are much more energizing!
7 comments:
Just for the record, I truly believe that dust provides a protective coating for your furniture and should not be removed too regularly! :>)
Ditto to what Melissa said chkl, and I agree, blog reading sparks lots of creative thought, and it is a relaxation and social time too, cant give that up :)
Nothing in the slightest bit wrong with dust....in fact it can be argued that we need to live with a degree of dirt and bacteria....to build up immunity to it!!!
How about delegating some of those first 'non-creative' activities!!
HA! Bet you are a brilliant lawyer because I love this argument - just as I was about to try and cut down on my blog reading. Now I won't even try because you are right, of course x
More dust! More dust! MORE DUST! I'm all for that solution! :)
Well, I certainly would let the dust lay before I gave up my blogs! Like you, most of my friends do not understand the time I spend reading online, but I have learned so much and gotten so much inspiration (to say nothing of the community and support) that I'd let a lot go before that! And it sure does eat into my creative time---and I no longer have a day job as an excuse.
I'm totally with you, Cheri. I need mindless TV watching in order to keep my sanity. It's an escape. Moreover, I love what you said about blog reading. I hear so many people say it's a "waste of time," and while I concede that you can certainly *lose* time reading blogs because it's so easy to get caught up in them, both the community and inspiration the blogosphere provides me is not something with which I'm willing to part.
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