Creative? Trapped At Home? Read This

Thoughts for creative people on being forced to stay at home:

Some people talk about writing, others do it.
Same for painting, composing, dancing, drawing, jewelry-making, pottery, clothing design, etc.

These times of pandemic stress, staying home and such, can be hard to get through.

One thought that has helped me is to imagine myself ten years from now, looking back, thinking about how I spent my time during the pandemic. Did I lose a lot of time to stress and worry? Sure I did. But did I also seize the opportunity to be creative?

When you look back from the distant future, you will almost certainly want to think that you didn't squander the time. You will want to recall that you didn't just talk about writing, you wrote. And wrote.

Another helpful thought for me is that I've often had the idea that it would be wonderful to be able to take a sabbatical and stay home from most of my obligations. I've imagined all that I could get done if only I were given the gift of extra time. Well, here it is. Is it all easy? Of course not. But could we use the time productively if we were focused? Definitely.

Every writer who's seen Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton remembers the haunting line, "Write Like You're Running Out Of Time." That line is the stuff of anthems, and one of the most memorable from a show that won every theatrical award including the Pulitzer for Best Drama and Tony for Best Musical.

Another line with a similar message comes from Jonathan Larson's musical Rent and the song No Day But Today. Give it a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-w_RNchAsk

Like Hamilton, Rent won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score, Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, Obie Awards for Outstanding Lyrics. The list goes on. Why was the show such a huge hit? The message of that song - that NOW is what matters -  helped propel the raves.

The song, and message, can make you cry. But it can also make you get out of your funk and create something valuable.

It's a compelling concept, this notion of turning distress into productivity, this idea of writing like you're running out of time. Don't put it off. Don't wait to start. Don't wait for inspiration. Don't wait for the right feeling or the right place or the best approach or the perfect company. And never ever think to yourself, 'I'll get going on that good idea tomorrow.'