#creative grindset

[flannelepicurean]

Reblogging this as a person who is both A Creative, and managing chronic mental health stuff, BECAUSE, I have come to a place where I can work and create without inspiration. And THAT'S the real secret sauce, sort of.

Creativity gets called "talent" a lot, especially by people who see a finished product that they can't make themselves. "You're so talented! I wish I could do that!" Well... so do we. Often.

The thing about "creating" something is that it's a ton of work, and that's something that "talented" misses the mark on. We don't just sit down and BOOM! MASTERPIECE! We plod through the blood, sweat, and many gallons of tears it takes to put in a bazillion hours to then spend days, weeks, months, YEARS agonizing over every little thing on the way to having Created. And then we often sit there, feeling wrung-out, wondering how we're ever going to do it again, while also suffering mightily about the fact that some people might not like it. Might call it bad, even.

We tend to get very personally invested in our work, and the reactions to our work, because it's part of us. We absolutely ARE artists, writers, and many other kinds of Creatives. It's something that screams from inside our bones pretty much 24/7, because it's something we ARE, whether we're actually DOING it or not. There should be no guilt in NOT creating, and in resting, because it doesn't make you any less a writer, an artist, whatever you may be. Even if you never create another thing again, you'll still be driven to and fulfilled by creating. It's what you ARE. Nobody can take that from you.

And. Creating is WORK. We all know that, because we feel wrung-out and spent and exhausted when we burst forth a Work in a frenzy and then look around wondering if we can ever do it again.

But here's the thing. "Talent" lies to us. It says that Creating is a thing you just DO. When the inspiration strikes, there's a frenzy to snag the tail of the lightning bolt and hold on for dear life. What has worked for me, is to build a generator.

I've learned how to throw things away. I've learned how to save them for later. I've learned to work in drips and drabs. I've learned how to do Something, even if it's not the thing I planned on working on. I do three shitty sketches to find my way to planning the thing I want to draw, and that's warm-up, bay-beeeee. I sat and Did Something, and it's a wastebasket step toward the final product. And that's good! It's GOOD to stop and say, "Wait. This isn't going the way I'd hoped. I'm starting over." It's GOOD to say, "Nah, that ain't it. I'm gonna step away and come back in a couple days, or a week, and see if setting fresh eyes on it helps." IT DOES. TRUST ME.

Do SOMETHING, with a regularity that makes sense for you. Doodle something stupid on a napkin. Make a sheet of crosshatching. Test out the gradients of all your pencils, crayons, pastels, whatever. Swatch and catalog your markers.

Do SOMETHING. Pick a website or post that has decent one-page or five-minute journal prompts. Sit down and describe your breakfast, or have a fake text conversation with your favorite character, in a journal or a notebook or a cloud-based text thing, or just jot down one random thing that made you go, "Huh," today. Write yourself a note in the margins to capture the questions that run through your mind about a part you're stuck on.

It's practice. And THAT is SKILL-BUILDING. That's the generator.

Creativity takes SKILL. That is a thing you can grind at, every single day, for two to five minutes, to keep your mind and your tool-movers supple. That is a thing you can do sets of reps with. People call it the "butt in chair method," or "write even one sentence," and many other things. But do it without the goal to Produce driving you; do it in the spirit of practicing. Because that's what it is.

Talent is the part of you that makes the connections from observation and experience to finished product. The actual WORK, the production of the things, is practice, practice, PRACTICE, captured with intention and direction.

You don't have to make a masterpiece; you don't even have to work on the Thing you're working on. You don't have to do anything at all, and again, REST IS IMPORTANT. But if you do SOMETHING, it keeps you limber. And it becomes a habit. That is what will see you through the times when inspiration fails to strike. That is the generator -- when you can sit down and do the work when you don't actually feel like doing it. When you can grind without it feeling like a slog. When you can tweak and meddle and explore and TRY THINGS, without fear, when you're not inspired in the least.

There is no "just" about it. It's not "JUST sit down and do the thing." It's TRY. It's practice. And when it becomes a habit, you've harnessed the lightning. And it will actually make the masterpieces better, because you'll have more daring, and less stress. It's not about productivity, it's about quality of life. And when you can sit down and Do The Thing, with the regularity that makes sense for you, even if you don't want to, it really does improve life immensely.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk! 😂

[noisyghost]

its been a couple years, Ches deserved a better reference :)

[lanabenikosdoormat]

how i felt after writing dyvim fanfiction for my writing exercise this week and then reading it aloud to the professor and workshop grp

[zapsoda]

might fuck around and draw more middle school ocs

[wibble-wobbegong]

anybody up rn send in songs that you think would b cool to see a performance to bc i wanna start prepping for my next performance early and this time i actually get to pick my song but theres not many songs i listen to that i can perform in front of kids so. suggestions please (mayhaps?)

