haunting the horizon

in #hive-1614654 months ago


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Consistency.

What does it mean to you?

Does it mean performing consistently at a certain level, or does it mean consistently producing a specific quantity, without worrying about quality?

My guess is that for most of, those of us in the habit of creating things, whether it be art, content, or even ideas and inventions, that quality would ideally be a part of the equation, but that more often than not it falls to the wayside in an effort to produce a certain amount at a certain pace.

A variation on succeeding through repetition, after multiple failures.

That’s where I place my focus—making sure to write a certain amount everyday. And necessary I push myself to go beyond that and share the result, regardless of whether it’s my best work or worst work or something in the middle.

Lately, though, I’ve been wondering about this part of my process. Is it necessary to share the things that I’m not satisfied with just to meet a personal deadline? Or does doing so harm me in some way?

I’m inclined to say that it is necessary, that not sharing something daily would lead to a decrease in my creative output, which would in turn lead to a decrease in overall quality, but my mind is far from made up.

What are your thoughts?


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(1)

watching the rain
a baby beside me
hot with fever

(2)

what romance
do they sing about
frogs in the night

(3)

distant mountain
haunting the horizon
a ghost in the haze

(4)

sunflower
how tall
will you grow

(5)

filling my cup
she smiles
off limits

(6)

umbrellas
holding up the sky
the game must go on

(7)

here we are
face to face again
Monday


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As always, thank you for reading.

All poems and images are original. If you have any comments, feedback, or suggestions, please feel free to share them.

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I don't suppose I have a good opinion on it. I always think it is whatever the comfort level of the writer (painter, creator) has about it. Maybe that is not encouraging to push the limits though, I'm not really sure. Pressure only manages to crush my creativity, as I don't feel FREE anymore.

This very moment I am at number 7.

"here we are
face to face again
Monday"

As soon as I hit reply, I am sliding over to my work desk.... and the Monday work begins !

I always like your poems.

If you liken it to exercise or yoga, maybe it’s easier to accept. You might not feel like doing it beforehand, but afterward, you’re usually happy you did it.

For me, with writing, it’s not so much about finishing a piece or writing a poem, it’s about maintaining the search for inspiration. If I have to write a poem every day, I have to look for and find something to write about, and I (not always) have to actually sit myself down and write.

That leads to production and some kind of consistency.

It’s not something that I like very much. And it doesn’t necessarily make me produce better poems, I don’t think. But it does keep me in the habit.

Drawing and design are the same way for me. The consistency of habit can take some of the fun away, but it also eventually leads to really creative highs and breakthroughs, which would probably come on their own at some point, but maybe not as often. I don’t know.

I feel conflicted about the process, but here I am defending it. 😂

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Thank you.

Nice poem, funny how those Mondays keep coming around... Sounds like you've been getting quite a bit of rain! I hope you're sons feeling better.

I take breaks every now and again, and I don't usually post daily unless I have something worth posting. Some days the well runs dry, I took about five days off this last week to recharge.

I hope things are going well for you over there in the Land of the Rising Sun!
!BBH

Greetings @boxcarblue ,

Thank you for your photography and poetry...just lovely!

Consistency for Bleujay means....working those memory pathways of design, vocabulary, familiarity with one's tools and increasing one's knowledge base of the technicals....which surprisingly can be done a number of ways, classes, teaching, practice of fundamentals, looking at the work of others past and present. When pushing the outskirts of your field in exploration...inspiration comes.

What's funny is that I used to think...oh... I must be working on a painting, I must paint everyday...but that is only one aspect of my chosen field....it is interesting to have discovered that when I do start painting again after a couple day's break from painting...there is a confidence present and my work is better than before if whilst away I have been working it from another direction....make sense?

There is for any content creator hopefully the knowledge that production is cyclical with its inspiration , incubation, motivation, execution. And if we keep in mind that everything will not turn out perfect...some work is just better than others...and unfortunately duds do happen. ^__^

Its a lot isn't it?

A principle I particularly appreciate is this: Energy must be harnessed in order to be productive. Think of a horse in harness versus out of harness.

Thank you for your post and this most interesting query.

Kind Regards,

Bleujay

I like that principle. It reminds me of a Rick Rubin that I saw recently. In it he talked about recording and album for AC/DC.

He said they sat in their chairs for hours just talking, smoking, and drinking coffee and that he couldn’t understand why they spent so much time between recordings doing nothing.

Now, though, he realizes that their recordings and performances were like sprints, which is something that a person can’t do thirty times in a row. You might get three or four good sprints, but that’s it. Then you have to rest and gather your energy again.

Since my poems are short, I feel like it’s reasonable to write one a day, but nevertheless, nonstop daily deadlines can get tiresome.

A very relevant subject, most of the times, in my life.

Recently I figured out how much freedom I actually get through consistency, just showing up for the deadlines I set myself, so I don't need to spend my energy on questioning wether it is good enough or when I should do it. All that energy then flows into my work.

There have been times where consistency also turned off my inspiration or hindered my flow. But again I am not sure that was really the consistency, the problem, or rather my fears and worries of not meeting my standart? Whereas I can deal with my fears and worries while showing up to myself.

I feel like much of being a creative (and not just dabbling in being creative) means showing up again and again regardless of whether you want to or not.

As you said, keeping that expectation for yourself can be very liberating.

I think what I’m struggling with now is not have a good routine, a set time and space where I do my work. These days, I get it done, but there’s no telling when or how. That gets stressful.

For a long time, I woke up at 4 and got things done in the morning. Lately, though, I just haven’t been able to drag myself out of bed and get it up.

Things change. I’ll figure something out that works as I go.