"It don't come easy... You know it don't come easy." (Ringo)
I have been told many times, "Just do one thing and do that One Thing well."
I wish I could abide by that. Lately, it feels like I'm drowning in task lists (like the photo here -- except I don't have women arms). I was 'gifted' ("--someone tell me If I've been gifted or robbed." -- Stephen Stills) with many talents. Yes, I could have chosen to ignore many of them, but that's not how my life (and my vocational and creative life) has gone.
I can't tell you why I ended up taking on so many creative directions, although I can tell you that it is what has kept me alive over all the intervening years. I Am my Creativity. I am both Drawn to it, and Driven by It.
And along with that comes doing what is required to further the aim of my Children helping to pay for themselves in The Marketplace (since I am not paid by the State to create).
With all of the Directions shown on this website (and a few that are still to be added later), the To Do List of To Do Lists only continues to grow. I have had to learn new skills that I didn't already have, in order to do what I can't afford to have someone else do in the meantime.
I know it sounds as if I want my cake and the ability to eat it too. And yes, for the most part, that is the case.
Part of what I have to do (which has overridden my To Do List for today), is maintain and keep my websites 'fresh' in the SEO market (already overwhelmed with soooo many Other 'options'). Of course, what I've done is write Blog posts. Helping to 'keep my sites "relevant".' And Writing is Writing.
According to 'Many,' in order to call oneself and Artist or Writer, One has to do One's Craft (whichever it is), Every Day. Except. You need to do 'housekeeping' (until such tie as you have Staff to do that).
Now I've known for a long time what I was going to be 'up against' once I got to this point. Indeed it's what was holding me back for many years from 'reaching for the Stars' my present life is consumed with. "Fear of Failure" many have called this.
But I don't think that (unless the Speaker has gone this way themselves) that someone should feel like they know what they are talking about. Unless you've built up an organization from scratch, don't even go there.
Even my family that is working in intense work situations shouldn't even 'go there.' They're Staff. They are not Directing Work, but only implementing Other Peoples directions and instructions.
While I was sitting with my Family at breakfast the morning of my youngest Brothers Wedding, my Grandmother had the gall to tell me, "Well when you die, I'll take all of your little scraps of paper and make something of them." If I had been one of Many I had known at the time, I either would have left the table and never spoken to her again... Or given up in hopelessness, letting everything that I've accomplished in the meantime disappear in the smoke of her comments.
My Grandmother is now long gone. I continued to Do the Work, and will continue to Do the Work. Especially now that I am finally where I am. No matter how many To Do Lists I 'drown in.'