[nondelphic]

nondelphic writing tips: writing while battling mental or physical health problems

hi lovelies! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ today’s post is something close to my heart, a gentle reminder for anyone out there writing while navigating mental or physical health struggles.

first of all, let me just say this: you are doing enough. whether you wrote a single sentence today, edited a paragraph, or just thought about your story while lying in bed, it counts. storytelling isn’t a race, and it’s okay if your pace doesn’t match the picture-perfect productivity you see online. writing isn’t linear. sometimes it’s messy, slow, or downright impossible—and that’s okay.

♡ your health comes first

writing is important, but it’s not more important than you. if you’re having a bad day, take a step back. rest. hydrate. stretch. it’s not 'wasting time'; it’s giving yourself the space to heal so you can come back stronger when you’re ready. stories can wait. your well-being can’t.

♡ the problem with “maximum productivity”

look, i get it. those productivity blogs and #grindset🔥🔥 posts can be so motivating on good days. but when you’re not at 100%, they can feel like a big flashing neon sign that says, “you’re not doing enough.” the truth? those posts aren’t made with your unique circumstances in mind. it’s not about meeting someone else’s standards. it’s about doing what you can with the energy you have.

writing isn’t about grinding 24/7. it’s about showing up when you can, even if 'showing up' just means opening your document and staring at it for five minutes. don’t let the pressure to constantly produce steal the joy of creating from you.

♡ small steps are still progress

on days when writing feels impossible, focus on the smallest step. write one line. brainstorm an idea. imagine a scene in your head. none of it is wasted effort, because all those tiny actions add up over time. remember, even the slowest progress is still progress.

♡ redefine success

success doesn’t have to mean finishing a chapter or hitting a word count. sometimes, success is choosing to rest when your body or mind needs it. sometimes, it’s acknowledging that you tried, even if all you could do was think about your story. give yourself credit for the effort, not just the outcome.

♡ a story in your heart is still a story

even if you’re not writing actively right now, your story still exists. it’s alive in your thoughts, your daydreams, and the little notes you scribble down. it’s okay if it takes you weeks, months, or even years to finish. storytelling is a marathon, not a sprint, and there’s no deadline on creativity.

♡ be kind to yourself

writing while battling health issues—whether physical or mental—isn’t just hard; it’s an act of resilience and i'm so proud of you! every word you write is a victory, no matter how small it feels. so please, be gentle with yourself. celebrate the little wins. forgive yourself for the tough days. your story is worth telling, but so are you.

remember: you don’t need to be perfect to be a writer. you just need to show up when you can, in whatever way you can. take care of yourself, okay? ♡(´꒳`)

happy writing (or resting, or dreaming, or just existing). all of it matters. ✿

[sleepybugeyes]

I read through all of Elias/Jonah's dialogue (as you do) plus some relistening and mentions of him, so here's a big list of some fun things and behaviors I noted!

I thought he made a lot of eye puns/jokes, but he only does it once in mag161, however he does enjoy making jokes. "Creativity never was their forte." from mag80, "You want my account? My sworn testimony? My statement?" from 82, "If you die, I’m afraid you probably won’t be able to claim your expenses." in 116 and "I only have two eyes, after all." in 120. no one ever laughs at his jokes only he finds them amusing

His last words telling Jon a sarcastic or mocking "good luck" are mirrored earlier as he also tells Basira good luck the last time he sees her, and Martin, as he's getting arrested

He loves gloating. "I forget how new you all are to this." from mag92, "Coffee is not as good for disguising tastes as you might think." in 98, "She’s hoping that even if I see it coming she’ll still be able to overpower me. She’s wrong, of course," in 102, "A masterpiece, isn’t it?" abt his panopticon in 158 and of course his whole monologue in 160

He does his budgeting on tuesdays and his scheduling on wednesdays

He also likes getting lost in work

in mag40 he makes up proper incompetency (said he didnt know how the fire system works, while he later admits he was actively waiting) just that once, but more so he acts like he doesnt get the full picture (doesnt know whats in the tunnels, whats strange about the institute) or acts too late and apologises (not stepping into jon's stalking behaviour). Which makes me think he is quite fine letting people think less of him but unless he has something to hide hes not actively looking to give the impression

in mag92 elias slides the papers for basira across his desk, but you don't hear him take them out before, meaning he prepared and got ready for this before he called the police

in general he's a very preparing man, Lukas steps in when Elias is arrested so has has control over who'd run it. in mag118 he says he prepared something to hurt martin (my speculation is that he likely has some trauma that could hurt you prepared for any person that could cross him, just in case he needs it). When he gets arrested he has something prepared so he doesnt get killed and ofc s1-4 is preparing Jon for his grand ritual

