Having the creative germ/disease can be very frustrating at times, believe me. It's hard to live with the demon that is creativity. I think I've said it before, but because of my love for photography, I cannot look at the world without somehow "framing" it in my mind's eye. I look at all things as if they can be contained and forever captured in a 4" x 6" photo. This can be maddening at times. I realize that by taking photos so often I miss the event or scene. I guess that is why photos are so wonderful for everyone else - it captures the moment for others to enjoy...but the photographer misses out because their eye is plastered to a lens. I now carry a small point-and-shoot Nikon in my purse because Heaven forbid I should miss out on a photo op.
After reading "Claude and Camille" (the story of Claude Monet and his wife Camille) I'm reminded how artists become consumed with their media or passions. Everyone in the know tells us to find our passion(s) in life. I have found way tooooo many I think! Claude Monet was frustrated throughout his life about painting the picture that would make him famous and that drove him, and those who loved him, to the brink. Artists aren't really crazy. They are just overly passionate. I don't think there is a pill or therapy that could take this away. It really is a vicious circle. Photographers always seek capturing that one amazing shot, artists hope to paint the next great piece of art, authors want to first get published and then write a best-seller, decorators want to create the perfect home, crafters want to earn a living selling the fruits of their labors...and each does so with frenetic obsession and sometimes reckless abandon. I find it interesting, however, that people who think they cannot do anything creative - citing not having "one creative bone" in their bodies - live with the same level of frustration at not being able to do these things.
