How hard do you think you work?

"The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work." - Richard Bach

Thursday's NaBloPoMo blog prompt was "How hard do you think you work?"  It might seem a simple question; I think anyone asked would be likely to say that they work very hard.  We don't want to seem like slackers and no one likes to be thought of as lazy.

When I think about the question a bit more I think that it is a question that is actually quit difficult to answer.  There are things that I do in life, such as most of my creative pursuits, that require me to expend a lot of physical or mental energy but they don't seem like work and in fact can even feel nearly effortless.

There are those days when the words don't flow, or the music doesn't speak to me.  I stare at the blank screen; an hour passes, inspiration doesn't come and though I've nothing to show for it I feel like I've been working harder than ever.

And then there are all of those little things that go along with being an artist that no one likes to deal with.  bookkeeping, insurance, set lists, calling venue after venue to book gigs, following up with performers, stitching a hundred beads onto a new costume, the day job.  Some of those things I'd call work, some I'd call chores, and others, like talking to people about what I do, I don't mind much at all.

So maybe the question should be "Are you willing to work hard?"

That one is easy.  Yes.