Elias admits the idea for his ritual kinda fell into place after Getrude didnt do anything about the people's church in march 2015. He shot Getrude and appointed Jon shortly after so "when you came to me already marked by the Web, I knew it had to be you." is pure dramatics as Jon was hired 4 years prior

also he got his ritual in 2018 so he managed to acomplish his life's goal in only 3 years, love his grindset 🔥

We never get a number for how many people Elias has killed in his ritual, the real life millbank has held over 1000 people at once, but id imagine his one panopticon held less than a whole complex

its really interesting to me in mag92 that hes SO sure they all know he's talking to them of his own free will. is he just that dead set on being in control or making sure they take no credit for his confession

there is a clock in Elias' office (but it's only heard in mag98)

He has killed people but Elias is very much not a blood thirsty person. Getrude and Peter are both surprised when he results to that. He's very much just ruthless and does not care, if to get his way he has to kill someone. It doesnt seem like he's ever happy to do so, maybe this is a quirk of being eye aligned and getting rid of any type of knowledge is painful (he does for example never want Tim to die at the Unknowing), or he just finds covering those murders up a hassle

for the Unknowing Elias books them all hotel rooms, how thoughtful

something cute to me that Jon was too good at the Eye that Elias couldnt meet him face to face post coma

In mag158 he implies that even Institute employees not in the archives are tied to it, at least enough that they could suffer or die if it burned down

between finding other people just as tools to watch and discard and saying empathy holds you back he was definitely a very very lonely man

He is a very breathy person. He sounds breathy when he talks. He takes deep breaths to ready himself and before he uses his powers. And he often breathes through his nose before speaking or during pauses

He has said Jon's name 62 times, only twice calling him "Jonathan" and called him archivist 25 times (24 in the mag120 statement, 1 in mag138 and 1 in mag161)(he also kinda calls him The Archive in 160)

other fun amount of words: know (65 times), see (42), martin (35), detective (20), eyes (20) and eye (9), afraid (9) and "bullshit" (1)

its still insane to me they added all of those sound effects of Elias' cuffs in prison, thats something fun to appreciate. It also means its canon he gestures quite a bit!

[livelaughlovesubs]

Goddddd I wanna bully (tease) Alhaitham so badly, Nini ughhhhh my GI grindset is back in full swing and I'm in a new arc of whoredom

He's absolutely the mfer who thinks that just bc he's well read on sex he's an expert on it, while it certainly helps there's just some experiences you can't explain/don't make sense unless you've experienced it.

Man is his world turned upside down once you come into the picture, he's never really experienced desire that much in his life and he was fine with that.

Sure, passing fancies but wowsers you're something different, it feels like any time you're in the vicinity he'll make up some excuse to himself so he can talk to you. Definitely likes how you sass him up (keep it up and he's gonna have to marry you 😤 yes I am diehard that Alhaitham would absolutely be into someone who sasses him up good, maybe a little bit of bullying as a treat cause he's a freak like that. Good for him.)

Definitely thought he was going to be the dominant one but when you roll over and pin him to the bed it was an awakening fr fr now he's curious (we all know how he won't relent on a subject that catches his interest).

Like Cyno I know his slutty, slutty waist is sensitive hngghg

I've seen so many arts of Alhaitham, especially bottom/sub Alhaitham with sensitive ears, like they're an erogenous zone for him and I sheeeeeshhhh that's a lot of power.

-🐇

I- new arc of whoredom??? Bae, sweetie, honey. Bro. How comes each new ask I see of you is more creative than the last? But I love that thing where his ears are like his secondary eroticzones 👏👏 I just adore it when, for example, you are teasing him with something that feels just as good as touching his crotch, but you bully him by saying, “I haven’t done much~ I only licked your ears a little? How could you get hard already?” As if you didn’t know he was sensitive there. It’s also like their very unique quirk or smt.

And yes, this man would def love to be overpowered. He’d have the best and hugest load of his life after getting dommed for the first time, then have post-nut enlightenment fr.

