Have you ever seen a dog start chasing their tail? It’s pretty funny, right? Dogs don’t do this for your entertainment, though. When Fido doesn’t have an outlet for his energy he does stuff like that. Sometimes he’ll find other less entertaining ways to let out his energy like eating your prized Gucci handbag, taste-testing your car keys, or cleaning out your pantry for you.
I’m sort of like an over-energized pooch. Sometimes I wake up with the urge to chase my tail, to let out a huge burst of creative energy. Sometimes I’m able to do this, other times the circumstances aren’t conducive to giving me the space I need to figuratively run in place. Luckily I don’t chew up my wife’s handbags when I can’t let out my energy. I might not be writing this if I did.
My life is sort of like that of a puppy. Too much creative energy and not enough outlets. If I don’t provide myself with adequate access to avenues to get rid of my energy then ‘bad’ things happen. This is what I call the ‘creative curse’. And by bad things I simply mean I get sad and pouty. Yes, like a two year old.
If you can recall for a moment the last time you blew up a balloon. OK, good. Have you ever played the game to see how large you could blow it up before it pops? I do it every day.
The balloon is my reservoir of creative energy. It keeps getting filled until it either bursts and scares everyone around me or the pressure is released by letting that energy be channeled into something fulfilling.
I have to say that photography is a greatly rewarding creative outlet that fulfills me on a very deep level. Whether it be landscapes, portraits, or candid, I still get something out of it. I seek out those opportunities to take my view of the world and capture it for others to experience and hopefully enjoy.
Chances are that you have someone in your life who is in the same boat. It may not be the same result but they surely have an outlet that they prefer and it may or may not be appreciated at this point. Make sure you take note and learn to recognize and appreciate it.
Thank you for being a willing participant while I chase my tail and let the pressure out of my ever-expanding balloon.