Dear World

Please Kill Me,

Well, the weekend’s finally here. Again. For the last time. This week. Until the next one. Ha, ha, wasted so many seconds of your time just now. “Ahh, Antwan. You’re such a  card.”

Okay, enough of that. As you can tell the name calling muses have abandoned me. I shall be experimenting with new ways to annoyingly welcome you.

What you’ve just read is a prime example of what I would like to discuss today. Being –Adrift. We all understand writer’s block, right? Hell; we’ve all had it. Conversely, I assume that we’ve all also had those amazing days – where brilliance strikes and the stream of inspiration seems unending. Adrift is that.

For those who haven’t been keeping up, I’m preparing to release a novel –Becoming Utopia- as well as working on several side projects (short stories, poetry and the like ) until the inspiration monkey jumps on my back and starts beating me senseless. (Preferably with a banana. I don’t know, it somehow seems less painful.)

The problem (that I’m finding) with being adrift, as freeing (and awesome) as it can be at times – is its’ ability to keep you detoured. Sure, working carelessly and ineffectually -may allow you to create to your hearts content. But bouncing from project to project without direction, no matter what’s created -is likely going to produce something incohesive and unintelligible to mortal eyes.

The danger here I suppose is not so much being adrift, but being adrift without direction. A cruel fate for creatives is having the ability to be an alchemist, without knowing what to create. Believe it or not, there is always a time limit on this form of alchemy.

That is why it’s important to know when you are adrift – so that you may turn that into Stride. Don’t get me wrong -being adrift is fun. At times, it can even be healthy (if your mind seems cluttered and/or fogged).

However, it’s imperative that we recognize the difference between a Mental Leave of Absence and a Mental Vacation.

Once you’ve given yourself the appropriate amount of time “floating like a butterfly” it’s time to “Sting like a bee” #MuhammedAli. Find a focus. Go to your notebook. Open old files. Start a blog (if you already have one, this is less of a problem for you ). Having a constant focus is the perfect way to reawaken your mind and give you the clarity that you need to dedicate yourself to (and complete) a project.

This is not to say that whatever you find and subsequently choose to run with , must be your end all/be all. As a matter of fact, the less you care, the better. Feel free to abandon it, once something that you’re passionate about comes around (#WhyI’mSingle). Remember that this exercise is about focus, structure, and productivity.

Once you’ve found a route to take, it shouldn’t be long until something truly grabs your attention, allowing you to alchemize , and create with direction and purpose. In doing so you will have effectively entered your stride. And that’s a wonderful place to be.

Fear Me- For I am the Alchemist,

-Antwan Crump.