Image Credit: EverydayTrish/PhotopinCC
Happy Friday!
I hope you’ve had a bright, productive week—one that’s spurred your creative juices and nudged you past your comfort zone.
Since I’m in writing mode today, I’ll keep this short.
I wanted to share some thoughts with you about being different. Not weird different. Different as in beautiful, talented, and sensitive. The kind of different that folks may not quite get, but the endearing quality that’s quirky and fun, albeit somewhat offbeat.
As a creative, I’m aware of the unusual. I see beauty in the easily dismissed. (Like in some discarded Mason jars I got at a garage sale once. I filled them with colored water and they added some zing to my kitchen for over a month. The photo I found for today’s post was almost perfect!)
My mind’s always in overdrive and I think beyond the obvious. It’s exhausting sometimes, but I take comfort in the fact that other creatives get me.
I smiled recently when our daughter dragged out her electric keyboard.
She plopped down beside it, took out paper and pencils, and started doodling. “Thought I’d write a song before supper.”
“Sure, honey. Do you have some thoughts in mind?”
“Hmm. Something poignant and profound, I think.”
But of course. She’s a teenager. Intensity and drama suit her.
For the next hour or so, I listened to our teenager compose her masterpiece. She pecked a few notes and scribbled on her notepad.
She pecked and scribbled some more.
She played her “song” for me when she finished.
“It doesn’t have a title yet. How’d you like it?”
Rough around the edges, but a melody to my mama ears. “It’s different. Beautiful.”
“I was going for something else.”
“Oh. What?”
“I don’t know yet. Give me a list of adjectives, Mama.”
We laughed.
I knew what she meant and I so got our daughter’s humor.
It reminded me of how creatives and like-minded thinkers relate. Somehow, we’re in sync without really trying.
And that’s the beauty of being different!
***
Now, some helpful tips for my writing friends—
From Susie May Warren and My Book Therapy… Extreme Book Makeover: 7 Twists and Turns to Add to Your Novel
Some thoughts about writing quickly and effectively via WorkAwesome
This gem by Karen Ball (for those who’ve experienced the dreaded writer’s block.)
Creating Stunning Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland
And something for everyone—
Needing courage for your journey? Here are some encouraging thoughts.
PLEASE SHARE
What creatives know about “being different.” (Click to Tweet)
Have a super, sun-filled (and SON-filled) weekend!
Blessings Always,
Comments 5
I’m usually the weirdest guy in the room, in any gathering. Not a bad thing to be.
I started young, by cultivating things like leaving high-school classrooms by the window rather than the door (from the second story), and getting into the habit of calling the Headmaster by his Christian name. He found that rather difficult to prevent.
He was a good sport. When I grew a large and flamboyant moustache, he asked that I meet him halfway and just trim it, even though students weren’t supposed to have facial hair.
Meeting halfway sounded fine to me. I shaved off the right half.
Yeah. Different is good.
Author
Andrew, you made me smile. Half a mustache? Wow! Bet that was fun. Lol
Three cheers for different!
Intuitive? I’ve always been able to ‘see’ things about people – that is, after I know them for a while, I can ‘read’ them with a fair amount of accuracy. It used to baffle fellow NCOs, when I was in the military – because I would have insight into one of our baby troops – which I thought was a perfectly obvious thing – and they would look at me, open-mouthed, as if I had done a bit of magic in front of them.
It upset some people, too – once I was asked (in a great fury) by another NCO if I would PLEASE stop reading their minds!
Author
Celia, studying people fascinates me—for obvious reasons.
Insight into human nature is something that doesn’t come easily for everyone. You obviously are gifted in that area. (Makes for great story fodder, right?)
Thanks so much for visiting!
Thanks, Cynthia. Gifted – I guess. This always seemed to be a perfectly natural thing to me to be able to do … it comes in handy now, in building characters!