Action vs.Intention (the dreamer that becomes the artist)

Dear Reader,


          Happy Monday, Wherever you are. I hope you are having a productive day. I hope your coffee was strong and your morning was tolerable. I confess that I am (as I'm sure you have realized by now) not at all a morning person. I don't think I've ever gotten up before 9AM if I didn't have to. Some people would say I'm sleeping the day away. I disagree. "The early bird gets the worm!" Well so, what does the night-owl care? He's sleeping off his banquet of field mice from the night before. What about you, dear reader? Are you a night owl or early bird? One of my favorite song writers Samuel Beam (Iron & Wine, of whom I'm currently listening to, if I might add) says that he finds morning writing to be a far more eclectic time to create. I could care less what time you put pen to paper if you can write music like that man can, and I can understand as a sentiment if you are someone like my mother has always been who arises with vigor and purpose and curiosity, you could find "sunrise writing" a more fulfilling way to create. I find trouble with that. I awaken most mornings with only thoughts of going back to bed simply because I'm spent from writing so much during the night. It's a viscous cycle as you can imagine. Maybe I can try getting up and forcing myself to the keyboard. Try to develop the habit of taking my work into my own hands. After all, I've heard it said that as a writer, or any type of entrepreneur really, you are the acting CEO of your own company. Lets just say that my company is VERY easy going and losing a lot of business to other companies who aren't afraid to put their product out into the public.
           Maybe early-rising will give me the fortitude to accomplish  more throughout the day and at the very least get me in front of my work during more "productive hours." Or maybe that's just a bullshit mind-hack to make you feel like your work is more meaningful. "It's 9AM and everyone is at work now INCLUDING ME!" ... okay pal, whatever you need to tell yourself. Anyway. Whatever works for you, whatever time you feel more comfortable creating, dear reader, do that. You don't owe anyone an explanation to your creative process. Someone once told me that, and I never felt more empowered, more in control of my creative process when I heard that. So I'm passing that thought on to you. All that matters is whether or not you take action.
       ACTION yes. The verb of accomplishment. One would argue, as an artist, is the most important verb of them all. Not even just to the artist though, whatever your dreams, whatever your goals in whatever facet of life you are examining... the only step that matters is the doing. 
        I'm reminded of a tattoo one of my ex-lovers got on her wrist: it was the word intention. I'd like to examine this concept, and do my best to ignore the fact that she misspelled the word in the cursive script of her bland penmanship so it reads "imtensiom". I shit you not. I often wonder if the tattoo artist just laughed and rolled his eyes as he knowingly injected the meaningless jumble of cursive letters onto her delicate, unspoiled wrist. Or was he, like so many before him (including myself) so enamored by her charm and beauty that he just ignored her blatantly pretentious stupidity for a chance to see what the rest of her dancer's figure might look like unclothed. "How many other misspelled musings of hers did she hastily plaster onto her lovely olive skin," he wonders "...and where?". I feel your inquisitive pain, mister unknown tattoo artist.
        How dare you, Colin Joseph! It could have been a female tattoo artist who spoke no English! Well, dear reader, it still doesn't detract from my original point...which is...which is what?
        Oh yes! What the f@ck is Intention to an artist -- or anyone, for that matter? Intention is the self-righteous cousin of laziness. I intended to do my homework, I intended to write a novel, I intended to vote, I intended to perform surgery on your daughter, I intended to start a blog, I intended to memorize my lines, I intended to donate to that charity you sent to me, I intended to quit drinking and sleeping around, I intended to...am I driving the point home?         
       Intention is a daydream, and even dogs have daydreams. It's a tepid, and self-affirming excuse to get out of actually f@cking bothering to do the thing. Sure, I intended to write this blog post, but until I sat my skinny ass down, threw on some Iron & Wine and started mindlessly typing, it was just a thought, a daydream, a plan. And sure, plans and intentions are a useful thing to start with, but they are abstract and useless until they are put into action ... I can put a billion great ideas into a planner or journal, but that is only the VERY BEGINNING of the creative process. The only thing that matters is the follow-through. That's why, in the arts for example, we have people called "actors" or "dancers" or "directors"... there are no "intenders" anywhere to be found.
         Anyway, dear READer (see, even you are in the processes of doing... you can intend to read a rambling blog, or a book, or a listicle on the most-favored sexual positions, but if you don't actually do the thing, you'll never gain the knowledge you set out to acquire) my question to you is this:

         What have you been intending to do that you have not put into action? I'll throw out a "humble brag" and tell you that I had been intending to send in an application to a local writer's residency that offers housing and pay for an entire month to work on whatever creative project you are working on. This is an incredible thing for an artist if you are finding it difficult to get the time you need to create, or looking to get away from the humdrum routine of your daily life. Anyway, today I sacked up and just did it. Got my project description, my CV and a 10 page sample of some previous writing together and just sent them in. I might not get it, but I'll never know unless I try. Anyway dear reader, I hope this posts finds you well, and whether you found my ramblings harsh, or inspiring, I hope you at least can assess your projects, your daydreams, creations, intentions, and start to put them into action.

Good luck and I'll talk to you soon!    

-CjM