The other day I was listening to episode 79 of the Let’s Make Mistakes podcast hosted by Mike Monteiro and Leah Reich and they talked about this quote:
“Inspiration Is for Amateurs—The Rest of Us Just Show Up and Get to Work” – Chuck Close
If you do any kind of work, creative or otherwise, inspiration is a big thing.
Especially when you don’t have it.
I have about 10 or 15 different posts for this website half started and there is no finishing them in sight. Some of them I started months ago, and they just sit.
I thought once I got this new site up that I’d be full of motivation and want to bang out posts and put my inane thoughts out into the world so that six people could read them. All I needed to do was to get this new site up.
In a month in a half I’ve written and posted one new blog (not counting the quick intro post). I guess that’s not terrible, but I really wanted to do more.
What’s stopping me?
A couple of things. Well, lack of motivation, really. I know I should get off my ass and get to my to-do list, but this Netflix isn’t going to watch it self, nor are these Angry Birds going to fling themselves at pigs.
I have ideas for a lot of things, not just blogs. Projects, things I want to make, or build. I have my garage cleaned out, my workbench is clear. It’s all ready for me to go! This will be the weekend I will… Who am I kidding? How can I motivate myself? Once I get going I’m all in until I’m done or physically can’t go on any more. It’s that get up and go that I’m missing. That up, up and away.
Thanks to Toni McLellan at Makearoo, that’s been my battle-cry this year. She was holding a Google+ Hangout for Makearoo and she was talking about people’s mottos for the year. What would inspire them?
I had the inspiration. Just not the kick in the ass that I needed. After some discussion, my love for Superman came up, and almost instantly “Up, Up and Away!” become my battle-cry. The thing to get me off the couch, away from the computer and go out and take photos. Go to the garage and build something. Go eat some delicious tacos. Well, I didn’t have a problem with that last one.
How’s it working out so far? Not too bad, but it could be better. Planing out time to do things on the weekends are tough. Especially for us. We travel back to Houston and New Jersey quite a bit, and when we don’t have plans it’s very hard to motivate yourself instead of kicking back and relaxing.
This weekend we’re heading to Louisiana. But next weekend Ali and I will be taking our yearly drive north to take photos of Bluebonnets and experience small-town Texas.
After that? We have a few concerts and the Austin Television Festival in Austin that we’re going to. In between all of that I need to take more photowalks and spend more time building in my garage before the Texas summer makes that damn near impossible.
Wish me luck.
Up, Up and Away!