A Creative Path for 2012

Lately, I've been lurking in the Big, Fun, Scary Things forum. I like it there. So many of you are so positive, and have such exciting goals for the new year. As I read these lists, something else impresses me: they're so definitive.

Definitiveness, or the lack thereof, has been my creative bête noir for the better part of 2011. I have a drive to make stuff, but so much of the time, I'm not certain where I should direct my efforts. Instead of starting work, I choose from any number of avoidance methods: new lists, notebooks, Google Docs, etc. As a result, the 12-month graph of my productivity is more of a sad scatter plot than a proudly rising slope.

I want to better define my creative path in 2012. I know my strengths as a writer; I just need to determine—for once and for all—how they can best be used. In short, I'm ready to get going on my 10,000 hours as soon as I figure out how to spend them. So, will it be creative nonfiction, art/culture essays, humor pieces, odd little short stories, or some other form I've never even considered? Time to answer this question and steer/steel myself for the hard work ahead.

Anybody else struggling with creative direction? What are your next steps going to be? Do any of you writers or artists with well-worn paths have advice to share? 2012 Chris, with laptop at the ready, thanks you for your company and guidance.

– Chris A.

Photo by Flickr user Lomo-Cam