Saturday, April 26, 2014

The Shower and The Bug

So there's that moment when your in the shower, spacing out, maybe preparing for the long day ahead of you or washing off the stress and grime of the day that's now behind you but either way your just relaxing and life is good. Until you look up and that's when you see it, that intruder in your home, that evil thing put on earth to make your life miserable and torture you in your sleep, the bug!
Yep it's there, making it's way slowly across the ceiling and now you have a choice. You can rush, finish your shower really quick and get out before it gets you. Or you could just slowly back up, get to the other side of the shower and hope it stays away but just as your torn little mind is struggling to make a decision you realize... water! You can drown the darned thing!
So you reach up for the handheld shower head and you start to point it at the offending little creature when you realize, that bug is outside the shower and that water will kill it but it's also going to make a huge mess and flooding your apartment? Maybe not the best idea.
By now you have the shampoo in your hair of course so you close your eyes to rinse it out but when you open them again the bug's gone! It's disappeared! Where is it? Has it gotten inside? Is it close to you now? Or did it leave? How can you know?! You whirl around and have to catch yourself before you slip and just about the time you think your safe you spot it again! It's still on the ceiling but the other side, is it getting closer?
Without realizing it your hand moves, you have to defend yourself right? And with a slightly evil grin you point the showerhead up, up and Mom!!! Could you help clean up this mess?

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Writer's Block

Here's a question for you, how do you solve the ever reoccurring problem of writer's block? It's the dread of all artists, a singer who suddenly can't sing, a painter who can't find a picture in their head, a dancer who can't seem to land the right move, and a writer who's words just refuse to come.
Well there's all different answers for this problem. Here we'll list a few that I've learned over the last several years of my writing career.

1. Keep writing-
     Sounds weird right? I mean how do you keep writing if there's no words. But that's when something like a blog comes in handy. (And no that's not why I'm posting this.) Or write a short story, even just a few sentences or a letter anything to keep words flowing onto the page until you can resume work on your project.
2. Take a break-
     Take a walk or grab a bite to eat. Do anything that will get you away from the work instead of staring at a blank screen. Sometimes just sitting there can actually make things worse since your literally driving yourself crazy and you're mind is going in circles trying to come up with something but instead just making things worse. So instead take some time to clear your head before you try to go back to work.
3. Work on something else-
     I actually do this a lot where I'll have several projects going at once and when I hit a block in one I'll switch to another. It doesn't always work and sometimes it can even make it more frustrating especially when you hit a block on all the projects and can't figure out what to do next but when it works it's a more rewarding solution.
4. Pray-
     Seriously it works!

So what's your solution? What do you use when you're having a hard time? I know I'm not the only artist out there, so come on, what's your special trick? Can't wait to read your solutions!

Liar, Lunatic or Lord

Around this time of year, in churches all around the world, people are presented with a question. The same question that has been presented ...