You and the Spark

This week I’ve had too many ideas in my head. From tasks I’ve actually needed to do, like planting my seedlings of broccoli and Brussels sprouts in the raised beds, to plans I’ve been toying with, like hosting a workshop in October or changing my website structure, I’ve felt plagued by indecision for no good reason, other than too many possibilities and too little time to think it all through.

So I return to this advice from Martin Scorsese. He’s speaking about making movies, but I find it applicable to all creative pursuits:

You have to find your own way. There are no manuals, no shortcuts, no secrets. You write your own manual, you develop your own shortcuts, you find your own secrets. You go where you’re drawn to go, and you learn by doing the work. If you’re scared, if it all seems like too daunting, if the machinery of it all seems too big and scary and overwhelming, it’s great - you wake up in the morning and you do it anyway. If it seems impossible, it’s even better. You do it anyway. And as you go, like I said, remember that amidst all that machinery, you’re the one who’s gonna make the picture. It’s just you and the thing that sparked you to make the film. You and the spark. In the end, they’re one and the same. You guard that, because it’s precious. Now it’s time to get to work.