Our opportunities to consume grow every day. There’s stuff – things we spend money on. Clothes, household goods, food and drink, cars… There are experiences, like travel, restaurants, massages. Then there’s media. Music, movies, TV shows, videos, Instagram, TikTok, etc. Hey, even books! Not to mention many varieties of substances, legal and illegal.
With all this, it gets easier all the time to make the choice to consume… instead of to create. Creating is work; mental labor, at least. It requires energy and focus. You’ve got to give to get.
Some music, books, films do require a real commitment for comprehension, real mental energy, but much of what we take in doesn’t require giving a whole lot. Our ears or eyeballs, maybe, and some minimal attention. If I’m in the mood to check out, I’m coaxed to do so from every direction.
Alternately, there are the rewards of creating, producing. Often not as immediate, quite often frustrating, but still… it’s satisfying to create something that does more than get me through the next hour or two.
For me the battle is between checking in (produce, create)… and checking out (consume someone else’s creation). This conflict goes on with some regularity. (Of course it’s essential to be thrilled and inspired by the great work of others… but not at the expense of neglecting my own efforts).
I remember realizing many years ago that I wanted to be a creator far more than I wanted to be a consumer. But just because I knew what I wanted didn’t make it easy to follow through.
My days have been a struggle between, on one hand, the forces of inertia leading to entropy and, on the other, the drive to create, to make something of my emotions and inner life as well as what I see around me.
Which side comes out ahead?
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Reminiscent of the Kabbalistic notion of the two forces in the world of mekabel (consuming, receiving, taking), and mashpia (exuding, giving, producing).
The thing is, we need to do at least some consuming in order to be able to produce (we need to eat and drink, burn fuel to stay warm, cook, take in and observe what’s around us culturally in order to produce meaningful artistic work, etc…)…….The trick is finding just the right balance. Lifelong challenge.
Great point, Susan!
For me it depends on where I am in the cycle of creating: am I casting around for new ideas, am I developing ideas that I’m already excited about, am I arranging/recording them or doing detail work? My situation is complicated by not having a permanent setup, having to get the gear out and assemble it and strike it at the end, which doesn’t help with motivation! Also I’m a parent which is another hurdle.
But I chip away. For me it’s about patience, discipline, building momentum and believing in the process based on experience. I still consume, read, listen, watch, but am careful to never let the candle go out. I’m currently on a roll, the latest album of songs is closer to the end than the beginning, but there’s still a lot to do. And more songs will undoubtedly appear along the way, which may force their way on, and others off. More work. But I love it.
Patience. Discipline. Chip away when I can. Keep imagining the day when I listen to the completed version for the first time (I’ll be sick of it by then!). Keep that momentum going. Works for me. Sort of!
Peter,
You said it well. ‘Chip away’ is also the phrase I use for my process.
Thanks!
Best wishes,
Tony