Here You Go:

15 Minute Fruit

August 9th, 2009

Filed under Reading + Writing | Comment (0)

Two posts about writing/blogging back to back must be a record for me. Writing about writing can sometimes be a little redundant and sometimes a little too theoretical for my tastes, but the post behind the post on this one is really about discipline.

Given the wild hare trail of the previous post, I was reading back through some of my notes and early paragraphs that were spent defining what EyeJunkie.com would be. The trip through cyber memory lane reminded me that one of my beginning goals for creating a blog was to discipline myself to actually write more consistently. Journaling is a practice I’ve enjoyed for much of my life, but had gotten away from it a bit. I had become entangled in the burden of recording thoughts, and the actual thoughts that are a prerequisite.

If you read the tips and how-tos on writing (whether creative writing, blogging, or freelance writing) you will invariably find this one: The best way to become a better writer is to write more. (My paraphrase, of course.) And, I suppose there’s a reason why so many people advise it. The daily practice of writing requires practice. The daily practice of idea-generation requires practice. The daily practice of picking content fruit before it sours on the vine requires practice. In keeping with the theme of EyeJunkie, the daily practice of paying attention to what’s right in front of me before it escapes requires practice. Practice, practice, practice. (Now I’m sounding like Mrs. Winstead, my childhood piano teacher.)

To that end, I think I’m ready to get back to some of the entanglement of that journaling process again. I’m ready for that daily activity of simply recording aspects of daily activity, and the profound thoughts it often generates. I have been thinking about the Mississippi painter, Walter Anderson, recently because of a project I’m working on at my day job. His watercolor and block print works have long inspired me, and there is no better example of the practice of paying attention with a paint brush or pencil in hand than his. I remember reading somewhere that when Mr. Anderson was a child, his mother required he and his siblings to write and draw some each day. It was part of there routine of “chores” so to speak. I like that. Time spent each day in self expression is so valuable to nourishing the creative spirit.

My day job offers me the opportunity to draw (or at least design) most days, and while it’s not quite the same when done for someone else’s marketing pursuits, I’m willing to let it suffice for the drawing requirement. For writing, on the other hand, I’m ready to regain the discipline of that daily, intentional, time-sensitive writing diary again. I’ve decided to begin the “practice” of writing at least 15 minutes at the end of each day about something relevant to my experiences during those 24 hours–whether deeds, words, distractions or thoughts. I originally thought of the concept with my “500 or 15″ posting tag featuring 500 words or 15 minutes on the topic at the top of the heap. I still like that topical approach (and will pursue it), but I’m eager to foster my attention span with a more time-centered requirement. I don’t promise to share the fruit of every 15 minutes, but I’m sure you’ll be privy to the scores and highlights.

Day one. 15 minutes (or so). Down.

If you read the tips and how-tos on writing (whether creative writing, blogging, or freelance writing) you will invariably find this one: The best way to become a better writer is to write more. (My paraphrase, of course.) And, I suppose there’s a reason why so many people advise it. The daily practice of writing requires practice. The daily practice of idea-generation requires practice. The daily practice of picking content fruit before it sours on the vine requires practice. In keeping with the theme of EyeJunkie, the daily practice of paying attention to what’s right in front of me before it escapes requires practice. Practice, practice, practice. (Now I’m sounding like Mrs. Winstead, my childhood piano teacher.)

To that end, I think I’m ready to get back to some of the entanglement of that journaling process again. I’m ready for that daily activity of simply recording aspects of daily activity, and the profound thoughts it often generates. Recently, I have been thinking about the Mississippi painter, Walter Anderson, because of a project I’m working on at my day job. His watercolor and block print works have long inspired me, and there is no better example of the practice of paying attention with a paint brush or pencil in hand than his. I remember reading somewhere that when Mr. Anderson was a child, his mother required he and his siblings to write and draw some each day. It was part of there routine of “chores” so to speak. I like that. Time spent each day in self expression is so valuable to nourishing the creative spirit.

My day job offers me the opportunity to draw (or at least design) most days, and while it’s not quite the same when done for someone else’s marketing pursuits, I’m willing to let it suffice for the drawing requirement. For writing, on the other hand, I’m ready to regain the discipline of that daily, intentional, time-sensitive writing diary again. I’ve decided to begin the “practice” of writing for at least 15 minutes at the end of each day about something relevant to my experiences during those 24 hours–whether deeds, words, distractions or thoughts. I originally thought of the concept with my “500 or 15″ posting tag featuring 500 words or 15 minutes on the topic at the top of the heap. I still like that topical approach (and will pursue it), but I’m eager to hone my attention span with a more time-centered requirement. I don’t promise to share the fruit of every 15 minutes, but I’m sure you’ll be privy to the scores and highlights.

Day one of the 15 minute experiment down.