Creative Spark

January 31st, 2007 Daryle Dickens Posted in The Process |

I have a very old lawn mower. It is a simple machine with a Briggs and Stratton engine mounted on top of a beat up red metal deck. To start it I place my foot firmly on the deck, grab hold of the black rubber t-shaped handle and pull hard. Some days it starts right up. Other days it will not start at all. I pull and pull and pull, each time a little harder with a little more frustration but the engine will not start. Live damn you live! It does not. It does not spark, does not breath, does not come to life. When this happens I wonder what is different. Why will it not start today? It started on the first pull last week. My creative work is a lot like that lawn mower. Some days I sit down and it fires right up and some days it stays cold and lifeless no matter what I do. And I admit that sometimes I want to give up on it. Other people make creativity appear so effortless, so easy. Maybe I am just not meant to be an artist. I know better. I know there is a reason we call it “work.” Because it is work. And it is through a lot of work that it becomes easier. I have learned that when it will not start it probably means something has been neglected. Much like my lawn mower that may need an air filter cleaned, spark plug changed, or something as simple as gas added to the tank, there is probably something in my life that needs attention before the creative engine will start again. I have learned that for me the most important thing is to see the times when the work will not happen as an opportunity. A chance to take care of something else that needs attention. Today may not be the day to mow the lawn, today is the day to weed the garden and clean out the gutters.