perspective exercise

 

I’m tearing my hair out, trying to come up with something, an idea for a big project I have due coming up. I assumed because I’ve chosen a creative route instead of research that the inspiration, a sort of muse would come floating down to me, moving my hand to write something spectacular. But instead it’s just me and a blank sheet of paper staring back at me.

         “Come on, just go for it!” Her pen just floats over my blank face for what feels like hours, her nose pressed down like it always is when she’s focusing. She’s got to learn at some point that you can’t always wait for things to come to you. Sometimes, you actually have to work at something (preferably before the day of the due date.) If only she could hear me, “Hello! I won’t judge, just put something down on the page!” But she just sits there in silence, oblivious, biting the inside of her cheek, her eyes narrowed like she’s thinking hard. In all honesty, she’s probably just thinking about when it’s acceptable to give up and put her headphones on for the night, like that’s going to take the stress looming over her head away. And there they are, the headphones signaling that I won’t be useful anymore, back into the backpack until tomorrow, a new sense of urgency and maybe, hopefully some words on my page.