Creativity Crossfit

I've heard it said that having a "proper" job can be useful for writing. Nathan Bransford and John Green have both expressed how much they prefer having a job on top of writing and it's not difficult to see why. You get a schedule, you talk to real live people, and, despite how we all feel about it, it really is healthier to put on pants every now and again.

I think there's something else to this story, though, and that something else is Diversification.

I've recently reached out my sprawling fingers to dip into other projects. I've had a list going for who-knows-how-long of other creative things to do, but I've been afraid that if I did these other things my energy would be spent, wasted on projects that weren't as important as my novel.

Oh, how wrong I was!

I've since taken the plunge and started a YouTube channel. Not only is it helping me diversify my writing, but I'm also using another creative outlet. Instead of taking away my energy, I've found myself more and more motivated to write. There's a dynamic tension for me between working in one field, and then working in another. They inform one another. As I consider what to say in the videos, I'm considering what I want to convey in my writing. Editing the videos has given my left-brain a bit of purpose beyond language alone and considering the visual lets me practice seeing beyond a picture and into what it means. And that's only one project - I've got others on the way.

This YouTube business is also giving me a chance to work on a schedule. Every Friday is a video day, so I have to work around the deadline, which makes my writing time all the more precious. As far as having people to talk to? That's what weekly writing group is for.

It's like crossfit for my creating muscles! Keeping the brain guessing, and therefore, keeping it constantly moving.

Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with all of that mental energy when it's time to sleep...