Over the last few months, I found it exceedingly difficult to be creative. The Weekly Press project kept rolling along, albeit at a slower pace. The old blog languished; I had no interest in describing the minutiae of how each new image was created. I found myself avoiding the computer altogether, putting off art and projects as long as possible. The Weekly Press newsletter became a serious chore to put out. The bottom line was that I didn’t think I had a single interesting idea to pursue. My artwork had become a bore.
This wasn’t the first time, but I have to admit that it sure felt like it was.
I am happy to report that the bottom is behind me, so to speak. I’m pulling out of the nosedive and can see creative options ahead. How did that happen? Well, that is going to be the topic of this blog for the immediate future. In writing regularly about creativity, my goal is to keep it alive in my own work, or at least become more in tune with its ups and downs, and inspire it in others, opening the conversation to all interested in the topic. It will be a sandbox of sorts, a playground for further study.
Hopefully there will be a growing and useful set of links to other websites. I am starting with one: a link to an online version of Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt’s “Oblique Strategies,” a deck of cards that by random pick, could propel you past a creative block. It has been a very long time since I picked one, and the first one I picked during this recent lull said “you can only make one dot at a time.”
This new blog is that dot. The Creative Block. Blocks might prevent you from attaining a goal, or blocks can be useful parts of a whole.
Coming soon: deadlines as a useful strategy.
4 Comments
Hello Brucey,
Glad someone else has “keep rolling” issues…I certainly do. Seems always start and stop. I get a creative burst and then after it’s done, it’s so hard to get rolling again. And I get bored too when it seems my work is getting too easy, so then it’s finding a way to challenge myself. I haven’t been brave enough to schedule something ahead of time although I know I work better under a deadline too.
I look forward to reading your blog and as always look forward to your new bodies of work.
Patsy, I know what you mean. The creative bursts are great, then we rethink the issue. That’s rich territory to explore. For starters, I might ask if the initial burst isn’t really a gem without need for further work? If not, coming back to it later might help reveal what the initial impulse was all about.
Thanks for writing and let’s keep it rolling…
Hey Bruce, – Re: starting over.
I’ve been painting in my head for about a year now – delaying the real work toward an October 2009 deadline.
Yesterday, I finally started smearing paint over an old canvas with great enthusiasm so hopefully I’m on a roll and maybe I won’t have to rely on other options for the Oct show – we’ll see! I’d rather be “Zenlke” than stressed but maybe some of both is good for the outcome.
Hi Judy, I’m looking forward to your next body of work. You bring up a great point about how much work we can do before lifting a brush. It speaks to the intuitive mind which is a hugely powerful tool. Thanks for commenting!