Passionate Creativity, Or Hard Work?

I noticed something over the last few weeks.
While I’ve been emotionally on edge, I have also experienced a creative burst.
I have written poetry, blog posts, and journaled more pages than I have in ages.
Is there a direct correlation?
Maybe.

I stepped back a bit and viewed that last year as well as the recent weeks.
I noticed that since about this time last year there has been an uptick in the number of words that I’ve produced.
Last year I complete a first draft of a novel, over 50,000 word.
Journaling has increased. I’m currently half way through my third journal since Jan. 1.
Blogging hasn’t grown as much as other media, but the amount of content did increas over previous years.

So, why quibble over these things?

Well, for one, I’m a Creative and we kinda keep track of things like this. I mean, we need something to obsess over, right?

Another reason is so that I can track patterns. I take notice of periods of greater output and try to see if there’s something different that I can use to keep producing. Yeah, there it is, pure analytics. Sheesh! That hurts my brain.

What I noticed is that nothing keeps the creative juices flowing like simply putting in the time. For NaNo last years, I had to get over 1,600 words per day written in order to complete the challenge of 50,000+ words.
That requires showing up every day and leaking words onto a computer. It’s hard work. But, it’s good work.

However, passion and emotion play a very small part in that work. It’s nose to the grindstone stuff that keeps the process moving.

So, what about the recent spate of words that I link to raw emotions?

I think that while the work itself requires discipline to actually do something, passion like I’ve recently experienced can act like rocket fuel.
It super-charges the creative juices so that they start to boil and roil and toil with added intensity.
That’s all well and good. I think that any endeavor can use that kind of boost.
The problem, however, is that rocket fuel burns hot and fast.

And, it may burn you.

Badly.

I think that I got a bit singed here recently.
Its blisters are painful.

But, I can’t let that be an excuse to back away from the River of Creativity that runs through the Cosmos.
I still need to get my toes into the flow and do the work.

Who knows what kind of nuggets I can find in that river?
Hopefully, shiny ones.