October 28, 2015

Drought

Creative, that is.

For the last few years, despite an unprecendented environmental drought in the region, my photographic work here in Zion has enjoyed a vernal-like productivity.

Not this year.

Even writing, something the landscape routinely inspires me to, is a challenge.

I know I'm not supposed to question this. Creative droughts happen. Productivity is not assured. All you can do is do the work. Maybe offer up a few prayers. Anything else is just mental machinations disruptive to the sacred relationship between artist and muse.

Ha! If only it were that simple. My nature is ruled by a need to understand, to make sense of things. In my artistic pursuit, I strive to convey the depth of my understanding, visually, as photographs. That, I believe, is one of the primary jobs I'm here to do on this planet.

So, yeah, you could say all this has me a bit flummoxed.

I have a life coach, Jess Klein, a talented singer/songwriter based in Austin, Texas. We talk via Skype every couple weeks. She suggested I read a book, The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield. In it, he coins the principle enemy of creative productivity, Resistance. Resistance is essentially your egoisitc self, operating from a pleasure-based, fear-avoidance, materialistic foundation. Resistance is comfort, complacency, contrition. In an evolutionary sense, it's the staus-quo. Everything is fine just the way it is. There's no reason to pursue a higher calling, to realize your own unique individual potential. It's herd mentality (the Sheeple). Survive. Don't die.

Personified, Resistance is a tricky devil. You may not even recognize it. It comes at you from all directions, manifested in fear, procrastination, avoidance, distraction, even self-destructive behavior. In short, those often glamourized behaviors we love to associate with the "struggling" artist.

But, the struggle is real, Pressfield argues. The key to overcoming it? Awareness. That may seem a tad bit obvious. Still, I have to agree with Pressfield, the deeper you're embedded in resisting Resistance, the subtler, more cunning it seems to become.

So, I'm taking an inventory check. Is Resistance now at play in new ways I'm not aware of? My gut says "yes". Now, the challenge is to figure out how. All while still doing the work I'm here to do.

So, this post is my first official step.

Fair warning, Resistance, I'm coming for you.