A Creative Outlet

Our surroundings are catalogued: the day, its "feel," the weather, peoples' actions and reactions. All these things are noted. Then they all come forth later when we haul out the memories to feel what it was like to be caught in a downpour, or to witness a lightning strike. In short, our writers' minds are always in an "on" position.

Have you ever noticed that many actors paint, write or do crafts? If memory serves me right, Vanna White is an active knitter and Rosie O'Donnell takes pride in a variety of crafts. Sly Stallone is no slouch as a painter and the late Roddy McDowell was well known for his exceptional photography.

These are only a few creative people who have an outside creative interest. Why is it that already-creative people actively pursue a creative hobby?

The answer is simple: It doesn't matter who you are, or what you do for a living; you need an outlet from your day-to-day grind.
  
Many people in creative jobs are "on" for the better part of their day. That's why I say they need an outlet. I imagine you're thinking, "Surely they enjoy what they're doing?" Of course they do, otherwise they wouldn't go on with it. But what do they do when they're not on the job? Just sit and watch TV? Even that, for an actor or writer, can come under the heading of "work." It's almost impossible for actors or writers not to study what they see. I don't know if there's ever been a scientific study done on people in creative jobs and what they do to regenerate. I have seen little pieces of information here and there, usually woven into an interview or a biography. Most often the tidbit made the person less of a celebrity and more of a "girl or guy next door." As a crafter myself, the idea of sitting down at a table and sharing craft ideas with a delightful woman like Rosie O'Donnell sounds like a heck of a lot of fun!
  
As writers, we spend the majority of our existence in a writing mode. That doesn't mean we sit in front of our computers all the time, or that we're constantly writing in notebooks. What it does mean is that even if we only have lunch with friends, our subconscious minds are making notes of things that are said, done and experienced. Our surroundings are catalogued: the day, its "feel," the weather, peoples' actions and reactions. All these things are noted. Then they all come forth later when we haul out the memories to feel what it was like to be caught in a downpour, or to
witness a lightning strike. In short, our writers' minds are always in an "on"  position.
  
I break down the need for a creative outlet three ways:
  
1. Time spent focusing on something other than your work is physically and mentally relaxing.
  
2. One derives a great deal of satisfaction from creating something in which no one else has a say. Remember, a good many people in creative jobs work in a collaborative environment. What you read in a book or see on a TV or film screen is oftentimes the culmination of many peoples' input.
  
3. It's nice to get away from something you spend your whole day doing.
  
Recently I finished two-and-a-half frantic months of deadlines. I managed to keep up with my day-to-day activities (house-cleaning, finances, etc), but otherwise every minute of my time was swallowed up in adapting a book into a script.
  
The night the project was completed I sat down to relax. With all the anticipation of a hungry man for a delicious feast, I decided to work on some cross-stitch. I'd designed a project after a trip to Wales last summer, and hadn't touched it in almost four months. It was a picture of the Welsh countryside; complete with stone walls and little sheep in the fields, all surrounded by a Celtic border. As the needle slipped in and out of the linen, my inner self picked up the steady  rhythm of the movement. My breathing slowed, my mind stopped going over editorial changes and the fact that I felt I needed another proofread. I started to remember the lush Welsh land and the wonderful people I'd met. And, as I remembered, I relaxed.
  
It wasn't long before I was entertaining the idea of picking up my paintbrushes and working on a miniature. You see, I have more than one creative outlet. My smaller cross-stitch pieces I can take with me anywhere. I can stash them in the corner of my office, or tuck them in the bottom of my carry-on luggage, ready to remove me from where I am and let me focus on something else. I reserve painting for home.
  
If you're thinking, "I don't want to embroider or paint," that's fine. Don't do any of the things I've talked about. Find what YOU like to do. Whether it's gardening, or creating the perfect Cajun Roux, just know that a creative outlet is something that gets you away from your all-consuming work and allows you the chance to say, "This is mine, all mine."
  
My husband, an actor, skis. A day on the slopes empties his mind of characters, lines and directors' notes. For him, skiing is creative in that it allows him a freedom he doesn't always get in his work.
  
A musician-writer friend excels at chess and is a master swordsman. A web-designer I know enjoys writing poetry, just for himself. An actress in town delights in combing through vintage shops and garage sales for unique clothing, often using them in stage-shows she's in. And an old employer of mine, a financial advisor, takes great delight in photographing flowers he's found while pursuing his other favorite away-from-the-office outlet: studying the geology of the Pacific Northwest mountain ranges.
  
Creativity, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Find something you like to do other than what you do for a living, and do it! If at all possible, make time for it every day, and if that's not possible, use it as your reward for a job well done. When you focus on something else, you'll find that when you return to your work, you have a new perspective. And who knows -- as a writer, you just might get an article out of it!
  
-- SJ
©2000 Sable Jak