Creative Cleanliness or Obsessive Compulsion?

The creative period for new Pet Set products can sometimes be a delicate balance between productivity, procrastination and dementia.

As with so many creative endeavors, there is the conceptual phase, the fine-tuning phase and the endless revision phase (read self-torment).

All of you creatives out there know versions of this drill. (And that means moms and teachers too).

Sometimes it’s late-night scribblings on a bedside pad…sometimes it’s singing in the shower, and sometimes ideas materialize while walking the dog.

Am I right? Does this sound like any of you?

And then of course, there are the eccentric sources of inspiration — the supermarket. roadside signs…or, how about this one: housecleaning!?

And I’m not talking about the regulation dusting and vacuuming duties that spark ideas for me — I’m talking about truly wacky ones.

How’s this for weird?:

I have cleaned the light switch (not the switch plate, the switch) with a cotton swab and alchohol…today I cleaned the levers on the ice dispenser…dirt on the pipes under the sink, cobwebs on the mail box, dust on the little scew thingy at the top of a lamp shade.

At this moment,I’m not sure I can get down to work until I dust the buttons on my phone.

I know. Definitely procrastination. But what I think is going on here is fear. Fear that I won’t ever create another valuable (or SALEABLE) idea, fear that you only get one shot at The Big Idea and fear that, my current round of thoughts are simply drek.

Or…which is more likely the case…my house-cleaning responsibilities has hit critical mass.

Image: artchive.com