I’ve stopped. It’s probably just a pause, and for several weeks now I’ve not picked up a paint brush, a pen, or a pencil – much less created anything artistic. I feel stuck. I have a sense I know what I want to do – but I’m not currently able to make it happen.
Back in 2017 I made a series of ‘blindfold’ drawings, and my current stuckness has reminded me of these artworks. I can’t see what’s right in front of me?
The last time my creativity got seriously stuck, someone recommended I read The War of Art by Steve Pressfield. It’s an interesting book – exploring the notion of resistance, why we resist, and how we can get going again. I enjoyed the book at the time and once I’d read it – I felt more confident to get back to working. As we know: ‘Inspiration will always find you working’ (quote adapted from Pablo Picasso), so I’m going to read The War of Art again – and I’m going to stop worrying about this current drought in my creative practice. Maybe I’ll try enjoying it instead.
I’m not currently planning any creative practice sessions – but once my work starts to flow again, I’ll organise something and let you know when it’s taking place. In the meantime – you can follow along with any emergent creative practice (assuming there is any!) on my Facebook Page and my Instagram feed.
I used to write a lot – and I’m conscious that as my artistic practice developed, my writing tailed off. Maybe it’s time to switch things around again for a while, we’ll see. While I decide what to do next, have a good summer, stay safe, and please – feel free to get in touch if there’s anything I can do for you, and if you’ve any creative stuff you want to share, please do.
Take care – Doug
Aahhh …. The “lockdown block” gets us all in the end. I’ve been one of the many thousands of WFHers for the past few months and it seems to have gone through 3 stages so far – productivity up > productivity down > meh …….
Even for a corporate monkey like me, interacting with people is sorely missed – Zoom / Teams just doesn’t do it and though there is no desire to ever return to the old normal, there is a hankering for just some work-company to add the human element – it must be far worse for the more creative among us. The new rigidity of life dictated by facemasks, queues and hand sanitiser puts (necessary) social walls up when we could all do with them coming down.
My current favourite game is to adopt one of your modus operandi – Proceed until Apprehended – seems to work quite well and if it gets a bit fractious, blame a dodgy broadband link. I’m taking enjoyment through small things which pushes some of the worries away and re-reading “Never split the difference” to sharpen up my hostage negotiation skills. Stay safe, stay sane; see you on the other side!
Good to hear from you Chris – I love the up/down/meh model – you should copyright it 😀
I agree – the current distanced situation is odd, and though I appreciate what technology has enabled for many of us, I am missing some of that direct contact too, and yes – it feels like we need some of those walls to come down.
All the best – Doug