Filling the creative well

I've been slinging words fast and furiously so it's time for a quick R&R break with a cup of tea. Also time to fill the creative well. You know what that is, don't you?

I like to think of it as the part of your brain where ideas bubble and simmer. I visualize it as a kind of mental soup pot full of words, phrases, images, bits of music, odds and ends of trivia, and other flotsam and jetsam of my life. It all simmers together until it's ready to be served up to my conscious brain.

It's important to fill the creative well because it works like a real water well with a pump attached. I remember when I was a little kid, my grandparents had a water pump. It was a heavy iron contraption that required muscle power to pump up water from the well.

Now, most of the time, water pumps work great. You can pump bucket after bucket of water. But sometimes, you can pump until your arm feels as if it will fall off, but you get nary a drop of water. What happened to it? Where's the water? It's still down there, but you might have to prime the pump by pouring fresh water down the well in order to get the flow going again.

Same thing with your creative well. You have to prime it with fresh ideas, experiences, and thoughts to keep it from running dry.

Never underestimate the importance of your creative well. Fill it often to keep the flow of creativity going.