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<\/a><\/p>\nThat’s an Idea Wasp. While I was writing this, one of them attacked me, and this drawing happened. They’re to blame for pretty much everything I inflict upon the world — at least, they are right now. Later, I might come up with another term for the concept. <\/p>\n
If the little fuckers would stop building their nests on the ground, they might not get kicked quite so often. <\/p>\n
I can’t plan when this will happen, and I can’t really set myself up for it to happen. I haven’t discovered a ritual for that part of my process yet — it just has to happen on its own. <\/p>\n
Two ideas might meet at random [bacon and the apocalypse, or ghost hunters and certain types of clinics, death and Littlest Pet Shop], or, in the gentler version, inspiration might creep up on me and maul me. I talked about that yesterday. <\/p>\n
Then, the ritual comes in. The sounds and settings required for the magic of creativity to work.<\/p>\n
If I’m just in the idea stage, I might play a stupid, simple game — a Blitz-style game on Facebook, or something Picross-like on my Nexus. Maybe some Spider Solitaire. While I’m doing that, a few words might come together into a thought, and, if it sticks around for a minute and feels right, I’ll put it in Evernote. <\/p>\n
I’ve got a note just for potential blog posts, from when I kicked the hive that led to my relaunching my website. They all got written down either while trying to go to sleep, or between rounds of some game. Here’s a sample:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Sleeping topless and the house burning down<\/li>\n
- Sleep<\/li>\n
- Zombi feels like a spider<\/li>\n
- Insipid Android Games\/PinkBox Games<\/li>\n
- The blob of white paint? on the closet floor that scared me as a child.<\/li>\n
- Adventures in home ownership<\/li>\n
- Rainbow bridge is the saddest thing ever, but not for the reasons you’re thinking.<\/li>\n
- I fail at being a girl<\/li>\n
- The toaster of doom, and the angelic choir of smoke detectors<\/li>\n
- Jurassic Park Builder promotes cruelty to dinosaurs.<\/li>\n
- Not a mom<\/li>\n
- Blankets are magical shields<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Superstitions\/conditional productivity is also on the list, which is kinda what I’m covering here. So I’ll be able to cross that off soon. But, obviously, I haven’t done any of these other things…because they haven’t really…stung me yet. Or bitten me, depending on what form ideas are taking that day. <\/p>\n
But, I’ve got a list. And I remember what they all mean. And that’s a start. <\/p>\n
Once the idea becomes a little more than an idea — once the drive and the idea merge and become Voltron or Devastator, or whatever you prefer — then, the really-conditional-conditions come in.<\/p>\n
And the bitch of it is that I can never tell what it’s going to be. <\/p>\n
I need to be alone. I know that much. Someone sitting where they can see what I’m doing makes me unable to do anything. Someone talking to me disrupts everything. <\/p>\n
But: I need noise. Not just fan noise, either. Music sometimes serves, but not always. When it is music, it needs to be the right type of music, and I can never tell what the right type of music is going to be until it happens.<\/p>\n
Usually, it’s the TV. I find it easiest to work on stuff when the TV is on, and when specific things are playing. <\/p>\n
And, usually, it’s absolutely terrible things. The most insane conspiracy documentaries, or some Ghost Hunting show. Sometimes, though, Buffy, House, Doctor Who, or a series like Is It Real? will help me — I did the site redesign while watching Is It Real? repeatedly. <\/p>\n
Seriously repeatedly. Like, I went through the series four times. <\/p>\n
This makes me a pretty difficult person to live with, because having any part of that interrupted when I’m really working [and it’s hard to tell when I’m really working, because, sometimes, ‘working’ looks a lot like ‘slacking’] makes me pretty angry. <\/p>\n
But I need that shit if I’m going to work, the same way some people need a certain pencil. The way sportsball fans need to watch a game at a certain sports bar, while wearing a certain jersey and a certain pair of socks. <\/p>\n
Because the magic doesn’t work without the right ingredients. <\/p>\n
Oh, I also need Coke. Coke, something on TV, maybe some music, and no interruptions, unless I need someone to message regarding a mental deadfall.<\/p>\n
Once everything’s in the right place? It just works. <\/p>\n
Creativity is the closest thing there is to real magic. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Every creative person has a ritual. Most of them call it a ‘process’, because they probably don’t want to admit that there’s aspects to it that border on ritual magic, or because they think ritual magic is something more than … Continue reading