The Art of Sustainable Creativity, Part I: Avoid Creative Drainage & Creative Blocks
For some artists, idea generation is innate. Ideas flow continuously, with little to no effort. I am an artist for whom this is true, but this hasn’t always been the case. For years, I cycled through creative surges, followed by complete creative drainage. Eventually, I discovered certain methods and practices that help me stay inspired, and over the next few weeks, I will be sharing those with you.
Up first: understanding and avoiding creative blocks, and what I call creative drainage.
A creative drainage is not synonymous with a creative block. The latter is a side effect of fear, self-limitation, imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and succumbing to negative external influences. But a creative drainage is due to a lack of stimulation. A block feels like paralysis, while a drainage feels like creative exhaustion. During a creative drainage period, you may continue creating, but the motivation isn’t there and the work falls flat. The ideas are stale, and there’s a lack of nuance and gravity. A combination of the two looks like idea fatigue, imagination drought…creative withering, if you want to be dramatic. Whether you have a full-time job outside of your artistic practice or are fortunate enough to create full-time, you can experience creative drainage and blockage.
How you nurture your mind, body, and spirit will largely influence the depth and breadth of idea generation and output. In other words, what you choose to do in the moments in between making art matters just as much as the act of creating itself.
Being an artist is a way of existing. It’s how you perceive the world, how you think, how you process, how you evolve, how you communicate, and how you behave. Personal experience is at the core of artistic practice, but cultivating that experience is necessary, and can be intentional. There is plenty in life over which we have no control. We will experience pain, suffering, frustration, and all the gritty emotions that lend themselves to making beautiful work. But that is only the seed of artistic growth. To become an idea generating powerhouse, there are practices you can integrate into your life that will crack you open, ground you, and keep inspiration flowing.
Over the next few weeks, I will dive deep on the following areas of focus and how they can help you expand creativity capacity, sharpen your skills, build confidence, and keep the river of ideas flowing.
· The 5 Senses
· Spiritual Connection & Meditation
· Education: Reading & Exploring
· Connection & Conversation
· Holistic Wellness
· Nature
In the meantime, I invite you to marinate on the following questions:
· What is my emotional baseline?
· How do I feel each morning when I wake up?
· When during the day am I most energized? Least?
· What has been my greatest source of inspiration?
· Is the work I’m making true to my vision and mission?
· What is my central motivation for creating?
· What are my goals as an artist?
· What steps am I taking to reach them?
· Where do I feel lack in my creative practice? (Confidence, skill, discipline etc.)
· Am I making choices that are serving or sabotaging my future self?
*Recommended reading: Be Your Future Self Now & Willpower Doesn’t Work, both by Benjamin Hardy.
Until next time, friends.
