Why I’m Not the Renaissance Man I Should Be
Modern Day Distractions
As I sit before my computer to write this entry, already I’m distracted from the task. The software I’m using allows one to write in full screen mode. This means, it will fill the screen with a black background and then lay a white strip (a paper roll metaphor) down the middle of the screen upon which I write. The idea is to eliminate any distractions on the desktop so that the writer can focus solely on the task of writing. It didn’t quite work that way for me.
As soon as I selected full screen mode, my second monitor (I have two displays) went into full screen mode leaving my main display (the display directly in front of me) at the computer’s desktop. It’s currently showing a picture I took of the Hudson River at sunset. This will change within fifteen minutes to another of my photos. I’ll look at it when it does.
So now, I will check the application preferences to see if I can move the document back to the main screen for full screen mode. I can ignore the second monitor easier than the main monitor. Also, as I’m searching the settings, my computer just chimed and that tells me I have some e-mail in my inbox to check. Be right back…
… Moosejaw is having a winter clearance sale for anyone interested.
Where was I? Ah yes, I’m now writing on the main display with a photo of sunset in Acadia National Park — no, wait — it’s now a photo of Storm King Mountain and Pollepel Island being displayed on the second monitor.
I think I’m getting around to my point. That being, there are a million different distractions to keep a person preoccupied and therefore, keep him from meeting his creative potential. I consider creative potential for me to include writing, composing and playing music, photography, and videography. Between television, DVDs, music, books, audio books, computers, software, telephones, and the Internet, there is enough to keep me distracted from ever achieving any of those tasks which take thought and effort and result in creative satisfaction when completed. As described above, even the software I’m using to write this can be a distraction from my goal.
I should clarify something at this point. There are two types of distractions I’m dealing with: the beneficial and the detrimental. I would consider the problems I’ve described (and those I didn’t) with the software as being beneficial. They have provided me a distraction that doesn’t really occupy my mind and thus lets me form the thoughts I want to type. At least for me, writing isn’t a continuous flow from mind to page. I will pause between sentences and sometimes even mid-sentence as I compose my thoughts. If I come across a thought I haven’t yet expressed linguistically to myself, I will just stop and think. For particularly difficult concepts I will let myself be distracted by little things as I pause to think. The process lets the thought congeal without my trying to force it. Well, it works for me.
The other type of distraction is the detrimental distraction, and, it’s my biggest enemy. I’m lazy by nature, there’s no denying that fact. But, it wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have so many activities that can keep me distracted. Some are just time consuming or can only be done by itself. I would consider reading such an activity. It requires all of my attention so I can’t be productive. Still, at least I consider reading a healthy past time. Television on the other hand is not. Well, it is and it isn’t. Television to me is an amazing educational tool. I have learned a lot and kept myself up on current events and scientific topics by watching television. But, it’s also an opiate. Watching sitcoms, or concerts, or reality television is of no benefit to me other then to keep me entertained. There’s nothing wrong with that in small doses. It’s when I come home from work tired and my ambition is weak that I have real issue. Then, it keeps my mind partially engaged. Not to the level of being creative, just mulling over what I’m watching.
You know, I threw another concept out there that keeps me from my creative endeavors: work. While my work certainly uses my brain and ability to think creatively, it isn’t the creative thinking I want to do. I have long considered work a curse for that reason. It’s the place I spend the majority of my waking hours. It’s all thinking, but for someone else’s benefit.
So there you have it. It’s so simple. Television and like distractions aren’t my problem, work is. I spend all my creative juices all day for other’s benefit and when I get home I often don’t have much left for myself. See, that’s why I blog more on weekends.
I think I was happier when I was too distracted to think about this topic. I’m going to go watch some T.V.
I was going to blog about this same exact thing.
Now I’ll just link to you.
Comment by Shaun | March 13, 2009
Sorry about that. We’ll have to coordinate our entry’s.
Comment by Karl | March 13, 2009