Snowflake Challenge Day 11

[olivermoss]

In your own space, talk about your creative process(es) — anything from the initial inspiration to how you feel after something’s done. Do you struggle with motivation or is it a smooth process? Do you have any tricks up your sleeve to pull out when a fanwork isn’t cooperating? What is your level of planning to pantsing/winging it?

My creative process is a mess and often involves way too long trying to shut out voices telling me that my creations are terrible and give my friends second hand embarrassment. The voices are not my own, I've actually been told that and worse. I even gave up on photography for two years because a 'friend' was like a dog with a bone, trying to get me to stop.

But, we aren't going to get too much into that. I am just going to link The Theory of Crab Mentality. It's something I've run into a lot, and in downright vicious ways. (Far more viscous than I am even going to touch on here.) I actually want a picture of a crab pot on my desk to remind me from time to time. For years I couldn't figure out why people treated me that way. They were not jealous of me because they had more going work wise, socially and creatively than me. Or at least I didn't think they could be. Once I read this theory a weight was lifted from me and I was able unfreeze my creativity.

Focus is something I've been struggling with for the past few years. I am getting better at it, but for a while it was a big problem for reasons. One thing that helped me when I was just getting back into writing was Chilled Cow's lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to. It's always streaming and never has anything that will shake you out of your concentration. There is a continually looping picture of a girl studying. Using stopping starting the music and having that image up there is how I wrote for a long time. That music playing = writing time to me. There are many imitators, but most of them rip off playlists or images from Chilled Cow.

If you have focus problems I really recc using that channel, or something like it, to delineate 'writing time'.

Comments

[sodium_amytal]

Oh man this whole post is a mood. Just the other day I said to someone, "all my worst problems can be traced back to being good at things," because that Crab Mentality has plagued me all throughout my life. Just people constantly dragging me down so I can't succeed. I needed a reminder that it's an Actual Thing, so thank you. ♥

I love that you listen to chill music when you write; I do that too! Anything else tends to distract me, and my focus has become really bad lately. Thanks for the link!

[olivermoss]

Glad it helped! I once crawled out of one Crab Pot to wind up in a far worse one. I didn't really have the confidence to break out until I realized what was going on. That I kept winding up with people emotionally invested in me not trying to better my life was tripping me out.

I hope you enjoy the link :)

[sodium_amytal]

That I kept winding up with people emotionally invested in me not trying to better my life was tripping me out.
Relatable. I recently climbed out of a Crab Pot just to land in another. x___x

[g_uava]

Thanks for linking to and talking about your experience with Crab Mentality. I've always thought of it as just broadly a phenomenon of 'projecting insecurities onto others'. Rather than the community getting crabbier together (haha), it's far more productive (and fun) to share learning points like what fans are doing throughout the Snowflake Challenge.

[olivermoss]

People supporting each other is much better for everyone involved :)

[meridian_rose]

It sucks when people don't want you to do things you enjoy or to succeed. You don't need that in your life.

Thanks for the rec - I love the animation on that one; I also like Focus at Will's free tracks on Youtube too, music designed to help you work: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyNHR3HlX6gahoqaue1g4AA/videos?disable_polymer=1
scroll to bottom of vids for the one hour samples. My fave is the classical music but there's a chillout one that's probably more your style :)

[olivermoss]

I will check those out! Chill Out isn't my main music style, but it helps because I only listen to it while writing. I mostly listen to Outrun or Steampunk music.

[dragonyphoenix]

Crab Mentality. Ah, that does explain some things.

That music playing = writing time to me. I'm currently reading Deep Work which talks about having a "ritual" for your work. Your music makes a good example. Because you listen to the same music each time you write, when you put on the music your brain switches into writing mode. Maybe that seems obvious but I'm still working out a ritual for myself.

[olivermoss]

Knowing that Crab Mentality is a thing and having a term to use to indicate it has helped me so much.

Good luck figuring out a ritual! Part of why that channel works for me is that it's a live stream so I feel like I've joined some invisible community of people getting stuff done, even though I really haven't :) Also, it's not repetitive like a playlist.

[mistressofmuses]

The crab mentality is a really hard thing to deal with. I'm glad I know what it is now, but it still hurts to see (and experience.)

I may try your trick of listening to that channel to help with focus on writing! I have a very hard time not getting sidetracked, and that may help!

[olivermoss]

I hope that channel or something along those lines helps!