eddiechristy.com

you can’t force it

The ebb and flow of my creativity is rather frustrating at times.  I continue to be unfocused on things I wish I made more of a priority and focus on the things that bring me the most frustration.  The frustration is more than enough to make want to quit those things, but the hope that something greatly positive will result keeps me involved.  My greatest regret is not being focused on those creative things my heart desires earlier in life.

I haven’t painted or sketched in months.  I haven’t focused near as much on my home and garden as I have in summers past.  My photo studio is currently a storage unit pending the rehab of a once flooded basement.  My writing has all but become a distant memory.

I have, however, finished two new songs with the help of an accomplished writer. That felt good.  It’s a shame I don’t have a well suited creative partner in each of my endeavors.  I think I’d be very, very productive.

Someone with negative intent asked me on a community forum “What is it exactly that you do?” as to imply that I’m an unsuccessful jack-of-all-trades and that I was an unproductive member of society.  It’s funny how society has changed in that light.  Not that I claim to be a Renaissance man, but what happened to acceptance of a man who was interested in and excelled in many areas?  At what point in our history did it become necessary for me to get a 9-5 in order to be respected?  That’s another topic altogether, but it certainly adds to the frustration of unreliable inspiration.

Hopefully the coming months will yield great productivity in art, business, and life in general.

actions & words

I’ve been a volunteer of different capacities my entire adult life.  I love to give my time, talents, strength, and insight to help make a difference.  Volunteerism is fun and not-so-fun all at the same time.  There are days when you feel greatly rewarded and days when you wonder why in the hell you’re still doing this.

It bothers me when people do good deeds and feel the need to tell everyone.  Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s awesome to feel good about doing something positive, but blabbing to the whole world how you’re such a great person kinda negates your good works.

Lately, I’ve been irritated by the folks who decide to brag about their people group.  “Women getting it done!” “Black people making change!” “Latinos uniting!”  While I understand each of those groups have gone through hardships in decades past, does that really have anything to do with you currently doing something positive?  Would you be offended if I did a good deed and then said something like “White men make good things happen!” or some other general statement?

It probably sounds like I’m harping about nothing, but it’s frustrating to see things like that on local, state, and national levels.  I don’t brag to the public about how awesome white dudes are when I do a good deed for someone.  I just do it and go home satisfied.  Shouldn’t that be enough?