Academic Creativity

You are all so creative! I have to admit that while I have lots of ideas for fanfiction I almost never follow through, for two reasons: 1) I'm mostly interested in what happens NEXT, not so much in the what happens on the side, or before, or whatever, and 2) I have a strong aversion to writing AU/anti-canon. So, for example, I had this huge, really awesome idea of a fanfic for the sequel of Thor forever ago. Since I only have a few pages written and it comes out next month I can guarantee you that's never gonna get finished. Also, I don't have time, but you knew that already.

In some ways, this makes me feel like a bad fan. I mean, I look at all these fanfiction that people come up with and I think "I could do that!" I see somebody's cosplay or cute little crafts on Pinterest and think "I love that! I should do that!" And it never happens. I sometimes feel like this somehow makes me a lesser fan than all the rest of you. Like, somehow, I love the thing less because I can't make myself follow through on these physical representations of that love. It's kind of depressing.

But the truth (and what I try to focus on, when it gets me down) is my kind of fandom is a different kind of fandom from yours. Instead of making beautiful arts and crafts, or stories to express my love of a thing, I take it apart and find out what makes it work. I've always had the attitude that if you love something, you should find out everything there is to know about it, and this is kind of an extension of that. So, for example, I'm presenting a topic proposal in my film musicology class tomorrow, and I've found a way to work in my love of the TV show Sherlock: I want to do a character study of Moriarty from a sound perspective and look at why he is such an effective villain, as well as what the music/soundscape does to support him in that. I have about four different angles to use for analysis, and the more I look at it, the bigger it gets. It is absolutely FASCINATING guys! It gets me excited, and it is still a way of being a fan, and that's all that matters, right?