Turning the Daydreamer into the Day-doer
Zoning out has always been my favorite pastime. Drives in the car are just more enjoyable with the Beach Boys blaring on a cool August evening, with my left hand cutting through the air out the window. Though the atmosphere is relaxing, the real reason I find these trips fantastic is because of where my brain travels during them.
I am in another world, disconnected but not unfamiliar to our own. I am in a world that has yet to be explored, one brimming with possibilities and lands unnamed. It is a world full of inspiration, as knights gather around for feasts, agents escape an exploding bomb, and superheroes face their daunting villains at the ultimate climax. At that moment I am content dreaming about stories, making the rules up as I go along. Instead of worrying about jobs, relationships, and the future at hand. The creative child that lives in my mind takes the wheel and praises me for letting them do so. Only, this sensation does not last, and as soon as the keys retreat from the ignition, reality comes back and smacks me with a sledgehammer.
“Quit wasting time and get back to working a real job!”
“None of these stories are going anywhere!”
“Nobody wants to hear what you have to say anyway!”
You may want to argue that these dreams, visions, and “zoning out’ moments are a waste of time. Part of me wants to agree with that, specifically, the usual driving self-critic in me wants to validate that, prove that, and shame anyone for even daring to think outside their box.
But recently I have decided to make a change for myself. These daydreams are not a waste of time, and that is a conclusion I reached only after allowing myself to be the self that I naturally am. Living without filters, embracing fleeting thoughts, and accepting that it is amazing to envision a world separate from our own- a world of fiction. In other words, I let the creative child drive my brain just a little longer, even with the car in park. The results, you may imagine, were shocking and more fulfilling than anything I have ever done.
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way is a perfect book to aid in the healing process of any creative mind. Whether you write, film, direct, act, or want to practice any other form of expression, Cameron’s book will be the hand you hold as you embark on reestablishing your creative self. Because you are re-establishing it. The creative child, as she calls it, has always been with you. Any idea you have that breaks the norm or tells a narrative that nobody has heard or seen before.
“You know what they should make a movie about?”
“I wish I could write a screenplay.”
“I had this dream…”
We like to quickly dismiss those thoughts because we believe them to be unoriginal. That somebody has probably already done it, written it, filmed it. And that may be true, many ideas we have been inspired by other forms of media. But nobody has done it as you can. Only you can bring your vision to life, put pen on paper, throw yourself in front of a camera, or take a snapshot of that landscape. People may have done it hundreds of thousands of times. Not every story has been told, and every person has a different way of telling it. The obstacle at hand is not whether the story or vision is original, it is about defeating that self-critic of yours and letting the creative child reign free. As the great Shia LaBeouf once said,
“Don’t let your dreams be dreams!”
My favorite spot to dream is bayside, especially on stormy days like these.
I am not telling you to quit your day job and prance into the sunset. Understanding that we have daily obligations is important, but setting time aside to experiment with your creative side is equally if not more prominent. Especially if you are looking to transition that passion into a career.
So, what do you do?
Cameron detailed the practice of writing morning pages, unfiltered thoughts that just get onto paper and allow for you to let the child play. I personally do this every day, waking up before everyone else to type out the first things that come to mind. The crucial element of this exercise is to just keep going. Do not think about the quality of what you are writing. Do not judge if it is your best work. Do not even go back to fix spelling or grammar. Just keep going and do not look back. This writing is not for anyone but yourself, so just be true and honest. Most times these pieces will be uncollected thoughts, fragments of your mind just dancing around the page. You may even write about how you do not feel creative that day. Still, write it down and try to aim to finish 1-3 pages every morning. I highly recommend you read more of The Artist’s Way as it is a true healing, almost therapeutic reading experience that will give you the permission to be your natural creative self.
This blog post is holding me accountable as well. For weeks now I have been staring at the empty blog section of my website, wondering if I even have anything of note to say or if anyone would want to read through it. But dreaming every day, as enjoyable as those car rides are, does not bring my ideas into reality. I must will them into existence. So rather than staring at the blank page, dreaming about what it could be, I have finally decided to let my creative child go wild. It may sound unrefined and amateur. It may be unprofessional and unorganized. I will write on nonetheless, because, as all artists should believe in themselves, I will be damned if I let these dreams be non-existent any longer.
So, you will be hearing more from me soon.
- JW
