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I have nothing to say and maybe won’t ever write another thing again

Smoking

All Tools
SMOKING@2x

The Context

Carlin used to joke that although he stopped smoking pot in his fifties, he always had a joint nearby. Because when he was writing ten pages at a time and really pouring it out, one puff was all he needed. One hit, and it was punch up time. With that judicious use, there was some value. My theory is, all creatives have their own version of that nearby joint. It doesn't have to be a substance, necessarily. The point here is that motivation doesn't happen to us, it happens in us. The spark is closer than we think.

The Tool

two color

Smoking

SMOKING — Consuming your own work to give you solid faith in your creative capabilities

If your confidence is low, become an aficionado of your past work. Show yourself your accumulated creative record. Use your portfolio to demonstrate the firepower of your artistic arsenal to yourself. This trip down memory lane will reinforce the depth of your past creations and reconnect you with the part of your inner artist that wants to create again. Of all the sources of motivation in the world, this one is free, fast and never far away. Questlove, the hip hop drummer, music professor and author, takes trips down memory lane all the time. His inspiring book reminds creatives that doing so keeps you feeling good about yourself to know that you completed projects in the past. The fact that you have survived that work and lived another day to make another thing, keeps you going today.

Scott's Take

Scott's Take

One tactic that never fails to get my creative juices flowing is to take a short trip down memory lane. That is, to read a chapter from one of my old books or listen to a song from one of my old albums. It’s something that always used to scare me as an artist. Never smoke your own shit, they say, or you might realize just how bad it really us. But that's not the case for me anymore. Even art that was created twenty years ago still motivates me today. Because whether it's good, bad, or somewhere in between, it's still mine. And nobody can take that away from me. Consuming my own work proves to me that doing the work is possible. It gives me solid faith in my own creative capabilities. It reminds me of all those times over the years when my ideas were actualized rather than theorized. I survived my difficult feelings back then, and I will do it again.

The Rest

Feeling like you have nothing to say? Doubting that you'll ever write or paint or dance again? Grab that nearby joint and take a few puffs. Smoke your own shit. How can you use your past to generate a burst of hope and momentum?

The Benefits

Keep positive feelings about yourself
Build confidence through your accumulated record
Demonstrate the firepower of your artistic arsenal to yourself
Reconnect with the part of you that wants to make things

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