Creativity

"Certain images create private little excitements in the mind."
-E.L. Doctorow

Pluck the brightest fruit from the wooden arm
Furthest from the road on the apple farm.
Carve an applehead man, put him on the fence.
You can hear him tell his apple friends,
“Yes I grew up sweet till I fell from the tree,
Things have gotten bad, take one look at me.”
-Applehead Man, Trip Shakespeare

The words are there. Scribbled in travel journals. On post-it notes. On the back of envelopes. In my mouth. The elements are there. The photos. The old typewriter keys, the paint, the raffia wrapped around the stick. Is creativity the impulse? The idea? The image? Or is it tied to harnessing the idea into a physical entity--a poem, the lyrics, the assemblage, the painting? What are the rhythms of the creative process? The beginning, middle and the end?

My current creative inspiration: Mike Doughty - urban poet, songwriter, world traveler, photographer

My circus train pulls through the night
Full of lions and trapeze artists
I'm done with elephants and clowns
I want to
Run away and join the office.
-American Car, Mike Doughty