Written on 4:54AM
On Wednesday,
March 4th, 2015
I despise the fact that I’m writing at this moment, not so much the writing aspect of it, however it’s the fact that all my greatest prose projects appear in my head close to the dawn. On occasion, I have woken from a deep slumber in the wee hours of the morning to extract creative juices from my skull. At times I feel stronger than those around me sometimes even arrogant that my ideas can stem beyond my control, beyond sleep- yet it seems I am one of many. How many of you reading this now have felt a dying desire for rest but become plagued with mindless thoughts as your pillow hits your head? I’d like to believe this is the mark of a special type of thinker- a creator. Musicians, writers, and artists alike are understood to be best at their most eccentric, often referred to as a little crazy but ‘not in a bad way’. It seems to me that sometimes insomnia often comes as part of the deal- a blessing and a curse.
If I recall correctly, half of my writing last month was written on the cusp of exhaustion, and my newest song-writing attempt was hashed out from midnight till five in one long-night’s work. This ability (or curse) to loose sight of your most basic needs for the sake of creativity is an heirloom inherited for the purpose of breaking expectations, setting new goals, and conquering your imagination – passed down by the awe spoken masters of the old world. Dalí confessed his greatest works came to him in the drowned of the morning, staving off sleep for better brush strokes. Though it can hardly be said that insomnia is the mark of a genius, it’s what you will choose to make of it when you stay up that has the final say . As a 23 year old male who loves writing before anyone’s woken up- my solution to other creative insomniacs is to get your thoughts out on paper or canvas, then see if the bed feels softer. For some, however I think we’ll just keep writing.
~TheLionWriter
Words by the Lionwriter 