Creative Ventures

This is a post I started writing while I was working and struggling to get back into the creative space.

I haven't taken the time to write for myself in some time. Life took over in the form of Work, Kids, House and many other things. My last post was in 2019 and I have several drafts that were only half written and forgotten since that time. Does this mean that my creative brain has been slumbering or has it been building a portfolio for future use? Has that part of my life ended or simply put on pause?

I know that if I had the opportunity to sit and write my stories again I would have a different story to tell. I originally wanted the Elaran tales to be presented in the format of YA, but as I have matured I fear the connection I felt for these characters has changed. They have continued to tell their stories and mature themselves. I would like to try my hand at fantasy fiction, removing the limitations imposed by the YA audience.

There is a point to the blog today, one is to see where it is going when I post. The other is to talk about the little creative ventures that have kept me afloat. Small efforts that have highlighted that I do not see the world in the same light as most others. There is so much unassuming beauty that is often missed.

My vision was dimmed initially until I met one of the coaches at work that spoke a similar language to me.

I don't know for certain when I started writing it, but I must have been distracted, lost interest, or didn't have the motivation. The part about the Elaran World is still true, I have since written a different draft and the characters have matured and changed. there are new characters and complexities that I wouldn't be able to have considered back then. I have kept in touch with the coaches at work because they are now friends.

When it comes to my mind slumbering or building a portfolio... now that is an interesting concept. The work I was doing at the time was highly administrative. I had a chance to do self development in a supported and encouraging environment. They want you to succeed and help the business succeed in turn. But there are darker shades to that pressure. There is the constant anxiety and stress that you aren't doing enough.

I was fortunate enough to work directly with leaders. People who came in several different styles. The main contributing factors were how they came into the position in the first place. Were they blue collar workers who pushed through the ranks and using their own temerity and will power, succeeding in establishing a level of seniority? Or were they highly educated individuals completing several units of learning external to the workplace and then implementing their knowledge on the job? Then an innumerable amount of variances in the middle. Did they have a trade? Have they been in the leadership so long that the origin is moot?

The wisdom I had the opportunity to gain in these years was immeasurable and although I am not yet finished with me Elaran tales, I know that they will be richer because of this pause. I am still relatively young (turning 42 this year) and there are plenty of stories vying for my attention. So the worry I had when I first left the day job. That I had smothered my creativity has resolved itself. I am now one step closer to creating something I am proud enough to share. It may not be the Elaran tales first.