The Creative Urge

There was a long period in my life that I felt this creative urge, for lack of a better way to explain it. The feeling was like a strong desire to create something and it felt like it was going to burst from my chest if I didn’t feed it. There was some heavy frustration I felt from these yearnings to be creative but not knowing how to release this inner urge. I always wished I were a songwriter and musician, that is the kind of creativity that came to mind but I’m not, so that didn’t help. Years ago, I tried playing guitar but never dedicated the time needed to really learn it. These days, I think that I could try songwriting, to learn the process and see how I do. I think I could do okay and, just like anything that someone works at, I would continually get better with time.

I refinish antique furniture and am a carpenter, not by trade but was at one time. Both of these skills have given me much satisfaction with a feeling of accomplishment. The end result of any project, whether remodeling a room or refinishing an antique piece of furniture, it’s extremely satisfying for me.

So, this craving to be creative was more than the satisfaction I got from either of those hobbies. I had not felt it when I was younger but it had been really strong in the past five years. I had no idea why or how to satisfy that craving. At the time, I had not even considered writing a book, it wasn’t even a thought. I wondered if I needed to start painting or get back to acting. I was not sure but this feeling continued to nag me.

Once I got going on writing my first novel, that urge subsided. It wasn’t pushing me anymore. I really didn’t think about it much because it wasn’t on the fringes, nagging me. Out of sight, out of mind kind of thing. Once I finished my book, I felt a new urge to keep writing and realized that the original craving I felt all those years had died down, it was no longer pulling at me as strongly as it once had. I found a way to satisfy that urge that had been nagging at me for years.

True, I had satisfied that urge but now that I had started to create, I needed to continue. Some sort of creative channel opened up in my brain and all of these ideas came pouring forth, once I worked on that first book. I did not lack for any material to write about, which I feel lucky for that aspect. I had so much swimming around my head, I started writing it all down… well, I started typing it into my phone memo pad. The memo page I created is quite long these days, with things being added a few times a week.

So, the creative urge that afflicted me had been satisfied. I’m not sure if this is normal to anyone or everyone out there but it pushed me to figure it out and I’m glad I was able to do just that. I would assume anyone who has the desire to be creative would feel something like I had. But once I tapped into the writing world and took off on my own, it satisfied that craving and changed it into a desire to continue creating because of the enjoyment it had brought to me.

I have been writing now on a consistent basis for the better part of the past four years. Just these past 6 months, I have been concentrating on editing more than anything. My novel writing has taken a back seat for now as I have to get some of this work ready to be seen by agents. As I have discussed in other posts, the editing process is a long, tedious process. So, no writing has been going on for at least the past 6 months.

Tap into that creative side of yourself. I honestly never thought of writing a book. I always thought that was for highly creative people and never considered myself to be as creative as the authors I have read through the decades. Now that I have gotten over that hurdle, it is a whole new world. I’m not sure I would have had success writing a book when I was younger but at my age, it came at the right time, I was ready. And all of those experiences from when I was younger are now being used throughout my novels. Don’t get me wrong, I would have preferred the outpouring of creativity when I was younger so I could have made a career of it earlier on in my life but there’s no time like the present!

For the past 2 months, that creative urge has surfaced again, after almost 4 years. And it is strong again. So, it got me wondering, why now and why is it coming up again? Have I not been creative enough? I feel I have but it kept at me. Maybe because I had not been writing new material? I’m not sure but it made me look at another avenue that I have always wanted to travel.

I was an actor for years in Chicago. Mostly TV shows and movies, auditioning for commercials, and doing a lot of extra work while trying to get my big break. It never came but I loved the job of an actor, it was a lot of fun during those years. Then, I needed to get a real job with benefits as I had a child on the way. The acting career went on hold, indefinitely. I learned a lot during those years through classes and my own teachings. All of this past training will come in handy for the new path I am starting to forge.

One thing during that time and ever since then that I never did but always wanted to was to be a voiceover actor. I have been out of work now since May of 2020 and decided it was a great time to start working on a career in the voice acting field. In the last 6 weeks, I have been diving into this industry, attending seminars, taking classes, and learning all I can to be a voice actor. It is as exciting to me as when I started my writing journey. And I have noticed that once again, that creative urge that was nagging at me again has quieted. Maybe I have been successful in feeding it once again.

Writing is still my main passion and one that will always be at the forefront but I am excited about tackling this new adventure. I feel confident that I can be successful in this new endeavor and turn it into a full-time job. Between that and the writing, I love the outpouring of creativity that I am having at this time in my life. It’s never too late to do the things you love or that you find you have a passion. Just go for it, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. When that creative urge hits, figure it out and enjoy the rewards.

Happy reading, happy writing!

Doug