Creativity is a Struggle
Morning everyone! Today I have some thoughts on 'creative block' (because it doesn't just happen to writers) and some line art, of course! First, my thoughts. Creative block has been a topic of discussion among creative people... Well, probably for as long as their have been creative people. Some insist it doesn't exist, others are like, "It totally exists, because I'm living it." And I don't think it's ever possible to define another person's existence, so I say creative block exists, but it doesn't affect everyone. Which, I think, makes sense. My own personal maxim is that if something has been around a while, and has no definite definition, it's probably because it isn't as simple as all that. I think there are a number of different causes for creative blocks, and not everyone suffers from them the same, or suffers from them at all.
From my perspective, the major causes of creative blocks are:
Fear: It's hard as hell to get words down when you're afraid you're doing it wrong, or that you're going to say something stupid or offensive, or that your audience is going to hate it, or that it's just plain bad.
Depression/Anxiety: Now, this may seem similar to the first one, but it's not. Not in any way. This isn't just feeling sad or anxious about doing something. You can't just wave away your diabetes or your asthma, and you can't just wave away your depression or anxiety disorder. These are mental illnesses, and creative people are more prone to them than others, and they can be devastating to a creative person's productivity and their ability to create.
Too Much Happening: Everyone has times in their lives when their brains are just too taken up with other things. Whether it's a huge thing that's monopolizing your brain space, or a hundred small things that just make it impossible to concentrate, sometimes everyone has to focus on other things and so their brains just won't get in that creative groove.
Boredom: It is so easy to get stuck in a rut, even with creative projects. It's important for creative people to stretch themselves, but it can be hard to do and it is absolutely possible to become bored with a project. And getting bored with a project you've already dedicated a lot of time to can make it really hard to let go of it and start something new and fresh. Sometimes you can push forward, and sometimes you just can't.
And, if creative blocks are a symptom and not the problem per se, then the best way to get through it is to address the actual problem. Figure out what's causing the block and deal with that and the block itself will (hopefully) dissolve.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. Now on to the art!
From my perspective, the major causes of creative blocks are:
Fear: It's hard as hell to get words down when you're afraid you're doing it wrong, or that you're going to say something stupid or offensive, or that your audience is going to hate it, or that it's just plain bad.
Depression/Anxiety: Now, this may seem similar to the first one, but it's not. Not in any way. This isn't just feeling sad or anxious about doing something. You can't just wave away your diabetes or your asthma, and you can't just wave away your depression or anxiety disorder. These are mental illnesses, and creative people are more prone to them than others, and they can be devastating to a creative person's productivity and their ability to create.
Too Much Happening: Everyone has times in their lives when their brains are just too taken up with other things. Whether it's a huge thing that's monopolizing your brain space, or a hundred small things that just make it impossible to concentrate, sometimes everyone has to focus on other things and so their brains just won't get in that creative groove.
Boredom: It is so easy to get stuck in a rut, even with creative projects. It's important for creative people to stretch themselves, but it can be hard to do and it is absolutely possible to become bored with a project. And getting bored with a project you've already dedicated a lot of time to can make it really hard to let go of it and start something new and fresh. Sometimes you can push forward, and sometimes you just can't.
And, if creative blocks are a symptom and not the problem per se, then the best way to get through it is to address the actual problem. Figure out what's causing the block and deal with that and the block itself will (hopefully) dissolve.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. Now on to the art!
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