Just realized it's been three days since my last digital "confession" and had to set aside some time to create something here on Hive (which is my first home). I'd fallen behind on the other platform that I write for, but it's good to have another outlet for my (at times) overflowing creativity.
The Creative Process
Interacting with other creatives here on Hive got me to thinking about the creative process itself and just why it is that I receive such joy whenever I engage in it.
I think a lot of it is due to the fact that I get to put my stamp on everything that I write. Even now, I have a title for this called 'Working Title' that will surely go through several changes before the final one at the end (In fact, I may just use "Working Title" as the name of this post, as it really illuminates some of the ideas I'm trying to express).
I love the iterative process where things such as titles and headings, word flow and graphics, all enter a period of steady transformation, often emerging very differently than they began. I love to brainstorm, and it isn't unusual for me to generate a dozen potential titles, sometimes combining elements of several before tweaking it to perfection.
The graphic here that I made in Canva looks simple, but had to be tweaked and included a number of changes in fonts, formatting, and a mountain of tiny optimizations in order to reach the final result. It took about an hour, but I was happy with the design in the end.
Everything has to read just right and be juuust so before I can say I'm happy with it. And even then, I sometimes have to stop myself and say "that's it" and prepare to publish.
This creative garden that I'm tilling is something that the mimics, copyists and plagiarists here on Hive cheat themselves out of in the race for illicit support and unearned token generation. They're losing out on the personal growth that comes with trying to solve interesting textual puzzles which have the bonus effect of sharpening the mind.
It reminds me of the First Nations people who take a piece of whalebone and carve into a bespoke piece of art to be handed down for generations. The right kind of effort put into anything, can imbue one with a sense of pride not only once it's completed, but throughout the creative process itself.
Then comes that eureka! moment where you hit it and you just know it.
Don't Worry If Your Writing Sucks Absolute Ass At The Start, Just Keep Going
While you may see the nice little tidied-up product at the end, trust me, all of my posts start out as a steaming pile of horseshit at the start. These digital turds come out one by one, and I have to stitch them together into hopefully, something coherent.
Those early paragraphs can leave me saying: "What the fuck is that bullcrap?" But you know what? You have to treat them as if you're adding flesh to a skeleton. Bit by bit, and don't you dare fucking give up either.
Keep at it and take breaks if necessary in order to come back inspired, and don't you EVER steal anybody else's work. After all, they worked hard shaping their own steaming pile of horseshit into something wonderful. So roll your own! :)
Sometimes nothing comes to me, zero, zilch, nada. When that happens i stop binge-watching Jeffree Star Mr. Beast videos and take my lard ass out for a walk. Recorder in hand, I step through the park and record any interesting thoughts that enter my brainstem.
At times, they develop into almost mini-conversations I have with myself, and I must look bonkers to anyone nearby. But that shit works, and I can come back with enough content to fill a blog post. So give it a try.
Oh and don't you worry @meesterboom, I won't tell anyone about your Jeffree Star obsession (wink, wink). LOL!
Starting With The Germ Of An Idea
I was reading about how my favorite band, The Beatles, would do take after take, until they got a song just right. It was interesting to watch the creation of the tune 'Something' and see it take shape from start to finish. George Harrison sang a number of takes before selecting the final one.
Watching Paul McCartney slowly give birth to 'Get Back' is yet another example of how we as bloggers build our posts layer by layer until we reach the finished product.
Even writing this post had me starting out with nothing but an idea, and then laying that first line down word by word. It was a process that was at times both halting and free-flowing, the words coming in either a trickle or a literary torrent.
And that's what I love about Hive. It combines both writing and crypto, two things that I love and are essential to me which keep me coming back for more! What keeps you coming back to Hive?
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Image Credit: [1] @EverNoticeThat Created using Canva.