When the work flows

I don’t bake. Too much time, too much cleanup. (Image by congerdesign)

Most of my songs take a few hours to write.

Some take longer — several hours or more, stretched over days or even years.

Every now and then, one pops out that only takes a few minutes.

As far as I can tell, there is no difference in quality between the ones that took a long time and the ones that got done quickly. There may be a difference in complexity, but the aesthetic value is in the eye (or ear) of the beholder.

I learned early on not to fall into the trap of believing that the harder the labor, the more valuable the brainchild. A great song conveys a certain effortlessness even when it took great effort to produce. All the better, then, if that effortless quality accurately reflects the ease of composition.

The reason that the difficult songs take years to write is that I put them aside when I get stuck. Some of them, I never go back to (or at least, I haven’t gotten back to them yet).

That’s right. I give up when the going gets rough. I also give up when I just don’t feel like doing the work.

Should I force myself to push through? Should I build up the mental discipline to stick with the work when it’s uncomfortable, frustrating, or just plain boring?

I believe that life is already hard enough. I won’t continue with something that’s an unpleasant grind when I can find something else to focus on that will give me an adequate level of challenge with a commensurate reward.

I have nothing to prove to you, to myself, or to the muse. I will readily abandon something that is too hard in favor of something that flows more easily. I just can’t think of a good enough reason not to.

Okay, then. At least I’m working on something. At least I’m challenging myself. I’m safe. Right?

Well, as much as I enjoy challenging myself, I don’t think that anything bad will happen if I take it easy. Teenagers are told that they’ll end up working at McDonald’s if they don’t work hard and go to college. Okay, fine. McDonald’s offers insurance benefits and a 401(k), which is awfully tempting.

True, if we avoid things that are difficult, we are depriving ourselves of growth opportunities. But why pick something gratuitously difficult on top of all of the struggles we have no choice but to endure? We will all see our parents pass away if we are lucky enough to outlive them. We will experience illness and inconvenience. Nothing wrong with switching to the line that seems to be moving faster.

Maybe my reluctance to persist at a grueling task is a way of hiding. Maybe I will fail to live up to my potential as a person. But that is built on the idea that there is a particular path that I’m supposed to take, and all other choices will be evaluated against that correct one. I believe there is no such path. If I don’t want to write this book or persevere with that business, future generations will never know the difference. Everything will just continue as it has been.

I seek ease. I embrace it. I love to sink my teeth into a juicy problem, but not every problem. I accept that, along the way, I will face plenty of problems that I didn’t choose. I won’t turn away from those, but I won’t make the work any harder than it needs to be. I’ll look for those moments when the work flows and everything feels aligned. That’s when I’m at my best. It’s a position not of weakness, but of strength.