[lizardsfromspace]

The stereotypical cultural horizons of tech people weren't broad before - mainly focusing on a few mainstream sci-fi and fantasy franchises - but that's miles better than AI (and, before them, NFT) people, who seem to like no art at all. Even the Metaverse people have, at the least, read Snow Crash and Ready Player One. But here we have people claiming they're creating the future of art whose media consumption appears to be primarily podcasts about Efficiency and That Grindset. They badly misunderstand any medium they talk about in a fundamental way ("wouldn't it be cool if you could bring weapons from one game into every game?"). They not only fail to have any creative drive of their own, which heretofore seemed like it was impossible for human beings, they don't...seem to engage with creativity, either. Which also seemed impossible for human beings. Watching This Type of Guy post about reading a hundred books a year & they're all business-brain nonfiction pablum and speak even about the monkey JPEGs and AI sludge they share primarily in financial terms and wondering: God, do they even play video games

[dr-docktor]

IM STILL ON THAT GRINDSET!!

I might make a fewwwww more after this but I think I’m reaching the end of my creative rope with this one.

I love that little mechanic where you can take photos of characters and show them to other characters and it’ll give you their opinion/reaction of them

[nyxi-pixie]

thinking abt creatives and self criticism and wondering if the whole capitalism grindset thing is part of why people think the only things they produce that are worthy of praise are things that take Significant time and effort, and thus when you're naturally good at, or enjoy the process of, creating enough that it doesnt feel difficult, you devalue your own creation bc you feel as if it didnt take enough out of you.

anyway. its very difficult to view your own work in an objective way but i can almost guarantee you that a lot of the flaws you find are not going to be obvious to most of your audience.

Your audience is not desperately searching for fault with your work the way you are as its creator.

[traitor-boyfriend]

boys’ primary social media & internet forums of choice:

cartman -- 4chan. self-explanatory. his favorite boards are /cm/, /pol/, but is also partial to /toy/ and /gif/. /Lgbt/ lurker firmly of the position that traps aren't gay.

kenny -- youtube. watches a lot of fail compilations, conspiracy theories, and doomsday preppers. occasionally he plays three hour long sigma male motivation and philosophy videos on the nature of evil in the background while huffing computer duster.

stan -- snapchat. the guy that makes a bunch of annoying black background 2 am “anyone up” snaps all the time and then is upset when no one is. Mostly watches others' stories and does not post incredibly often but is easily tricked into sending shirtless pics to girls from school despite better judgement then minorly freaks out when notified a screenshot was taken (for the purpose of light mockery at the girls' slumber parties) to Kyle who chides him for his low self-esteem.

kyle -- reddit. super annoying about it too. is a mod for 2-3 midsize subs where everyone hates him because he takes it far too seriously and is constantly making pinned posts reminding everyone of sub rules. always making snarky comments like “not sure why i’m being downvoted...” that are then in turn downvoted. Bitches to Stan about mod drama who gives it the good ol college try pretending he cares about the power struggle between him and mod u/PoohDonkey420

butters -- split between Pinterest and TikTok. likes a lot of paper craft and seasonal decorating ideas on Pinterest and then makes videos of his attempts to recreate them on TikTok; becomes a minor celebrity subject to many conspiratorial YouTube documentaries about his living situation given how often Stephen interrupts a video to yell at him that butters is not tech savvy enough to cut out in their entirety.

craig -- also 4chan. almost exclusively sticks to /co/ and /mu/ but likes to pop-in to /lgbt/ to remind everyone on board (see: Cartman) that traps are indeed gay.

clyde -- twitter. Gets no engagement whatsoever but is posting all day every day. Is always direct messaging chicks with onlyfans links in bio to see if he can sweet talk them into nudes for free. Never does. cries to Craig about it who then calls him pathetic.

tolkien -- instagram. gym thirst traps and pictures of expensive family vacations. Super into grindset posting about no days off and aspirational graphics, power of positive thinking type shit. falls victim to the charms of hot women hawking tummy tea.

jimmy -- also reddit. master of fake-post-as-creative-writing-exercise posting. Frequents r/TIFU and r/jokes, then cross-posts his r/jokes post into r/standupcomedy to ask “is this anything?” and receives maybe two comments, three if it’s a good day. is the “you sir win the internet have my upvote” guy.

tweek -- tiktok, but it's a love-hate relationship. the never-ending stream of short videos is the perfect time-wasting relaxation pit due to his severe ADHD but induces extreme paranoia about what exactly the algorithm *does*. never posts, just favorites funny and/or cute videos to show craig later; Craig laughs at maybe every fifth one.

