How do you fill the void?

“Your art should cost you something; otherwise stay home and do it for your cat.”

Stephen Adly Guirgis, playwright

I know, I know. I have been a very bad blogger.

I blame Facebook.

Okay, perhaps, Facebook can't be the scapegoat here.  Not entirely. Lately, writing has not been fun. Writing a grocery list or an email has been torture. Even writing one-liners for my status posts has been agony. So I’ve taken a break from writing these past few months to deal with some life issues.  And I’m okay with that. Everyone needs to step back sometimes to reevaluate and refresh—more on that later.

What I am not okay with is seeing how this blog has gotten so off-track.

Often, we forget that writing can’t just be a one-way street filled with venting or talking nonsense into the ether. Not good writing, anyway. It needs to connect to the audience. There doesn’t have to be some overt message, but it should have a point. Otherwise, as Guirgis says, do it for your cat.

So. What was my point?

This blog is called “Fighting the Void” because I believe everyone can be artistic. Everyone has talent. Not all of us are destined to become Van Gogh (and who would want to be crazy enough to cut off an ear anyway?). But all of us are capable living creative lives.

The trouble is we struggle with resistance. We hear critical thoughts from our inner editor. We are self-defeating, thinking its all crap. Or we have trouble figuring out what exactly it is we want to say. We are afraid of what people will think of our “true self” or how we really feel about things. So we do nothing, because that’s easier.

Making something, anything, is a struggle. And its not just art I’m talking about. It’s making a spreadsheet that people can read. It’s making a presentation that captivates a meeting room instead of putting people to sleep. It’s living fully and finding joy and passion no matter what we are doing.

In other words, my fellow warrior in art, I have led you astray. I have filled these posts with tangents, tidbits, oddities, and negative rants. Not anymore. This space will be devoted to thoughts on the daily struggle of fighting the void.

But here’s a question for you (if you have actually read this far)—what do you want to see in this blog? What posts have helped you, entertained you, or kept you motivated when all seems bleak? If your answer is nothing, then I would like to know that, too.

This blog is just not for my own wandering musings, but to connect. I don’t want to be in this fight alone.

So, what do ya say? Are you going to join me in the fight?