Remember the Twinkie? That golden cake with fluffy white filling is rumored to have no expiration date, meaning it can sit on the shelf indefinitely and still be good when you unwrap the plastic.
While an infinite timeline can seem seductive, your brilliance is not meant to be held off forever.
Your talent is not a Twinkie. Your ideas, your projects, your unique expression, cannot sit on the shelf indefinitely.
Talent has a shelf life.
Remembering this spurs me to capture ideas when they come. It prompts me to stay on track with the often difficult work of creating, when I’d much rather do something fun or relaxing.
The amazing, crazy, complex mix of you – your genes, your surroundings, your talent, your ideas – have coalesced in this time and place for a reason. Whatever you are here to create, you’re meant to do it now, not later.
There are some circumstances that require shelving your projects – but only for a brief time. When you are a new mother, when you are grieving, when you are undergoing a major transition or other major life event, you often don’t have the bandwidth to focus on your art. That’s absolutely okay and right.
And, on the shelf where you place your project, also place your commitment to coming back to it as soon as you’re able. Solidifying your commitment will allow you to feel less pressure while you move through life.
Talent develops by use; not by promises of ‘someday.’
Your talent is also not superficial, an empty treat like a Twinkie. It’s not a passing pleasure nor something cheap and factory-produced. It’s precious, rare, unique to you, and absolutely deserves any and all attention you can devote to it.
Take your writing talents off the shelf and enjoy them. I’ll show you how in Make Writing a Happy Habit, starting May 16th.
What a fantastic analogy! I’ve been taking small steps for a long time, while I raised my twin boys alone. But I can almost feel my art ready to burst out of me. Thank you for putting my transition so eloquently.
Yes, and child rearing is definitely a creative act that takes priority. Heather, are you jotting your ideas down so you can stay connected to them and have a running start when you’re back in the studio?
I tried twinkies for the first time in October when I went to NYC for my sister’s wedding… I didn’t like them and their plastic aftertaste. I prefer rich organic carrot cake, (or any type of cake for that matter) and I really enjoyed this analogy to writing.
Thanks for sharing and I’m off to the bakery!
Kate,
I love that – plastic aftertaste. It’s been so long since I ate a Twinkie, I forgot about that.
I like your reminder about wholesome and real carrot cake! And that I instigated a trip to the bakery! Enjoy that and the fruits of your writing labor!
Cynthia,
I REALLY needed to read this today. Motherhood has been soooo time-consuming, and it’s been so hard for me to squeeze out some time for my book. Oh my gosh!
But sometimes I’m able to spend 15 minutes or a half hour on writing, and that makes me feel better because it’s an ongoing process.
I don’t want to be like a Twinkie!
It’s true, Beth, there are always a handful of real and invented excuses for not writing. Sometimes we need will of steel to just eke out those 15 minutes. But they add up, and you are very close to finishing, so keep going!
You can do it.
The last three weeks, creating art has been a twinkie. =(
At least writing about and for my art has been breaking free and flying. I do need to write about my art…so am I really treating it like a twinkie?
Really craving my art studio! At least use those nifty new markers!
Angeline, writing is part of the art but as you say, not the same. When do you have studio time scheduled next? Heed that call to create!
All this talk of cake is making me hungry – to get out my paints and make art! Just spent four days at a workshop, followed by four days in Albuquerque and Santa Fe looking at art. Now it’s my turn to take all that inspiration and play with it.
Go, Sue! Capture your juju while it’s still fresh. Have fun!
I love your blog! The design is both charming and clutter-free, and your posts are inspiring. The dilemma for me is how to juggle my favorite creative mudpies–I want to relish several of them at once–memoir, blog, videos, not to mention play in the social media sandbox.
Thank you so much, Gail! That means a lot coming from a creative dynamo like you.
I totally understand how it is to be multi-modal. Try this: Look at each of those modalities. Look at your content. Is your content the same, and how can you use each medium to express the same thing? Meaning, how can the various forms interlock and overlap and contribute to a whole story/project/package?
I hope that makes sense. Try a mindmap to see how they connect. They might not be so separate after all!
Awesome! Thanks for reminding us that we need to GET ON IT NOW! Love the metaphor and your new headshot. Nice.
Thanks, Ollin. It’s true – now is better than later in many cases.
Glad you like my headshot – it’s what I’m calling my author photo. For the dust jacket of my book!
Amazing analogy Cynthia!! Thoughts go stale, don’t they?
Appreciate you!!