[toskarin]

hi you made a post probably a couple months ago that went something like "i kinda wanna make a roguelike(?) video game but i dont want any creative control over it i just want to be on the "sir yes sir" grindset and do what im told" and i just want you to know that post resonated with me so deeply that it was the catalyst for me dropping my game design major to swap to computer science to focus on the maths and programming side of things. i wasnt very far in it so minimal lost time but immediately felt happier. like i think you just changed my career path for the better with a tumblr post. all because of "i just want to be a goon" or whatever you said awakening something in me that really does yearn to just be a goon doing tasks.

genuinely congratulations! it's definitely not easy to readjust your plans around something that seems more "boring" on its surface, but I've always found that working regularly on something more... straightforward? makes me far happier when I can indulge more nonlinear work on my own time. but I do understand that's not how everyone sees it

hope your work treats you well!

[subskz]

hello my love! i'm finally here with the requested knowledge, sorry it took so long! ♡ i consulted my book written by the founders of mbti, and here are the results:

entps are original, individual, independent and perceptive. they are tireless at what interests them but find it hard to get other things done. they are full of ideas and operate by impulsive energy. they are very strong in initiative and creative impulse, value inspiration and have the power to inspire others. they are versatile, very clever, enthusiastic and they don't shy away from a discussion/debate! they are also very analytical and would make amazing inventors or scientists. our lovely grindset is very cool indeed 🩷

when it comes to intps: just like entps, they are analytical, independent, full of ideas and very perceptive. however, they tend to be a bit more reserved, outwardly quiet and detached. they are also curious and adaptable, persevering and are thought to be the most intellectually profound of all the types! many intps are university professors or theorists. our beloved catboy anon is a brainiac 🫶

the two types share a deep bond based on their passion for exploring ideas and engaging in discussions together! 😸 they inspire each other and engage each other intellectually. they can grow together and have a very meaningful and long-lasting connection. in a way, the two types mirror each other and can find a space for mutual understanding. 🌸

it sounds very lovely in my opinion. 😸 i hope this has been at least a little bit helpful and accurate! feel free to summon me anytime ♡ -🌻 (the real sunflower anon)

hello hello my angel!! there’s no need to apologize at all the fact that you took the time to look into it and explain it to us is so kind of you, thank you so much ㅠㅠ esp to be so thorough that u read ur official mbti book…as expected of you!! 🥰

the way u describe them is so cool entp and intp almost remind of those misunderstood geniuses you see in movies…and i definitely see a lot of those traits you mentioned in our dearest catboy and grindset! especially grindset w her cleverness LMAO im always amazed by the details she catches on to and how witty her sense of humor is 😭 and she’s always sparking fun discussions here! (remembering the astrology debate of 2022)

our beloved catboy is a braniac‼️ i think the part abt being full of ideas speaks for itself hehe their genius brain never rests and they come up w some of the most deliciously creative concepts i’ve ever seen!! everything has that special catboy anon twist to it~ and they’ll probably try to deny the intellectually profound part but i know firsthand that it’s true >:)

“the two types mirror each other and can find a space for mutual understanding” that really does sound lovely 💗 u explained it so well and concisely esp for me who doesnt know much abt mbti! thank you again my dearest wife i appreciate ur thoughtful analysis so much and im sure catboy n grindset will too <33

[selamat-linting]

one of my coworkers resigned suddenly a month ago, saying she's gonna open a business. it was a bit of an acrimonious split because she left earlier than she should. anyway, she is now in our competitor's place. and my coworker's reaction was to bitch about her with us. he said she couldnt do her job here and now she thinks she can make it with a lesser competitor. i mean, she did cry a lot and was never the most productive or creative. she didnt mesh with the workaholic/grindset culture very well. but i think he's a bit too harsh.

i do think its a shame she doesnt try to tough it out. other workplaces wouldnt train you, and if they do its not the standard of the best [redacted] in the country. other places rely on discounts, trashing on our place to sell their shit, and review bombing us while we focus on bettering our service. theyre gonna be fucked in a few years when better, bigger franchises moved in slashing their price to get rid of local competitors.

[redskysailor]

💌 hi

The denner.... hi hayding your autism is so inspiring. That was a silly joke but for eel I love your art and ocs and playing fortnite with you YIPPY.... Your brain is so creative and it's so fun to talk to you abt your oc lore and stuff 😁 Also I love your bookreader grindset thank you for making me want to read books again. If I can ever get back in the habit (I'M WORKING ON IT... I'M 3 CHAPTERS INTO DRACULA RN) I think it would be fun to read a book together and gossip about it 💪