Have any other creatives been dealing with a debilitating metaphorical writers block like I have? I’ve been thinking about being at home with nothing much to do should mean that I am writing more and producing more content. But lo and behold the exact opposite seems to be occurring. I understand a part of this is because I find myself in a space where other people constantly are around which tends to drain most of my emotional energy, leaving very little room for creative pursuits. The other side of this is a lack of motivation and inspiration sparked usually by the interactions I have in everyday life. So without these things there appears to be a vacuum where on the surface, it feels like I have nothing to say.
I’ve wondered whether this makes me some sort of sub par creative as I should be able to write in any condition, on any subject matter, at any place and time. So many creative writing exercises are modelled on exactly that, giving someone a timeframe, a random topic and then literally saying go, produce! Usually, my own brain is full of ideas in a seemingly endless expanse of imagination and creativity where the possibilities are limitless. Right now however, I find myself staring out the window into nothing for disturbingly long chunks of time. Is my mind really blank? Have I lost my creative spark?
Well obviously I haven’t but it’s pretty easy in such an uncertain time to feel self doubt. It’s also difficult to carve out the space to focus solely on yourself and your passion at a time when so many other things are taking up all of your mental and physical space. Just waking up and dragging myself to my laptop in my working from home space in the mornings can sometimes feel like a relentless battle. For someone like myself, in which my creative pursuits are my side hustle, I struggle these days to even show up properly for my main 9-5 gig. So where does the energy for the rest come from?
As the new normal of this way of life cements itself into our practices and psyches, how do we re-motivate ourselves to do the things that bring us passion, joy and happiness? Especially when just getting through the day is difficult enough. How do we think about content, about producing content outside of COVID-19 when it is flooding our consciousness 24-7? Beyond that I find myself asking if I have any other stories to tell right now?
While I’m certain that I do, maybe the priority right now is simply to be kind enough to myself to allow some leeway in the things that I produce. Maybe they won’t be the most fabulous, imaginative pieces; but maybe they’ll be cathartic for myself, and perhaps others in a way that is more needed right now. The only thing I know for sure is that I will continue writing without expectations on myself and my content. What happens after that will be a welcome surprise, whatever it maybe.
Sx
I blog for Change. 