No Pain, More Gain?

Most of my posts have focused on my creative struggles—the friction I’ve encountered—but what about the times when things seem frictionless; the tools work as expected, and the words actually flow? Or those rare times when the stars seem to align, and inspiration seems to whisper in your ear.

The bulk of a previous post, Is Life a Swirling Circle of Friction? Carry Your Cat in Undignified Positions, was written in about an hour. I’d been stressing about the post for a few days because I was two days from my self-imposed deadline and I had no idea what to write about. But when I sat down and just allowed myself to write, the words flowed. I didn’t overthink it. I just poured out my ideas with the intent of editing later. Very different than my usual writing rhythm, where I work on an article piecemeal throughout the week.

In other posts, I’ve mentioned how my Focusrite 4i4 audio interface “melts into the background.” I recently experienced something similar with a trial of Neural DSP’s Archetype Gojira plugin. The Clean amp sounded like a clean Fender amp with little tweaking. When I turned on the OD pedal, I got an overdriven sound—same thing with the DRT pedal. In less than 10 minutes, I had three useable sounds (clean, overdriven, and crunch)—not my typical experience with amp sims. Typically, I’m tweaking and struggling to get a sound that I like.

The same thing has been happening with my guitar playing, for July (and probably August). I’ve permitted myself to play with no specific objective in mind. My only stipulations are to document what I do and have fun. So far, it’s worked. I’ve not felt pressured to finish a song, learn a cover, or do any other task. The only “task” is to play guitar. The only intentions are to have fun and keep some simple notes for possible future reference. I’ve found that ideas seem to happen when I’m not looking for them, and that inspiration sometimes strikes when I let go.

So why do I focus so much on the friction? I think it’s because it feels like an obstacle. It irritates me like a constant yapping dog yelling, “fix me, fix me.” When things “just work” or “melt into the background,” they do so quietly like that perfect employee who shows up on time every day, does their job well, and never complains.

What if friction can be a sign that something isn’t right, and the absence of friction is a signal worth paying attention to? I’m not saying that all friction is bad, a signal that you’re on the wrong path, or that endeavors should be easy. There are times when we have to push through. Especially the initial layer of friction that prevents us from starting. What I am saying is that maybe we need to pay attention to those times when things are frictionless because they are signals too, just much easier to ignore. Maybe I need to create a motivational poster—“No pain, More Gain,” to remind me?

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Explore This Theme

This essay is part of an ongoing exploration of friction—not just the obstacles that slow us down, but what we can learn when things suddenly become easier.

• Is Life a Swirling Circle of Friction? Carry Your Cat in Undignified Positions
  Where I first began exploring the idea that friction isn’t always something to eliminate—it can also be valuable information.

• Why Do I Sacrifice the Things That Make Me Feel Good for the Things That Don’t?
  A look at why we often abandon the habits that help us most precisely when life becomes difficult.