Charles R. Thompson, Upstate SC Artist

So it’s been awhile since I posted anything… well anything other than utter nonsense on Facebook. In artistic terms I’ve been rather stagnant lately. Being creative is something I am extremely grateful for, but there are limits. I’ve encountered that all-too-familiar-to-fellow-artists phenomenon known as complete and total catharsis.

A week or so ago I stayed up late watching Awakenings (probably for the 15th time in my life)  and it recently dawned on me that (at least in my case) creativity isn’t much unlike the struggles of the characters of the film. They sit there… minds intact… but cannot seem to budge. Of course after much deliberation, poking and prodding, there is an answer to get them moving again. Not so easy in this case.

Lately the struggle has been one of too many crossroads and not enough housecleaning. It’s not uncommon to have quite a few different creative ideas a day. Lately it’s just been a matter of a dozen or more a day… the kind that ’stick’ and eventually pile up only to clutter the works.  Start one… the others fall behind. Choose the wrong one and frustration ensues. Are the big ideas too much to take on?  The simple answer usually wins…

do nothing and nobody gets hurt.

Try anything.

Meditation, working out, pull weeds, fold the clothes… nothing but little distractions keeping the little gremlins at bay.