A recurring theme on this year’s writing blogs has been how bad the last two years have sucked. You’d be forgiven for thinking the universe has turned against us. At minimum, Mother Earth is acting like she’s tired of some two-legged parasites.
In a post on the Stage 32 blog, Michael Pizzano says we need to keep creating, even when it feels like the deck is stacked against us. For Pizzano, the question that kept him going is why. “When you are challenged creatively, find your WHY, both for you as a creative and for the project you’re about to undertake,” he says.
When COVID-19 broke out, Pizzano had some career momentum going that he didn’t want to waste. Several projects were put on hold and he was laid off from his job. After absorbing the shock, he used the time he would put into those other projects to start his own. The work also helped maintain his mental health.
“I’ve found the best cure for unyielding sadness to be progress,” he says. “Progress in anything would probably do but for me, the best brand of progress is that which is related to the goals associated with my lifelong passion. Did I want to stay sane during the quarantine? Yes. Did I know how to do it? Of course. Tell a story.”
How to do it? That’s up to you. Go solo or build a team. Do what you love or try something new. “If pushing the envelope is the best way to stay focused and grow, then why not try something you’ve always wanted to try but never had the chance?” Pizzano says.
Then what? Send it out into the world and do it all again. “That’s what we do as creators,” Pizzano writes. “Regardless of the size of the tree that falls in the road, we find a way around it because it is always possible to create and it will always be worth the trouble.”
