A Creativity Hiatus (and what to do if you have one)

Hello,

I am in the middle of a Creativity Hiatus.  I think this one has occured quite naturally from the drowsy gentle August we've been having here.  When a Creativity Hiatus descends, nothing much gets done and there's no inclination to do anything either - for me I'm talking about painting or drawing or writing (my e-book).  
I walk past my current WIP and I don't feel the itch to get stuck in again...

...I just feel a calmness and a quiet knowledge that the time to come back to it will present itself soon enough.  There is no panic, no urgency.


I see my bookshelves, crammed with creative reading material, business books, inspirational books...

...and I feel no need or desire to be reading them right now.  It's a system shut down and I am happy to potter and trust that this quiet lull is a very necessary part of the creative process.


I used to get pretty frustrated and peed off when my Mojo left town.  That's how I used to describe it when I felt that all my creative energy had drained away, that there was nothing there apart from an inexplicable emptiness.  It used to terrify me if I'm honest.


And so I used to force myself to create stuff.  I'd get my paints out and think 'right, today is Painting Day.  My Mum has my daughter, I have to paint something!!'
I would sit there surrounded by my paints, my brushes, my paper and I would stare at it all and feel completely unmotivated.  My mind would be a blank, as blank as the paper in front of me and I would feel tension creeping over me, a mild panic settling in my belly as I realised that nothing was coming. 

Needless to say, I would maybe half heartedly begin a painting but it didn't work out right and I ended up feeling worse than I had done before.  Now I felt hopeless as well as unmotivated.  Yuck.

There is an easy way to deal with a Creativity Hiatus, to make it easier on yourself.  Here's what I've discovered:

Go with the flow.

Allow the quiet parts when nothing happens - let go of the panic and know your creativity will return soon enough.

Don't try and force yourself to be creative - it's a non starter and guaranteed to make you feel worse than before.

Relax and do other stuff, take the time it takes.  It's all OK.

A Creativity Hiatus usually occurs before something Big is about to manifest.  I began to notice a pattern occuring as I thrashed my way through these deserts of emptiness; that despite the quiet, the lack of enthusiasm, the lack of inclination, the lack of energy it all of a sudden one day Happened again.  And it happened in a Big Way.

The quiet time was eventually rewarded with a new opportunity, with a brand new idea, with a new direction.  It resulted in a new wave of energy and a surge of enthusiasm and inspiration.  It always ended in a positive way which is why I now trust a good outcome when it happens to me.

A Creative Hiatus is a necessary part of the creative journey, and I hope this post has helped those of you journeying through your own.


Wishing you all a glorious weekend ~ sending love
Julia x x x