Nobody puts baillee in the corner

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been doing a lot lately. I’m working with Casting Out Demons. I’m gearing up to hopefully fulfill my current dream of starting a podcast all about The O.C. I’m contributing to HelloGiggles. I’m writing this here blog. Also, I’m, you know, working at my actual job. Basically, I’m absolutely insane and should probably be locked up a la Girl, Interrupted. I’m here to tell you though that I love it…and also give you a little peak until how I actually do all of this.

Sleep is for the weak; now bring me a coffee. First and foremost, I have had to heavily adjust my sleep schedule. It’s currently 2:40, and I am still going strong. (Note: strong is a relative term. I am currently pants less in my floor, and my eyes feel like Malcolm McDowell’s must have after A Clockwork Orange). We’re recording a special COD episode tomorrow, I’m helping a friend get ready for a move, I closed at work tonight, and I have a meeting at 11AM tomorrow. There is no logical reason why I should still be awake, but here I am, willingly awake, and having already set aside the money for my coffee tomorrow morning. For some reason, I yearn for that stimulation. I love the thrill of writing notes on pieces of receipt paper and napkins. I love getting lost in a world of writing and realizing the light out of the corner of my eye is my generic dorm room college lap and realizing it’s actually the sun peaking in through my blinds. To bookend this, I am probably actually just insane.

Read Yes Please and Bossypants. I’m not using these for SEO or to appeal to my audience (That episode of last night’s hit FOXBC Family show was funny, right?). I mean this with 100% authenticity. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are incredible women. They helped me to realize my writing style isn’t absolutely unconventional and how to better channel my humor. They taught me how to take control and not give a shit what anyone thinks. Most importantly, they made me realize I can legitimately do anything. I hope you stop reading my blog and go read their books and then come back and finish my blog in two weeks to scoff at my mediocre Wal Mart writing compared to their brilliant Whole Foods wit.

Let It Go: Again, I’m not trying to appeal to an audience of precocious eight-year-olds. You eventually have to let things go. You have to turn in a piece of writing. You have to finish taking notes on a movie and wrap up your thoughts on the movie du jour on your podcast. You have to get over rejected drafts and project ideas. You can’t let ideas hold you back. You can’t force creativity. If it isn’t working, let it go. Maybe it will work itself into another piece later on, or maybe it was just meant to as a stepping stone for a bigger and better idea. Either way, YOU NEED TO LET IT GO.

Find a kick-ass support system: I saved the best for last. You have to have great people behind you. You need to have parents that listen to every podcast episode and read everything you write. You need best friends who read everything and encourage all of your 2AM ideas and keep your Twitter game strong. You need a sister who shares things you do on Facebook. You need people who support everything you do, no matter how ridiculous and/or time consuming they may be. They remind you about everything you do right when you write something you think is garbage. They keep you grounded when you feel like you’re losing your mind because the words just aren’t coming out (and with that, “Lose Yourself” was stuck in my head for the rest of eternity). They feed you when you get so wrapped up in your piece that you don’t feed yourself for nine hours or more. They are the cheerleaders shaking their pom poms and foam fingers up in the bleachers. (Note to self: Price Bring It On Amazon). They’re the best, and you definitely don’t and can’t thank them enough.

There you have it. Here’s a glimpse into my crazy creative mind and how those neurons keep on a-firing. It’s a lot of work, a lot of caffeine, and a lot of understanding friends and family. My life is absolutely and beautifully insane, and I wouldn’t change a thing.*

*Intravenous coffee, getting paid for my blog and podcast, another season of The O.C., and more puppies.