There are some people in the world who say that writing stories, or composing music, or dancing sparkly dances is easy for them. Nothing interferes with their ability to create.
While I celebrate their creative freedom, a little part of me just wants to punch those motherfuckers in the teeth.
- lyrics from Die Vampire, Die! from the musical [title of show] by Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen
Today I just want to punch some motherfuckers in the teeth.
I have been creatively dry for weeks now. I can barely blog. I can't write reviews. Everything seems stalled. Plus, all of my bad habits seem to have come back with a viciousness heretofore unknown. It's like I'm a slave to all my self-destructive impulses. The little red devil sits on my shoulder whispering, "Give in," while the angel that's supposed to be on the opposite one sits on a beach sipping planters punches while ogling the natives in their sarongs.
It blows.
I'm looking for suggestions on how to break this slump. So far all I've managed to come up with is going up to the roof with a rifle and shooting at the cars driving by with their stereos blasting. Of course, I don't have a rifle or roof access. And somehow I think hurling sarcastic bons mots from the fire escape will be less effective, though it will be more in keeping with the way people act in my neighborhood. Well, assuming "Shut the fuck up, you fucking [appropriate racial or ethnic epithet]!" passes for bons mots anywhere other than here. My own bons mots being more Shavian than that (at least in my own mind), I fear they would not help me fit in.
So now I'm left with the options of doing my taxes or watching TV and drinking. Devil votes for watching TV and drinking. Angel . . . ? Yeah, that's what I thought.
Care
25 minutes ago
4 comments:
You've just got to force yourself. Try stickk.com.
I've been in that same slump for months. On Wednesday I flew to Iowa to design a show and I remember now why I do what I do. I've spent the last six hours drinking beer and discussing the creative world of dance, theatre and design. It's made me realize that I really am an artist.
This may sound simple, but... Do something that is different from what you have been doing recently. My most self-serving suggestion is to come spend a weekend with us. You know the door is always open here.
Other thoughts? Take a trip upstate. Even a day trip would be good. Go wander in a park or eat at a cozy little diner in some small town. Take a run to New Hope, PA, and poke around the little shops. Just break from the routine you've been following.
Work may not be so easy to change, but perhaps it's time to see fewer plays? It seems like you've been on overload with shows in recent months. I like shows, too (of course, they're much more important to you than me, and I don't mean to belittle that at all!), but they should be a spice added to life, not filling too much of it. There needs to be room for other things.
Above all, getting out of your usual surroundings from time to time is vital. The cars going by with their stereos blasting might not bother you quite so much if you had more frequent breaks from them to get your head back where it needs to be. Those breaks could occur here or at other friends' places or at some bed & breakfast somewhere. Just find the breaks one way or another!
I hope things are looking a bit better now! I wish I had a good suggestion but, alas, nothing right now.
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