The Trouble with Creative Writing....

Remember back in December when I wrote that blog about stepping back from social media in an attempt to get more accomplished? Remember how I talked about how I was going to start blogging more because I was going to have so much more free time? Ha. That was funny. What’s even more funny is that I actually have spent a lot less time on social media. What I’ve been doing with all that extra time…well…I don’t honestly know.

I truly have been meaning to blog more. I’ve had a lot of good ideas for blogs, but for some reason none of those ideas have materialized themselves into a finished product. The trouble with creative writing is that creativity strikes at the oddest of moments. In the shower…driving down the freeway…waiting in line at the DMV…in the grocery store…during downtime at work…those wee moments of the night when I’m lying in bed on the verge of sleep, promising myself that I’ll remember those random snippets of prose when I wake in the morning (I rarely, if ever, do...although I do remember that I was trying really hard to remember something).  My point is, my most creative ideas seem to strike at the most inconvenient times for putting pen to paper, or more appropriate for this day and age, fingers to keyboard.

Yes, I do have an iPhone, and yes, it is with me 90% of the time, so I don’t really have all that great of an excuse for not capturing my ideas at the very moment that they strike (although capturing while showering or driving would still be problematic). The crux of that matter is that I hate typing on my iPhone. In fact, I downright loathe it. Perhaps it’s because I feel claustrophobic trying to transpose big ideas onto that tiny screen (say what you want about my giant 6+ screen, it’s still tiny); perhaps it’s because I only type with one finger when I’m using my phone, which is exhausting when trying to type more than a sentence or two at a time (don’t even get me started on autocorrect…nothing disrupts a train of thought quicker than Apple’s idea of what I meant versus my idea of what I meant); perhaps it’s because from a very young age, I’ve always been a huge fan of a full keyboard with actual buttons; perhaps it’s because the space where my computer hangs out in my house is an extremely uninspiring space that I don’t really enjoy all that much.

I could come up with excuses all day long about why I haven’t been blogging, but I won’t waste your time or mine cataloguing my laziness and lack of motivation. So let’s just start over. Here and now. I’m going to blog more because writing makes me feel good. I like putting my ideas down for others to see, and I like the ideas and feedback I get. My ideas aren’t the only ideas, and there’s certainly lots of room for interpretation, improvement, learning, and discussion. Just the other morning Simon and I were laying in bed discussing a concept that basically had to do with my thought process regarding our response to the passage of time, and the things, people, and ideas that disappear along with it (yes, a topic for another blog entirely). What I cherished the most about that conversation was that Simon and I see the world though completely different eyes, and I love hearing his perspective. I love seeing my world though his eyes, and my only hope is that maybe he appreciates seeing his world through mine.

As adults in a world that is constantly changing and is full of distractions, I think there’s so much for us to still learn from each other, and I look forward to and enjoy that so much.

I actually started this blog whilst sitting in the van in a random park in Farmington, MN, during our month-long trip home. I happened to have both my laptop and some downtime, and knowing fully that I wouldn't be able to publish it until much later, I decided to try to capture my thoughts. So I got at least that much done. The fact that I'm not publishing it until almost 2 months later...well...that's just how it goes sometimes.

I've made a few changes in the past months about how I approach writing. Most specifically, in where I do it. I created a little writing nook in our bedroom, which I really enjoy. I found a cute little refinished desk on craigslist and put it in a corner of our bedroom that is right next to a window. It looks out into our somewhat wild backyard. I'm planning to put a bird feeder outside my window so that I can watch the birdies come and go while I sit here and collect my thoughts. I think watching birds (and the occasional squirrel) is a good distraction, and it causes a person to be still for an undetermined length of time. I've gone about this with the idea of creating a cozy space, and I'm slowly making it a productive space as well. Sitting on the desk is a little vase that I got from my Grandma Ellringer, and in it is a fabric peony, which is the flower that reminds me of her. On the wall next to my desk are picture collages and paw prints of my three dogs, two of whom have passed away but are still firmly in my heart. I have a string of fabric turtles that my aunt Cheryl bought for me, originally intended to go in the van, but I think they're perfect hanging where I can see them and enjoy them everyday. I'm definitely realizing that I'm a person who is very sensitive to my surroundings. I believe that there's a place for everything, and everything in its place. I also believe that our environment plays a bigger part in our mental and emotional well-being than we're aware of.

So here we go. To starting over (again), and hopefully with the changes that I've made and will continue to make, you'll be seeing me on here a little more regularly. :)