Writer's Block
onMay 15th, 2024
For some bizarre reason I have been unable to finish a single long-form post for weeks. It's not for lack of trying, as time is consistently set aside to pick up the pen and put words on paper, but the words that spill forth are incomplete and jumbled. It's as though there are warring ideas that are competing for the pen's attention, resulting in a loss of focus after just two or three paragraphs. Looking back at the half-finished articles, I wonder what it is that's causing this creative malaise.
Over the past six weeks, Ayumi and I have travelled more than five thousand kilometres. I've recorded several terabytes of video and taken thousands of pictures. Many of these have been turned into YouTube videos or shared on social platforms. Working with this visual medium is interesting and exciting. It reminds me of how I used to approach writing twenty years ago when blogging communities were being formed around shared hobbies and passions.
Having this new outlet has been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because creativity is how the soul expresses itself. A curse because I don't do things in half-measures. Every evening, after stepping away from the computer and settling down for the night, I am busy studying how to make better videos, how to take better photos, how to see the unique in the everyday. When Ayumi and I go out, I am trying the techniques to see what works and what doesn't. The rule of thirds. The balance of light and shade. The focal length. The frame rate. The exposure time. The clarity of the subject despite motion ....
There's a lot more that goes into using a camera than one might think. What I hope to do in the near future is learn how to capture really beautiful photos; the sort that makes a person stop and smile for just a brief second before continuing on in their day. There is no financial goal associated with this. I simply want to take nice pictures. Given how many people walk around with cameras – and given how people generate images with AI – I would be a fool to think I could earn anything by taking photos. Even my efforts on YouTube are largely ignored given the lack of "pop" the videos have.
And maybe this is why I struggle with writing. I am thinking too much about creating with a different medium. One that is based on colourful images and sound rather than monochromatic characters on a page.
Perhaps I've just grown weary of words.
Perhaps I'm just boring ... even to myself.
Fortunately there are other outlets that I can make use of while struggling with the drought of long-form articles that used to go out to the world on a regular basis. There is still a lot that I would like to write about and ideas that I would like to explore, but I do not want to force the words. Nothing good comes from compulsion. Creation is a form of play that is invitational at its core. As soon as there is any type of force, the fun goes away and the end result is not worth sharing.