Taking A Break?

Yo yo yo. 'Tis been a while since last I blogged. Truth is, I've been driving a lot. The last few days have seen us Cleveland to Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor to Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids to Evanston (that was one day); then we drove today to Chicago and ended up in Milwaukee, WI from where I write to you now. I've had a lot of fun on this leg of the tour. Playing my home town of Cleveland was a blast. A lot of people - family, friends, former classmates - provided a fantastic energy. It was easy to let go and just play up there. Some great gigs in Michigan and successful meetings in Chicago have added up to be a solid trip. But this past week has found me tired, unmotivated, restless. I'm not sure why to be honest. It seems as though all is going well and yet I'm left feeling a bit... underwhelmed. A small sickness as reappeared in my throat, which always brings me down a notch, but it's more than that; there is work to be done and I can't seem to tackle it. Forgive me if this sounds negative. It's not meant to be a pitying plea, but rather an honest glimpse at the less glamorous side of life on the road. It's that intangible quandary one sits in from time to time - the unknown, the variable x factor. This impasse at which I stand is all that stands between me and my arrangements, or the new video project, or an original melody to accompany lyrics I wrote three years ago. The Oscars just happened, and as Sandra Bullock accepted her [well deserved] award she said something that struck me while thanking her mom: "She said to be an artist, you had to practice every day." It seems such simple advice, yet I maintain it's one of the hardest things to do. Being creative seems to be, by definition, an act of inspiration captured and recorded in some way. Doing it by rote, habitually exercising the same muscles seems almost counter-intuitive. Much like a trip to the gym, it's in creating such habits that the act itself becomes easier, and until then it will feel as a chore to a child who'd rather watch Saturday morning cartoons, or in my case, Hulu. I'm not making excuses - though illness and fatigue are fair ones - but rather I'm examining the hole I'm in with the hope of finding my way out. A lot is on the horizon for Sonos and I eagerly await it. Maybe I just need to take this week to myself before beginning the next journey. Lewis and Clark took a break once and while.
Didn't they?