Since getting back into creative writing after a decade away, this is something I have thought a lot about recently. I do a lot of creative things. I cook, I teach, I write a great deal for work
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No, this is exactly what I was looking for. I'm just looking for people to explore thoughts about creativity with me. It's really good for me to hear that people have the same responses that I do. I am so with you on telling stories that I want/need to tell and getting no response.
It's interesting and something I watch a lot. There is one person in the fandom I hang out in who writes really good stories and when they post them, they get a great deal of attention - posted and reposted on tumblr, on everyone's recc list, they get fan art. On those endless tumblr memes where people ask each other questions, there is a question about why do you write that comes up from time to time. The answer is invariably about the response their work gets. For this person, creating seems a lot like a musician who, when they perform live, (the image in my mind is Alan Doyle from Great Big Sea) comes ALIVE. They amount of energy they draw from the audience is incredible, they come off on such a giant high. I do not know about the writer that I am mentioning, but Alan Doyle is an extrovert off the end of the scale
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Yes, it is very hard not to compare oneself to others. I'm finding myself in a pool of jealousy and it's just stupid because I am not someone else. I am me. I need to be proud of my own accomplishments.
So, yeah, word. I get where you are coming from 100%.
I guess for me, there's a sense of accomplishment upon completion of a fic because I always wanted to pursue writing as a career but was never able to. It scratches that particular itch, I suppose, if that makes sense? Fandom has been good for me that way, though I do admit feeling like I'm drifting away from the Merlin fandom a little and I don't know why. Something to think about, I suppose. :)
I think fandom gives a lot of us a voice in a way we never had a chance to do before, so yes, I totally get this.
I think a lot of us are drifting away from Merlin fandom. I know I am. The ending really broke me in a very not good way and it's just too painful to open myself up again to the stories.
And it's made me think because I'm not a writer but my mum is and she doesn't post anything any more after some real nastiness on her old comm. So now the creative part for her is completely personal. She's a good writer - not because I'm her daughter but because she can put it all together in a way that can be funny and touching and just somehow right and because her research is impeccable. Though that's not the point. The point is that now she just can't not create. The creative process is the reward in itself if that's the right way to put it.
Still I think it should be more. It should be the interplay between the creation for yourself, the personal journey and then the reception. That's a perfect description from avon
\o/ I'm really enjoying other people's thoughts on this too.
I yearn for the day I can just create for myself and not worry about other people's responses, but yes, I agree that for myself there is an interplay between creation, the personal journey, and the reception. Very well put! <3
For me the greatest reward is the experience of seeing individual pieces coming together to form a new thing. I feel like it's in us as living beings to have that desire to bring another thing to life -- not just a story or a craft, but even a relationship or a new life path.
And when we get together with others who can bring beautiful things to life, it's amazing.
To me, creating is getting rid of the pain of being nagged at with all those ideas in my head; once the story is written or the quilt/costume done, I (mostly) forget about it. Lately I haven't been very creative and it's kind of a relief.
But it's also worrisome since I've always been creative and lately I just don't feel like it.
:) You make it sound like creativity is a disease. LOL.
Hunh. Do you know where you get your inspiration? Or how you work best? I read this great thing once about someone's creative process. That might have been in Larkin Jean Van Horn's booklet about beading. Not sure. I will see if I can find it later. In the meantime, try not to worry too much. You could just be soaking up all the inspiration.
I can get inspiration from anything - a song, a bird's wing in flight, Colin's smile, the color of a sky at dusk, legends, laughter, the smell of chocolate cookies fresh from the oven. Anything.
I think I work best when I'm pressed to do something. If I know I've promised a thing, I try and deliver it. But lately I haven't been promising much and it's both concerning me and making me relax a bit.
I think a lot of people go through phases, sometimes a few days long, sometimes years. I'm not sure if I want the phase to be short or long. I'm into reading and traveling and that seems to be good enough for now!
Hey, I was thinking of trying to start a smallish group of people who would be interested in doing something like ATC (artist trading cards), but maybe not limited to cards? I was thinking it would be 3-4 times a year and we would just do a more round-robin sort of thing where we just make one thing for someone in the group rather than one thing for everyone (round robin isn't the right term). Would you be interested? I haven't had the time to think about how to organize it yet.
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Keep talking with me!
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So, yeah, word. I get where you are coming from 100%.
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I think a lot of us are drifting away from Merlin fandom. I know I am. The ending really broke me in a very not good way and it's just too painful to open myself up again to the stories.
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And it's made me think because I'm not a writer but my mum is and she doesn't post anything any more after some real nastiness on her old comm. So now the creative part for her is completely personal. She's a good writer - not because I'm her daughter but because she can put it all together in a way that can be funny and touching and just somehow right and because her research is impeccable. Though that's not the point. The point is that now she just can't not create. The creative process is the reward in itself if that's the right way to put it.
Still I think it should be more. It should be the interplay between the creation for yourself, the personal journey and then the reception. That's a perfect description from avon
Reply
I yearn for the day I can just create for myself and not worry about other people's responses, but yes, I agree that for myself there is an interplay between creation, the personal journey, and the reception. Very well put! <3
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And when we get together with others who can bring beautiful things to life, it's amazing.
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But it's also worrisome since I've always been creative and lately I just don't feel like it.
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Hunh. Do you know where you get your inspiration? Or how you work best? I read this great thing once about someone's creative process. That might have been in Larkin Jean Van Horn's booklet about beading. Not sure. I will see if I can find it later. In the meantime, try not to worry too much. You could just be soaking up all the inspiration.
Reply
I think I work best when I'm pressed to do something. If I know I've promised a thing, I try and deliver it. But lately I haven't been promising much and it's both concerning me and making me relax a bit.
I think a lot of people go through phases, sometimes a few days long, sometimes years. I'm not sure if I want the phase to be short or long. I'm into reading and traveling and that seems to be good enough for now!
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