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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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
I'm with you on the not cleaning the house to write. I've found I can live in a little messy house if the words are flowing and I can go without TV(except for certain shows) but I have to do the farm chores or there are some very unhappy cows! And they let me know. Great Post.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I could have trained cows that would stomp me if I didn't get my words done for the day!
DeleteJessa- Can't you get Monster Girl to do this for you?
DeleteSo I was told Ursula LeGuin has a place she goes to write that's not too far from where I live. My visitor who had just been over to see UL remarked, "You writers, you don't live high, but you live well." I've always remembered that. Not getting caught up in the what everyone else thinks we should have, as in clean house, folded socks, cable TV, and ....ahhh... financial solvency... has its own rewards. Though more money would be nice.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I like the idea of living well! What a great quote. Thank you. :)
Delete"You don't live high, but you live well."
DeleteLove love love this!
I love this post. Chaos and creation probably describes my entire life. I just did a better job of covering for the "chaos" part when I was in the actually-get-paid-regularly-for-work world. I also love the "you live well" quote. I know that mentally, I am so much happier as a full time writer than ever before. My problem is not getting caught up in what everyone else things, it's battling my own imprinted demons on being the perfect wife, mother, sister, niece, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't hurt that the environs of Mount St. Helens really give you perspective about your place in the world :) Knowing I am a bug in the grand scheme makes my life much less stressful!
DeleteMaggie- Those demons are mean and pernicious. The only thing that gets rid of them is art, art, and more art. Not even being the "perfect wife" works. All that does is give ulcers.
DeleteI don't think I could cut down on TV or reading, but I'm glad all of you writers do what you do. I don't know what i would do without your books. REALLY! Hey Jessa Slade, I started on your Marked Souls books. I'm only up to the third one but they are really cool. I've never heard of these kinds of demons before--I mean kind of good demons. It will take me awhile to finish them but I will buy all of them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Evelyn! And thanks even more for reading! I'm thinking an entire tribe of demons could earn their redemption if they helped me get organized! That would certainly be a kind of purgatory for them LOL!
DeleteI was talking to someone today that said she only needs 6 hours of sleep each night. I call that a nap :-) I wish I had more waking hours to accomplish my to-do list or the strength to turn off the TV more often.
ReplyDelete