First Blog Post... AHH!

Hello my lovely friends and fellow lit geeks! Kai here (cracking under the pressure of creating the first blog post). We have to start somewhere don't we? Honestly, I feel like Anastasia will be better at this than I will; she does all kinds of interesting things. But, seeing as her day job is grueling and mine is at times dreadfully dull, I feel that I must take this heavy burden upon myself! *flexes muscles*

So, since this is our first blog post, I'd like to talk about something actually relevant to our online journal: WRITING! I have a lot of feelings about writing and I'm sure, since you're here reading this, you do too. One of those feelings is what I like to call "ARRGH!" (aka frustration). Writing is hard for me most of the time, and not writing is even harder. I am one of those unfortunate souls who goes through long creative droughts. To be honest, the last time I finished anything substantial (before a couple of days ago) was last June. Almost a year ago!

I'd like to say that I've been pining away slowly in that time, but that wouldn't be true. I've done a lot! I moved to a whole new city, I got my first real grownup job, I started a new relationship, and made a bunch of new friends. I've also rekindled my passion for cosplay, another creative outlet of mine. I've read a lot of books too, and watched a lot of anime. I've been busy. But, if I told you I haven't felt like something's missing this entire time, that would also be a lie.

The thing is, being a writer is such a massive part of my identity, I start to feel hopelessly lost without it. After a few months of not writing, I start to wonder if I can really call myself a writer anymore. And then I start to wonder, if I'm not a writer, then what am I? I'm sure this feeling of displacement can be related to other creative mediums as well: painting, music, photography... cooking? Maybe even sports? I wouldn't know about that one but I'm pretty sure everyone has a thing that gives them life, that allows them to connect to the world around them in a meaningful way. And losing that thing, even temporarily, is just about the worst feeling ever.

You'd think my "ARRGH!" could be solved easily. Just write! Make yourself do it! And maybe that works for some people. But, for me, ideas come by their own whim and whack me repeatedly on the head until I put them on paper. If I don't have an idea, no amount of staring at a blank Microsoft Word document is going to conjure one. I can do all the aimless writing I want, but it's not going to turn into anything good. I just have to wait. And, to quote one of my crazy customers at the shop I used to work at, "I HATE WAITING!"

Anyway, the good news is I'm writing again! *insert happy dance* An idea attacked me quite ferociously the other day and I quickly pumped out a story. Not to jinx myself or anything, but I feel like the floodgates are open now and something else will be coming along soon. I know Anastasia's creative juices have been flowing too (and I just realized what a gross metaphor that is). Maybe there's inspiration in the air along with all the tree pollen that's slowly killing me!

I'd like to hear from some other artsy folk about your frustrations with writing or whatever it is that keeps you ticking (sorry I'm full of cliches today). Are you a hopeless victim of your brain's fancies like me or do you have a method to keep things moving?

Also, of course, if you've created anything you're fantastically proud of lately, WE WANTS IT! Please let us show off your baby like two proud and slightly deranged aunts. Okay, this is getting weird. What I really mean is... Submit to The Midsummer Note!

I suppose I should get back to work now. Thanks for stopping by, friends, and if you wanted a selfie of me at work well IT'S YOUR LUCKY DAY!

#writing #writersblock #creativity #frustration #art #arrgh #ideas #stories #journal #themidsummernote