Saturday, September 27, 2014

How Play Helps Me Find My Groove

Hi folks, I've been pressured this week. I have a deadline looming. It's a few months off, but it mocks me from the distance. A ton of work is between me and that deadline. My creative self is just not happy being forced to perform. The writing is feeling very mechanical, and I've been feeling edgy. I can do the ton of work ahead, but I have to have an infusion of fun or this is going to be a dismal project.

As a professional writer, I don't have the luxury of waiting for a muse or finding the right mood. That said, without the muse or the mood, I struggle to get anything on the page that is infused with awesomeness. Without finding my groove, my work is painful and generally worthless and uninspired.  To find my groove, I have to give myself time to play, a lot of time to play, This week I started up a project that is really for the fun of it. It's a silly project that is self-indulgent, silly, and sarcastic. No one wants this project. It's just for me. I delight in it.

Allowing myself to do something that lights me up, whether anyone else cares or not, fuels me with energy. The project has one targeted audience and that is myself. I am always working on projects like this. I doodle. I bake, I crochet, I knit, I sew, I sing, I play my flute, pluck on my dulcimer, weed my flowerbeds, chase with the cats or let them chase me, joke with my kids, write silly bits. I play. There are reasons for this creative play. One, I must be able to finish things because it makes me feel jazzed. Two, I must be free to complete something for my own self, something that sends a sense of accomplishment into my soul. Three,  I get to call the flaws in my work character.

Play is like taking a tub of olive oil and tumping it on my head. It a lubricant that cuts down resistance. I jump into my work and slide forward with a rush of speed. I'm ungummed from the commercialization and commodifying of imagination. I find that sweet place of the song bird, croaking frog, or shimmering cicadas.  I find what heart tells me to do. The dreaded deadline no longer looms. It's just a date on a calendar that happen to coincide with the marvelous creative journey I'm on. This dear readers, is the GROOVE.

I hope you have some fun and find your groove this week!  I will be back with more musing next week.

Here is a doodle.


Here is a quote for your pocket.

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. ~Mark Twain, Following the Equator

6 comments:

Kim Van Sickler said...

I have a theory that writers need the immediacy of small projects because they are something we can complete and take pride in...while waiting for that book to get written, get edited, get re-edited, et cetera. I also think being active when we aren't behind the computer makes our time behind the computer more worthwhile. Keep having fun!

Molly/Cece said...

I agree with your theory. We do need small successes to boost us along the way. Being active is helpful too. No doubts. Thanks for pointing this out, Kim. :)

Kim Van Sickler said...

Hi Molly! I'm back to award you the Versatile Blogger designation. http://swaggerwriters.blogspot.com/2014/09/by-kim-van-sickler-it-all-started-here.html Congrats! Embrace the giving back process!

Vijaya said...

Boy, do I need to have creative play ... I think it's what readies my brain to do the long-haul projects. Enjoy your playtime and beat that deadline!

Molly/Cece said...

Thanks, Kim, for the award

Molly/Cece said...

Vijaya! Play is awesome!. P.S. you are not a robot.