Sometimes it's hard coming in here and not having an agenda. I look at the screen for a little bit, thinking “what should I write?” Then I remind myself, that it's not so much what I should write, but more about writing. Just start. I think I've mentioned my thrill of spontaneous creativity in the past, so I won't go into too much detail about that here. Whatever the first thing I think of is the start. I have faith that it will usually take me somewhere I want, or need, to go, whether I know where that is or not. A couple of my most recent posts, I thought I actually knew what I was going to write, but then as I got into it, they took on a shape of their own, and I ended up cramming my idea into the last paragraph. There was a time or two when I considered going back and expounding on what I was actually going to say. But then I thought “Hey, if it can be handled in one paragraph, why not leave it that way?” Plus, it's not like I have the feeling of something left undone. I don't even remember what it is I feel didn't get explained enough. It would seem silly to have to go back and try to find something to expand on. And, as much as I appreciate doing this, and having these, there's nothing going to be missing from my life, or yours, if they are left as is. We can probably also safely assume that you don't really care, since you don't know any better anyway, and may have had no issue with the condensed version of the story. However, I suppose any creative person understands wondering whether or not you did the idea justice.
I know there's often a lot of talk about “right” and “wrong,” and I try to stay away from those thoughts. I like to think I'm transitioning to “helpful” or “not helpful.” It's a little tough, trying to re-train your thought patterns after a life of developing them. But as you get older, and can start to see the outcomes of “right” or “wrong” speech, it becomes apparent that the change needs made. Well, at least to some of us. I find it especially important in creative situations. When you're developing a new idea from scratch, it's not really possible to know if a thing is “good” or “bad,” “right” or “wrong,” right away. Sometimes you may never even get started if you're overly concerned with doing it correctly. That seems to be a major theme in a lot of peoples lives, but alas, that is probably a better topic for a different day. See, even right there! I know I use that phrase a lot. Often thinking of different topics for different days. There's no way I can remember all of the times I've said that! There's no way I can remember all of the topics I was going to get to when it was a better, or more appropriate, time. I obviously can't take the time to expound on every idea I think deserves expansion, at the time I'm discovering the idea! I would really never get anything done. So then is it so “bad” if I go back through some of my writing to see what I thought would have been topics for the future? Is that different from re-reading my last few posts to see if I didn't explain every thing exactly the way I thought I should?
I think it is different. I once heard that Da Vinci said “No artwork is ever finished, only abandoned.” That is different than seeking new topics. Things need a finish point. We could nitpick things to death. Especially creative people. The best we can hope for is getting it to the point that it's okay for human exposure. It's funny that came up. My band now has put out 4 albums, coming up on 5. And we were probably most pleased with the sound of the most recent one. Which, I guess, is kind of the way it should be right? No one wants to be getting worse. Well maybe they do, but that's a different topic for a different day. I don't know any of those people. Well, maybe one, but, never mind. Another day. My point here is that after recording our 4th album, my bandmates, only kind of jokingly, said that they wish we could re-record our other albums. I knew what they meant. Plus our first 2 albums, we didn't have our keys and horn guy yet, so they would sound totally awesome with the new arrangements! But, that was then. I often look at things like little snapshots. What were we doing then? How were we doing it then? I think that helps make a better now. Especially if you're progressing! And we are. I've been thinking a lot about it recently getting our Jams CDs together. I get to turn over 5 tonight, with only 2 more to go! That is progress. So I've been listening to a lot of our older stuff. And I can honestly say that we are getting a lot better. But so is my sound editing. I have to resist the urge to go back and re-master all the other Jams CDs so they can sound as good as they can. But is that realistic? Is that really helpful? Is that beating a dead horse? I guess I won't know until I get all caught up, and bored.
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