SWAG

For those who watch The Office- a guilty pleasure of mine (even if it is on DVD a season at a time..... sigh) the term SWAG (stuff we all get) was a term used when describing the trinkets and trash that are handed out at conventions and things. I think this term is just one of those things that can be used in everyday venacular. Paper Cuts for example are SWAG, stubbed toes and slivers, again SWAG. How about uninspired and stagmant in our creative journey? Makes you wonder huh? I started pondering about SWAG in general and the things I hear from other artists on a regular basis. Burned out, bored, frustrated, cluttered, rushed, having no free time to create, among many other things are common place for those who earn a living creating. So, it begs the question, how do you break free from the SWAG and find that rare and precious gem of inspiration? I think, it starts with identifying that SWAG exists, life happens and well, it is our job to rise above that and recapture that inner drive to seek out the stuff art is created from. It also comes from not accepting the stuff folks are handing out to everyone, it is being discerning about the stuff we are willing to drag around with us (I know from experience that when attending something like a CHA convention (the mother of all craft and hobby conventions) it is so easy to grab everything folks are handing out- seriously, we all innately hoard crap we don't need. We are like crows that see something shiny and interesting and "MUST" have it.... AND, as a result, our bags weigh a hundred pounds, the shipping costs to get everything home is insane and the blisters on our hands and feet attest to our greed.....)