The Need to Get This Done!

At some point the question of why one creatives comes up. Always. People who don’t see themselves as creative are fascinated by those who are. I think everyone would like to be creative, and personally, I think everyone can be; it’s the doing, the taking the first steps, the apprenticeship, if you will, that tends to dissuade them. That and failure to live up to a self-inflicted desire for a kind of laudatory final product.

There ought to be joy in the journey. Right?

This is further complicated by those who get things done, which isn’t necessarily a knock on those that don’t or procrastinate or take forever to finish something for any number of reasons, but it tends to be intimidating to those struggling to get where they want to go.

And those who are productive will have any number of reasons why- the Internet is a font for how to: be it organization, routine, functionality, drive, etc.

For me, it’s a compulsion: I have to get this done because… I won’t be around forever.

And yes, I recognize how that sounds. But, in truth, it’s the driving force that gets me moving, keeps me focused, and keeps me from blowing the whole day watching all of season 2 of The Twilight Zone.

I need to get this done.

This does not mean I forsake quality for productivity. I still take the time to make sure that what I’m working on, be it a book or album (shameless plug: you can hear my music at mrprimitivemusic), is up to my demanding standards. It’s the “This is stuck in my head and it needs to get out” conundrum.

Once I get an idea for a song or a story, I feel compelled to complete it. Having it in my head does no good if I’d like to share it or if I feel the need to have it out there so in some indeterminate future, family, friends, or the masses will be able to see or hear for themselves if it’s any good.

And as I’ve said, it’s not a matter of quantity. Many writers spend years working on a book, but they still strive to finish it, to have it done. It is, after all, what we are remembered for at the end of the day.

Hopefully.

©2019 David William Pearce