trees are people too

I am sure many of you can relate. That sinking feeling when you are confronted by a (seemingly expansive) white page and literally limitless creative parameter, and are left with absolutely nothing.

There is no shortage of excuses. Too busy, too tired, too drunk. But what I should really be doing is writing an open letter of apology to you, blog, and getting on with getting on.

But sometimes, I just feel exactly like this:

And so begins my quest to find the ultimate cure to writer’s block. Or painter’s. Or musician’s. Or tax accountant’s. Or whomever, really. I have this strange suspicion that this quest may be more successful than the time I tried to eat only sushi for an entire week as a social experiment (for the good of the people, we had to know). Or the time I tried to ride a friends bike up the trunk of a tree to test the suspension. Both good and noble quests, but possibly less pragmatic than this.

And so I have called this ailment ‘creative constipation’, and the quest ‘the search for a literary laxative’. Has a  nice ring to it, don’t you think? In a discussion the other day I mused that the way I confronted writer’s block was just to get writing. Do, don’t think. Write and write until a scrap of something useful comes out. But perhaps this is less strategic than I thought. After all, surely first you need to think of something to write about before you can deal with the inability to write about it? (:sigh: I should have been a philosopher).

And so I begin my epic quest as always, seeking inspiration, answers and guidance online. This week we’ll start with items that have inspired others to write, and in the next episode we’ll move on to actual tactics. As you can see, excitement doesn’t necessarily equal motivation.

So, what’s been good? Luscious tune by the always incredible helios, remixed by stray, from the glorious Med School Records.

Some new art on my wall by Josh Keyes.

Visuals that make for misty eyes from Don’t touch my moleskin (and a lovely new blog design, also. Check it out.)

Less misty eyed, but certainly entertaining, is the new Tim and Eric short film, Father and Son.

Hell, I even tried chat roulette, but (as Jon Stewart demonstrates) this turned out to be a less rewarding than anticipated.

So much good stuff, it’s hard to not be inspired. And I feel a renewed lust for creativity now that I have discovered my new purpose. To work out how to be creative. Or something like that. It’s going to be my most rewarding quest yet. I can just feel it.

Tune in for the next episode, Actually embarking on a quest one has decided to embark on. And in the meantime, I’ll leave you with this to ponder.

It’s kinda like the red and blue pill from the Matrix movies, but with doors. And kittens.