Jumping Between Creative Focuses

For about the past year I’ve spent a fair amount of intentional time working on a “long term writing project.” And just to be clear it is still far from done. It is completely unlike anything I have and do write here for Time and Light Switches. It often takes some adjusting when I have to switch between the project and writing here for the blog. It is a different enough mental process that I find it extremely difficult to jump between the two writing styles. 

This other witting project is very near and dear to my heart and is also still in its early stages of the process. As an artist there are some projects that I play close to the chest, so to speak. It is still in the planning/ constructing stage of creation so I don’t want to share too much. To give you a bit of a hint though the project is all story focused and it is a story I want desperately to do justice. 

Here, on Time and Light Switches, I’m talking to you the reader about any number of very real and emotional things, most recently being the creative process. While this other project is very different in that it is completely story driven and fictitious. So while both “projects” are writing they’re completely different styles and therefore processes. Hilariously I even have a process for switching processes. 

I almost alway listen to music while I write. When I writing for my blog I can listen to just about anything, so long as I’m enjoying it. But with the story project the music has to fit the very specific vibe or atmosphere of said story. Naturally that means if I’m writing then I’m singing. My mom told me she knew I was writing because she could hear me singing and I hadn’t quite consciously been aware of that part of my process till she pointed it out. At first I was embarrassed because I wouldn’t say I’m a particular good singer, but I suppose my voice is good enough for singing lullabies.  

Another part of my writing process, or quirks, is that if I’m not singing I talking to myself or reading my writing back to myself. I am a visual learner and just a visual person overall, stuff like body language means a great deal to me because it is what I can see and therefore where much of my focus is. So saying all that I think in all pictures, shapes and, colours, so when I’m speaking or writing I essentially have to translate all the pictures in my head into words. It sounds kinda silly when I explain it, but hey whatcha gonna do. So reading back to myself helps me to better understand if I’ve got the right words, or just got them in the right order. It also helps me catch all my typos. 

Another quirk for me in my creative process is that sometimes switching between painting and writing can be difficult. I believe they work different parts of my brain and therefore require some adjusting. I’m not one far change so simply changing where my brain is pointed is probably more difficult for me than most. I’d say I’m pretty self aware so I’ve learned to work with and around all my quirks. It just takes grace and patience. 

I have to have grace and patience for myself in the midst of switching creative focuses from day to day. And the more aware and accepting I become of who I am and how I function the easier it become to have patience and grace. I’m learning to give myself those extra minutes or half hours to get my brain focused on what I’m working on that day. It had made a world of a difference in how I approach writing here for the blog after spending three straight days of thinking of nothing else but my story project. A world of a difference. 

So here’s my lesson for the day, or week, have patience, its okay and normal to need a few minutes to refocus and recenter. Don’t worry about your process looking silly, as long as it works for you that’s all that matters. 

I hope you have fun creating this week, and be blessed!