15 Day Creation Challenge

photo by Woodleywonderworks

When it comes to ideas, I get greedy.

I indulge my mind in endless musing and contemplation, before sitting down to cultivate and brood those delicate little idea eggs. I watch the hands of a woman scooping sticky rice out of an enormous pot at the market. I read the writings of a hundred brilliant humans. I listen to the voices tumbling out of curtained windows. But alas, there is only so much time, and I can only hatch so many eggs. The neglected ones are left with a thin shell, apt to break and ooze into a white, runny insignificance.

But let’s focus on the eggs that do hatch — the ones that break through their shells and into the bracing air. What makes them so special?

Answer:
Those eggs received a whole lot of bum-warming TLC. When I laid those eggs, I was eating my veggies and drinking my milk. Staying strong to keep those babies safe and warm. This takes time, but more than that, it requires devotion. As we’ve discussed, time is what you make it. It’s not the quantity of time that brings those eggs to hatch, it’s the quality.

“I don’t have enough time.”

One of the top excuses we give for failing to create is “I don’t have enough time.”  Well, I call bullshit.

[OK, I don't call bullshit for everyone. I know there are people practically working themselves into a coma, with little time to eat or sleep, let alone try their chances on a fluttering idea. But I also know that those people probably don't use their time to read this blog.]

Let me explain:

Since I moved to Thailand, the low cost of living has allowed me to enjoy a schedule of largely part-time freelance work, and the rest of my time for my own projects and travels. I was excited and nervous to explore this schedule — with blocks of time to devote to my creative writing, would I uncover vivid prose, or be disheartened by lackluster writing?

I soon discovered that the challenges were not what I expected. Instead of worrying about the quality of my words, I found myself struggling to even write them in the first place. Those extra hours didn’t mean anything if I wasn’t engaging.  If writing is what I love, I wondered, then why I am avoiding it? I eventually learned that, love it or not, creation requires discipline.

So, I worked on giving myself homework and focusing my ideas. And the more I wrote, the more I realized that “I don’t have enough time” often means “I’m scared.” Scared because we don’t know what direction a project will take, scared because we fear it may look awful, or scared because we’re not sure what the steps are. With all the time in the world, would you allow yourself to take those risks?

In the spirit of taking the plunge, I invite you all to join me for the 15-Day Creation Challenge. The rules are as follows:

1. Decide what you want to create — the rough draft of a short story, a mini comic book, a mural — anything.

2. In the comments below, announce your intended project.

3. Promise to spend exactly one hour each day working on that project.

4. Keep your promise.

5. Once 15 days have passed, let us know if you’ve finished the project, or at least made strong headway. If you want to share the project, include a link!

I want us to prove what can be accomplished when we choose our time. It’s true that creative projects often require long periods of uninterrupted creation. But one intense hour each day can also be remarkably effective. So, whaddya say…

Are you in?

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Tagged as: create, creative writing, creativity, freelance, ideas, Thailand, time, Writing