Creativity needs refueling.
Creative energy needs refueling. Just like physical energy. It runs sometimes high, sometimes low. When you work with it long enough you understand it. You know what works and what doesn’t. You know it can be like an entity of its own.
But like any other energy it waxes and wanes. Sometimes it just runs out. It needs to refuel. If your creative vibe is waning a good exercise is to work on something completely different. Something easier and quicker than what you’re doing. Basically something to distract your creative mind. Like an easy day in your week of training. It’s necessary to avoid exhaustion.
The solution
These flow paintings above are my go-to. They are smaller and quicker to execute. The result is always satisfying. It’s the same for writing. I always have a laid-back project. No tight plan, no deadline, no striving. For when you just have to do something else. When you need to stop focusing. There’s no pressure. When you’re struggling you can start doubting. Doing something easier give your creative mind a rest and keeps your confidence up.
The creative mind is like a gas tank (Great analogy, right? I know!). It runs low at times. It can empty out and stop. At some point you just don’t have anything left. I don’t worry, I just do something else. The trick, or maybe it’s our tacit agreement, is that I leave it alone until it recharges. I never worry about writers block. Not because I’m great, but because I believe in this process. My creativity will refuel, the energy will return. I have complete faith that sooner or later my creative mind is going to flow and give me what I need. The beauty is it’s self-refueling. It takes care of refilling its tank all by itself.
You can see all my art on my page or saatchi.com
Photo: the author.