Woulda/Coulda/Shoulda? Try this one amazing trick!

/

Okay, who wrote that headline? I want ’em outta here.

Over on Bluesky, the writers and musicians and artists and scientists are posting their end-of-year assessments and sharing their accomplishments — and there are a good number of the same sorts who are bemoaning their lack of accomplishment. They are disappointed in themselves.

I get it, I do. My actual Lichtenbergian advice would be to tell them that “failure is always an option,” and that it’s okay that they didn’t get done what they wished they had done. However, although it is good advice, it’s not something that someone who sees everyone else’s success wants to hear.

So let’s do this, boys and girls: Using the Nine Precepts as a roadmap, let’s GESTALT your year in creativity. See what was missing, and then maybe use that insight to improve your process this year. Easy, right? Grab your WASTE BOOK and let’s get started.

Here’s what we’re going to do:

  • For each Precept, I’ll link to that Precept’s explanatory page for anyone who hasn’t read the book or been around here for very long. (Each page is only a couple of paragraphs; you’re not getting into Being and Nothingness here.)

  • I’ll give you some journal prompts to consider and then answer in your WASTE BOOK. Propose a solution if one occurs to you. Yes, this is an assignment.

  • Finally, I’ll give my own assessment of my work habits for this past year.

This is going to be two or three or four blog posts, so keep checking back in.

1. Task Avoidance

Read about TASK AVOIDANCE.

  • Did you practice structured procrastination? Did you avoid working on Project A by working on Project B, and vice versa?

  • Did you give your projects enough resting time/gestation? In other words, were you willing to set Project A aside and let some its problems lie there and annoy you for a while?

Me: I did practice structured procrastination, but I didn’t have enough projects to be “productive.” (There’s a reason people like me are proud of having written a bare seventeen minutes of music for the entire year.) I will also say that I am among those whose reaction to ::waves hands:: all this has derailed a lot of my creative impulses.

My biggest excuse for not composing more is that I didn’t work hard enough to learn either MuseScore or Dorico after the failure of Finale. Solution: Dig in with Dorico and get proficient.

2. Waste Books

Read about WASTE BOOKS.

  • Did you have a way to jot down random ideas, project details, prompts?

  • If so, did you do that? If not, could it be your chosen WASTE BOOK isn’t matching your needs/style?

Me: Of course I have my Field Notes Brand WASTE BOOK with me at all times. My problem with getting stuff written down is that I mostly wear t-shirts and pullovers these days, and so I don’t have a shirt pocket to carry a pen or pencil in. Because I’m a snob I prefer to use a nice fountain pen, but those don’t travel well in one’s blue jeans. Solution: Carry a gel pen I don’t mind writing with.

All right, that’s enough to get us started. Next installment on Jan 5, 2026!