Resolve 2013: Chaos and Creation
Whenever I have friends and family visit me in Portland
Oregon, I frequently haul them up to Mount St. Helens in Washington to admire
the devastation a volcano leaves behind. The visitor center shows a short film
called “Chaos and Creation.” The narrator says “chaos and creation” repeatedly
(with very dramatic intonation) and inevitably, for every group I escort up
there, the phrase becomes the running joke of the day.
I think living a creative life is having a small thing -- a
dream -- writ large. Basically you are making a mole hill into a mountain, and
that means fomenting a certain amount of chaos in what other people might
consider a “normal” life. To pursue a creative dream, sometimes you have to
destroy the peace and quiet and sacrifice chunks of everyday life.
I’ve accepted some chaos and sacrifice to make room for my
creative life:
1. Drastically reduced TV: I’m a storyteller at heart, so
of course I love television. But committing to my own stories means sacrificing
someone else’s. I still have a couple favorite shows, but most often I have to
flip through a copy of Entertainment Weekly at the grocery store to keep up
with popular culture.
2. Less-than-perfect housekeeping: Okay, admitted this
isn’t much of a sacrifice, but it can definitely lead to chaos. In the end,
though, I’d rather have my words written than my socks folded and put away in
the drawer. I’m just going to wear them again anyway!
3. Tight finances: This is an ugly reality for most
creative folk who don’t have a reliable source of income (trust fund,
understanding spouse, blackmail scheme). Making a creative life takes an
investment of time and resources that can wreak chaos on AND demand sacrifice
from your checkbook. But who needs fancy shoes when you’re at your computer in
fuzzy socks anyway?
Are you willing to let in a little chaos for your
creation? Please share in comments.
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And follow my A LITTLE NIGHT MUSE blog tour for a chance to win goodies!
And follow my A LITTLE NIGHT MUSE blog tour for a chance to win goodies!
Continue the blog party!
Maggie Jaimeson - Take a Vacation
Jessa Slade - Get Organized
Paty Jager - Volunteerism
Linda Mercury - Creating a Literary (or Creative) Life
Jenna Bayley-Burke - Eat Healthier
Cassiel Knight - No More Procrastination
Cathryn Cade - Take Time for those OTHER Creative Passions
Su Lute - Reduce Stress: Find and Follow Your Bliss
Jamie Brazil - Shrink My Closet
