Frustration Factory

Frustration Factory is a character piece written in six movements. Each movement captures a moment in time, describing the final creative push before the dreaded deadline. The title of each movement paints a distinct character: I. time is ticking… · II. frustration · III. worn to a frazzle · IV. lullaby · V. startled · VI. call it a day.

Tic-toc, tic-toc, time is ticking, and the deadline is approaching. Every nerve-wracking second becomes more pronounced, and ill-tempered. Frustration intensifies and overwhelms the senses, causing ideas to jumble and fragment haphazardly. Emotions are overwrought, and momentum deflates gradually. A dreamlike mental state engulfs consciousness. A brief sense of calm is achieved but through the tranquility the tic-toc returns. Louder and louder, it grows snapping consciousness back into reality. One final push to persevere. One final push to “call it a day.”

Ying-Chen Kao