Balancing Creative Energy and Real-World Expectations

As I stated in a previous blog, being a creative has been both rewarding and draining at the same time. I found myself walking the delicate tightrope of work-life balance many freelancers face every day. My “average Joe” and creative selves went back-and-forth like two small children for my time and attention.  This has made for an interesting test for my creative journey.

This week has been interesting as I found my creative outlets being sacrificed for extra money and long work hours. My usual writing time was co-opted so my rent and bills could be paid. While the idea of earning more money was great at the moment, I was disgusted with myself for having to put my screenwriting (and creativity period!) on hold for a paycheck. The ideas I contemplated and pondered over seemed to fade away the more customers I entertained at my job. I fought work fatigue and energy-drained laziness to feed my creativity by conjuring up some words on the computer screen. But it wasn’t the same as before as the words lacked my usual meaning and thoughtfulness. I wanted to write so bad, but my unfocused mind just couldn’t come together to create a coherent story (or even a sentence). I decided to let my mind rest from the writing life as I poured myself into other outlets (still lacking the same energy tho). Hopefully, this won’t be the beginning of a downturn in my creative output.

The creative hopping of last week gave way to a lull. I was barely able to finish the creative piece I started last week (shame on me). My social media and online presence continued to grow as my creative footprint gained even more attention.

As my summer morphs into fall (thank God), I look forward to unveiling my progress this quarter. I already have some ideas floating around my head for my creative future. I have to admit for the first time in a while I’m in a great space creatively!

Come back next week for more on my journey to creating my Master’s thesis.

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Letting the Work Breathe

Being a creative has been both rewarding and draining at the same time. As a multi-faceted individual, I found myself getting bored doing the same task day after day. As a writer, I have my feet in two camps: the traditional “writing every day is the only way to perfect your craft” mindset and the modern “constantly thinking about writing is just as good as doing it” attitude.  Storytelling has been one of my creative loves, but it has been daunting from time to time.

After spending two months trying to squeeze out my first act, I needed a break from my screenplay. As I mentioned before, working on my first act had been a struggle for me as I worked backward to create this well-rounded setup for my established second act.  From the moment spring quarter ended, I had set my sight on fleshing out my work for thesis in the Fall. I struggled to push myself as a screenwriter while I constantly went back and forth over the decisions I was making as a writer. As a Black man trying to write a musical dramedy centered around a group of Black women, I questioned whether I was the right vessel for this work. I wanted female characters that were nuanced, well-rounded, relatable, and realistic in relaying an important message in a world of #MeToo and #TimesUp. It was mentally taxing on me both as a writer and a person. I was striving for perfection but draining my creative tank at the same time. Writing the last words of act one was both satisfying and tiring as I let go of my work. It needed to breathe. I needed to breathe. The break has allowed me to think of new ways to approach my screenplay when it comes to my revisions and rewrites.

While on my thesis break, I decided to focus on a previous short story I had written as well as some personal and client-based visual work. Not focusing on my screenplay allowed my creative tank to refill in a serious way. As I mentioned last week, Getting critiques from other writing students and some writer friends has become the next step. I’ve looked forward to the input from my professors and other writers in the Fall. My thesis journey will have its ups and downs as I strive to create my calling card as an aspiring writer.

Come back next week for more on my journey to creating my Master’s thesis.

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Working the Setup

The key to any decent screenplay is creating a good setup in the first act. As an aspiring screenwriter, the first act is my way of setting up tone, relationships, and plot so that everything comes to a head in the second act. All the drama and conflict is planted in the first act. But this is exceptionally hard since a good portion of my second act was already in motion.

In a previous post, I alluded to the fact that working backward can be a little hard especially when trying to make a smooth transition from the first to the second. The past month or so has been an exercise in world building and character development. It has been a struggle to push myself as a screenwriter to create something different while thinking about my various influences. Added stress comes from the fact that I’m a Black man trying to write a musical dramedy centered around a group of Black women. I want to be nuanced and well-rounded while still being relatable and realistic to the story I’m trying to tell. I’ve written for female characters before, but this seems to weight heavier as I craft this piece with full awareness. I want to a female-centric screenplay where males are secondary to the main story. In crafting this screenplay, researching the issue of Black women in the music industry and watching a variety of biopics and musicals have helped me to flesh out the story. Hopefully, getting some more input from women of color and musicians will smooth out my screenplay once I get into my second act.

Having finished my first act this week, I’m going to let it sit for a bit before I end up doing revisions. My next step is to get a critique from my fellow Scaddies and some writer friends before Fall quarter begins. By getting a head start on my thesis, my independent study will be more fruitful as I look forward to the input from my professors and other writers as I inch closer to finishing my Master’s degree. My thesis journey is more about creating something tangible and realistic than working on a writing assignment.

Come back next week for more on my journey to creating my Master’s thesis.

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