There are some days when I am fired up about Getting Things Done®. Then there are days when I’m exhausted and fighting a head cold, and I don’t feel like doing anything. So what’s a creative soul to do when you feel like yuck, and the inspiration just doesn’t come?
For me, this comes as a struggle, because I’ve conditioned myself to think I can be creative on demand. Now, I know that’s not the case. I can no more be creative on demand than I can control my involuntary reflexes. However, there’s something to be said for just showing up. Chances are, you’re not going to get anything written if you just stay in bed! But if you sit down at the word processor, at least there’s a possibility.
Sometimes when you’re not feeling creative, but you know you should be, you just have to take some medicine and show up to see what happens. Sometimes, you won’t make much progress, but that’s progress that wouldn’t wouldn’t have made at all if you hadn’t tried. So in a way, you can be creative on demand. It just takes a little time.
I guess what I’m saying is, waiting on the Muse to speak is somewhat overrated. Sometimes the creative juices are there, and you just need to engage them to see what comes out.
If you’ve had a rough week/month/year of creative pursuits, don’t fret. Just sit down at the word processor/digital audio workstation and just do something.