July 11 – August 6, 2018

I once attended a writing workshop in the early 1990s at which a colleague protested that he could not write “under pressure,” waiting for the last-minute “rush” that he perceived as the habitual preference of his students.

Instead of last-minute motivating pressure, this colleague opted to sleep as well as possible, eat his favorite healthy food, and reserve a place of special comfort in his workroom—all in careful preparation for embarking on the writing process.

Question, though:  does this care represent preparation of procrastination?

For me, the morning starts with manual coffee grinding (electricity would be faster). Boil the water, pour it into the pot with the narrow enough spout; gently pour over grounds. Then I cut up and measure the smoothie ingredients and blend something with enough protein and flavor that one is nourished/satisfied. During this process I’ve already been back and forth to computer, sketchbook, and yoga mat, and piano from the kitchen. Has the work begun? Do those trips to and from the kitchen get me going on my work, or am I distracted by trying to create circumstances for a creative flow? Does the coffee and nutrition help? The stretching and breathing? The testing of phrases between poses near the piano? Then walking the dog and coming back, realizing the walk cleared the way in your mind to get those phrases you touched between pour-over, email response, and ward-off? Are these movements, false starts, or changes of direction all parts of a multi-faceted constitutional that actually dos help creative “progress?” Do the habits one works through at all levels inform the creative patterns used in writing or practicing music? Or are they just avoidances?

August 2, 2018

Does procrastinating by writing about procrastinating cancel out the procrastination, thereby constituting artistic progress?