Saturday, January 5, 2013

Staying in the "Creative Groove"

I hope all of my readers (both of them!) had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's.  We started our journey back to Oregon from north Texas yesterday at 6am (Central), and our second flight didn't bring us home to western Oregon until close to noon.  It was a long day, but we're happy to be home safe and sound.

One thing I was struck with this trip is how I finally broke a persistent writer's block.  I thought I'd share a few quick observations today.  If you have a stressful day job as I do, it's really difficult to be able to leave your work at the office and focus on creative projects.  (In fact this really hit home, when the first message I read on my iPhone after arriving in Oregon was a very negative office-related e-mail.)

Temporarily leaving behind the daily life responsibilities, experiencing a change of scene, and I think also attending fairly frequent Mass (Holy Days of "Opportunity," you know) helped me write more than I have in years.  It was wonderful to be able to free mind and connect with my characters again like that.  The million dollar question, of course, will be whether I can stay in this "Creative Groove."  

Someone is bound to ask what attending Mass could possibly have to do with writing, and it's a little hard for a Catholic to perhaps articulate.  Is it the Eucharist or is it simply slowing down to focus on God and His Church?  The short answer is "yes."  The longer answer would remind all writers and artists that the ultimate wellspring of any good creative enterprise is God, the Creator.  

That's all for today.  God bless.

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