My art teacher always used to say “hard work always beats natural talent that doesn’t work hard.” And repeatedly that mantra has proven itself true.

I had a conversation with a friend the other day, basically we discussed how great ideas only come at times we don’t want or need them. In places where you’re not able to write them… in the shower for example, or at 2 a.m. In the morning, when you’ve got an exam to get up for.

But such is the nature of all great creation. You don’t wake up some morning I’m just decide, “Hey I’m going to be incredibly creative today.” Or at least if you do it doesn’t come off. Not without training anyway.

See that’s the thing about creativity. You have to get into a sort of a routine, into a sort of rut. But in order to do that, when you get that initial burst, you have to build on that, you have to capitalize!

But its not always easy to just stop what you’re doing and focus on that.

It’s hard work. They say it takes 14 days for you to change your routine, for exercise anyway. It’s no different for creativity, for the larger scale projects. My French teacher always told me, “you can’t just wait for the magical French fairy to come along to teach you all your French the day before the exam” – you have to put in the hard yards to reap the rewards you desire, crave, need.

Creatively, at the moment, I’ve reached a sort of sticky point… I’ve had a lot of spare time, having over a month off college for Christmas holidays; but I’ve had neither the motivation, the inspiration nor the routine to get me to where I want to be.
Also, I’m suffering from a lack of confidence in my own work of late, I have a lot of projects on standby, a lot of work unfinished. See that’s usually the way for me… The initial drive comes along, like a train, I get my teeth into it and then, just as it gets interesting, life comes along and sends it screeching to a halt.

When you want to get back to it your routine is gone, your motivation is gone, you read back over it and it’s not as good as you initially thought, your confidence is blown.

But it’s good to have what you have banked for when you do get into the sort of routine you need to be creative. I have stuff to fall back on for the next drive, hopefully the one that takes me to a completed project. Maybe when this whole journalism thing works itself out, that is!

If your methods at self extraction are any better, let me know!