MONDAY MONDAY: If It’s Easy, Is It Worth It?

NOTE: I briefly considered posting a picture my own desk on this post. Very briefly.

According to the people who decide what day it is, today is National Clean Off your Desk Day.

I’m working on it. Actually I’m working on cleaning out my entire home office.

As I posted on Facebook Saturday:

Dear Charities: I have empirical evidence that mailing labels and notepads are not cost effective.

The plan had been to overhaul the office between Christmas and New Year’s. For many reasons not worth your time, but that took a lot of mine, it didn’t happen.

I’m not just cleaning off the desk, I’m revamping the entire office. That means everything comes out, but doesn’t go back in. It also means that everything (or a lot of things) comes off the walls and most of that doesn’t go back.

It’s just no longer functional for what I need.

I need space for writing, space for art, a cozy corner for reading and napping.

And, as much as I may think or feel otherwise, I don’t need all the extra stuff.

True, as I’ve written before, I don’t have to have the perfect environment to write or create. In fact the perfect environment doesn’t exist. I just spend a lot of time in the home office and I need it not to bug me when I can’t find the stuff I need.

That was a longer introduction than I intended.

What prompted the post is the continuing series of ads I’m getting on social media. Both about writing and about art, specifically painting.

Here’s the easy way to write your book in a weekend.

Here’s an easy method to learn to paint.

Great, I’m all about making the process easier. But is the good stuff supposed to be easy?

Writing is hard. Writing well is harder.

The same with art.

I can type pretty quickly and do some stream of consciousness writing for a few minutes and rattle off a few thousand words. But it is worth reading?

I’ve been drawing since before I could write the alphabet. I’m constantly working to find ways to improve my work.

Should I then be offended by the ads that tell me how easy it can be?

I’m not really. I mean, if a process helps you feel like you’re creating and you develop products you enjoy and are proud of, then by all means, go for it.

Just don’t tell me that the writing or art I’m doing is easy.

Because it’s not.

There’s no magic formula for writing the next best seller, or creating the next masterpiece.

Trust me. I’ve looked.

You may thank me later. I just saved you the low, low price of $99.00 (for today only).

Let’s get back to work.

American singer, guitarist, and actor, Elvis Presley, was born on this day in 1935 (died 1977).


Available on Amazon.

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