{"id":646,"date":"2024-11-01T13:07:08","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T18:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paroxysmbydesign.com\/?p=646"},"modified":"2024-11-01T14:03:28","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T19:03:28","slug":"breaking-out-of-the-creative-fugue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paroxysmbydesign.com\/?p=646","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Out of the Creative Fugue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Where Am I Going? What Am I Doing? And A Bit of Who Are You People?!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been in such a frantic state of creative immediacy I\u2019ve lost sight of what I’m trying to do. It\u2019s a strange thing to admit since creating is one of the main objectives I want to accomplish! But why am I doing it and what relevant questions do I need to be asking to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I lost sight of something I learned a long time ago when I owned the game shop. The mystical 80\/20 rule:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spend 80% of your time IN your business (making)
and 20% ON your business (planning)<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A Little Bit About Me<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy for me to lose track of what I\u2019m doing these days. I work from home alone out of necessity. I\u2019ve never really shared this publicly, but I often have episodes of vertigo (the huge instances have been managed after seeing a Neurologist), moments of stuttering, and some outright confusion. There are times I don\u2019t even notice it is happening when I sit still until I stand up or recognize some of the signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorites are drooling or suddenly losing badly at Marvel SNAP two games in a row without understanding how it happened. I can also tell something is amiss when I find open soda cans around the house, and I have no idea how they got there. The Alexa in our house gets a daily workout when I do laundry to make sure I\u2019m getting it out of the washer, reminding me to get Murphy from school, and to make sure I stop to eat something. If you catch me on a bad day and I just met you within the past three years please don\u2019t be offended if I give you the blank stare every once and a while. Google Calendar is a godsend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming Up for Air<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The reason I bring this up is at times I need something to jostle me. I can get into a fugue like one track mindedness that consumes my life. When I cranked out Legends of the Khurst Riders<\/a> it was the easiest thing in the world to write a 50-page rulebook. The hardest part was nailing down the last 10% of organizing and editing (it always is, that\u2019s just a fact). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what happened afterwards was my quest for marketing. I put on too many hats too soon. I hadn\u2019t taken the break after the joy of creation to see the world again. I felt overwhelmed and totally helpless to be seen in an ocean of excellent gaming content!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter \u2018The Question\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, I posed myself (and others) this question: if you had $100, what would be the best thing to spend it on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n