The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it. — Hugh MacLeod
When I began this blog, it was a way to write about the travel I was doing and show friends and family where I was. I wrote about work in Honduras, Russiaand Franceamong other places.
Fifteen months ago, I moved back to West Virginiaand started a new chapter in my life. I was excited about the change and looking forward to rediscovering my home. It has influenced my writing and other creative pursuits. I feel more excited about every day than I had in a long, long time. The number of people reading this blog took off dramatically at the same time. I guess a lot of people liked what I had to say.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how to move this blog in a new direction. Sometimes it seems to be a bit scattered (not unlike my mind). First I’ll be posting photographs from a photo-safari and then talking about a new book or a new writing project and then shifting gears over to my latest documentary projects. The common theme I see in all of these posts is creativity.
I’ve been reading for inspiration lately, too. I’ve always loved to read, but most of what I’ve been reading lately has been about the act of stepping out on a limb and finding the things that move you by writers like Seth Godin and Jeff Goins. I’ve also have the good fortune since I’ve been back in Charleston to do some work with DigiSoand that has inspired me as well.
I still plan to talk about the things I have going on and the things I stumble into along the way. I’m working on a couple big new projects including the Voices of War documentary that I plan to wrap up in a couple months and a new Mike Scott adventure novelthat should be done by summer. But I have some ideas about incorporating some fiction writing into the blog as well. The stories I wrote for Halloweenand Christmaswere a lot of fun and I want to expand on that.
I also plan to write more about the struggle to be creative. I thought of myself as a reporter for a long time after I left the newspaper business. I’ve thought of myself as a photographer. A writer. A documentarian. Today, I think of myself as a story teller.
A few days ago, I read the line at the top of the page and it resonated with me. “The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.” I’m not 100 percent comfortable with the idea yet, but I’m getting there. I hope you continue to follow along on this journey. At the same time, maybe seeing me try and fail and try again will inspire you to find your creativity and get comfortable with it, too.
“Adventure and creativity go hand in hand. Sometimes adventures take us around the world and sometimes creativity allows us to explore the world without ever leaving home.”
