Burn-out
remains one of the challenges creative people face, whether they’re game
designers, writers, artists, or others relying on their imaginations. Certainly
everyone in almost any job has the potential to become so involved in and
overwhelmed by their tasks that they hit a point where energy and inspiration
dry up, making effective forward progress nigh impossible. One of the keys to
overcoming this obstacle comes from finding the time to vary one’s creative
activities, ranging from the tangentially related to the overly ridiculous.
An esteemed
fellow-blogger recently discussed maintaining creative balance and the need to
vary one’s creative activities (in this case through solo gaming). Whether
we’re creative types developing games or folks working in retail or offices,
people need to vary their activities to recharge their energy, reduce stress,
and ward off the drudgery of repetitive tasks. I myself have reached a
crossroads on two projects (roleplaying game and miniature wargame) where I’m
confident what I need to do next but need to step away for a moment to regain
my perspective and re-focus my momentum. So I’m taking a slight break from both
projects to engage in several activities to help cleanse my creative palate and
recharge my energy. They range from quick exercises to significant projects
both game-related and otherwise:
Quick Freelance Project: Some fine
folks with whom I’ve worked before contacted me to do a few extra bits for a
new roleplaying game they’re bringing to publication. I had some familiarity
with the game world and system, so I took advantage of an opportunity to do
some paying game writing as a break from fretting over my own projects. The job
also keeps me involved with current game publishers and adds to my
non-self-publishing bibliography of game contributions.
Reading: I’m a voracious reader, though
my full-time parenting duties don’t always offer the time for it I used to
find. From recreational fiction to scholarly non-fiction, I keep enough books
around to always find something to read that engages my myriad interests. My
latest two diversions are George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones and Professor Scott Nicholson’s Everyone Plays at the Library. Both
engage me on different levels and force me to think about things other than my
current projects. I’ve somehow managed to overlook and casually resist A Game
of Thrones since it’s publication, though the HBO series has certainly brought
it renewed cultural prominence; so I found a used copy at a library book sale
and thought I’d give it a read. While I found it addictive in a Beverly Hills 90210 way, I also found it
quite brutal in some ways (possibly because I’m a parent). I’ve had Nicholson’s
book on my wish list for a while and finally bought it at a fantastic discount
through the publisher. It’s a wonderful summary of his summer 2008 online video
course on the same subject, a practical resource for those of us who prefer
such material in print for handy reference. Nicholson creates a framework for
talking about games, including categorizing games, participants, and goals
within a library context…one people could easily port to other public and
educational venues.
Rory’s Story Cubes: These wonderful storytelling toys have so many applications in gaming and writing, from challenging
one to weave an entertaining tale using the random, inspiring images to generating
non-player characters (as demonstrated over at the Solo Nexus blog). I gave it
a try recently as a break when I hit a snag in the “Quick Freelance Project”
above, and rather nicely generated a fantasy roleplaying game adventure idea on
the fly. I’ve yet to try using them with my toddler to inspire some imaginative
storytelling, but right now he’s overcome with the euphoria of both the
impending gift-giving holiday and his own birthday.
Holidays: Whatever you celebrate this
month, it’s a welcome break from our often less-than-festive everyday lives. Despite
some of the stress from all the hectic preparations (and lots of baking on my
part), it’s a change of pace that gives our bodies and minds a break from
routine and helps us re-focus on family, friends, generosity, and the tiny,
glimmering light of hope in the darkest time of the year.
Refocus on A+: Back in August game
designer rock star Monte Cook waged a campaign to remain positive online during the month of August, encouraging others to follow his lead and be a bit more
civil online. I’m aspiring to take that further in my own life by seeking to be
positive in my online interactions as well as my face-to-face, real-life
dealings and my general outlook on developments in my life. I’ve had my moments
of negativity and pessimism during periods of my life, many of which I’ve
identified and regret. At times it’s challenging to remain positive given the
host of negative stimuli in our lives, from personal setbacks, online
criticism, and world events, especially those that make everyone re-evaluate
how they relate to each other (both the holiday season and the tragic events in
Newtown, CT, frighteningly close to my childhood home of Ridgefield). I hope to
engage others in more positive, generous, and compassionate interactions while
trying to improve my own general outlook. This more positive re-focusing isn’t
just a momentary variation in my creative palate but a greater change in the
way I view things that helps put all my other activities in perspective.
