Hey. I found this really cool and inspiring idea in Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. While this book is focused on the art of writing, I recommend it for anyone curious about creativity, as the principles, strategies and experiences Lamott writes about resonate across all creative fields. Besides that, Lamott makes me laugh out loud. Right now, I like laughing out loud...and not at the current absurdities of life!
Here's the idea - the one-inch square (or frame). Now, I'm not the first blogger to write a post about this. I just googled and found three others in less than ten seconds. But you're here and I'm here, and I am tremendously jazzed by this, so let's see if I can send some of that jazzed energy over to you.
Here's the premise - you're working on a creative project and find yourself in that common and uncomfortable feeling of being stuck. You're not sure how to proceed. You find yourself doubting every creative act you attempt. You look for diversions, any diversion, to get you away from these feelings.
Anne Lamott's solution? Fill in a one-inch square and call it a day. Do not judge the actions, the ideas, the paint strokes, the sounds, the words. Fill the square and be done.
Of course I can't let an idea stay simple. I must raise the stakes. So, I challenged myself to fill in a table on a Google doc for seven days. Yes, I recognize that a table on a Google doc expands as one fills it in. I also recognize that a Google doc tends to be a rectangle and not a square. I'm not letting perfect get in the way of good.
Guess what? I am 36 days into this experiment and having a blast. I have taken one day off completely (my stepdaughter and her husband were here for the first time in at least three years. That merits a day off.) and taken three days to organize the squares.
What am I writing about? I started with a simple question. Simple for me anyway. There's a character in the Kander & Ebb musical, Cabaret whose name is Fraulein Schneider. Fraulein Schneider is older (no exact age is given. Let's say 68 because that's how old Lotte Lenye was when she originated the role), but here's the thing - Fraulein translates as Miss. In the time period Cabaret takes place in, using that title means the woman has not been married. Ever. The simple question?
Why has Fraulein Schneider never married?
And away my imagination flew, and continues to fly. Yes, there are days when I get stuck. What do I do on those days?
Fill in the square.
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