The Need for More Bleen

In one of George Carlin’s routines, he talked about a math professor who had discovered a new number between six and seven called bleen. The reason I find this so funny is the professor (obviously frustrated he couldn’t come up with the answer he wanted) was driven to invent a new number so his formula would work.
I feel much the same way about language. Even though there are a million plus words in the English language, it’s always frustrating when you can’t find the one you want…the one that exactly describes the meaning you’re after. It’s enough to make you start inventing your own words.
This is one of the reasons why I generally find making art more pleasurable than writing. You can indicate a mood, an image or a color—no need to beat anyone over the head with it—because we usually respond to the visual without feeling the need to explain or understand it.