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
