"One must also accept that one has "uncreative" moments.
The more honestly one can accept that,
the quicker these moments will pass.
One must have the courage to call a halt,
to feel empty and discouraged."
Start Quote
It might seem disconcerting to end this month...on a downbeat,
but accepting uncreative days as part of the creative cycle
is crucial to your serenity.
Uncreative days are real life.
Every artist knows them,
although few of us care to acknowledge this
except in confidential whispers.
[Pintrest, Etsy, blogs, social media, a lot of it isn't real,
and people go to a lot of effort to not let it show
that they aren't perfect and that they have dry spells.]
But as you make authenticity your art
you will know them, too.
Uncreative days are the part of the yin/yang of artistic yearning...
[She tells us about a dry spell she had, for months she couldn't]
fantasize, visualize, or even make a wish...
[She asked a friend]
"What do I do?"
"You don't do anything," she told me.
Zilch. Nada. Zip.
Accept the fallow period as graciously as you can,
and get ready for a quantum leap in creativity or consciousness.
It is so difficult to come to a halt,
especially when we want to get on with
our careers, relationships, health, creativity.
But when you're too parched to pray, beyond tears,
or too drained to give a damn,
it's time to cease and desist...
No, this does not mean you can quit.
You still have to go through the motions...
In the meantime, defer making any life-altering creative decisions
until you receive operating instructions.
Your only assignment is to replenish the well.
Search for the underground spring through creative excursions.
Keep in touch with your authentic self with the daily dialogue.
Resurrect any old creative projects that might have fallen
into the sinkhole of second thoughts or back of the closet.
Give them another glance...
When I'm discouraged, I retreat to my illustrated discovery journal
searching for visual clues to indicate the next turn in the path.
Often the derailment of too many dreams
can bring on a drought,
but whenever there's a dry period,
there's still plenty of Light.
We're just blinded by dark dust storms.
Arid despair can often result from nurturance deprivation:
not eating well, not sleeping enough,
working too hard and too long
without anything to look forward to.
If you're creatively barren, give yourself a break...
Four months after I stopped trying so hard
[to get out of my creative rut]
the creative incarnation of Simple Abundance occurred.
The hardest thing we'll ever do
as artists of the everyday
is learn to call an occasional halt.
Today, if you're feeling uncreative,
don't despair.
Start getting excited and save your strength...
In the natural world, droughts depart
as suddenly and as mysteriously as they arrive.
End Quote
The very first thing I learned in therapy was that
everything is going to be okay.
I have been saying it to myself over and over and over.
And I think that this is especially good for the bad days,
that no matter how bad the day is,
it is going to be okay...
Even when it's not okay.
I also learned that being a mom is really hard!
And it's okay to struggle, it's okay to have bad days,
it's okay to freak out at the kids because
I've reached my breaking point!
I've also learned that in order to be okay,
you have to take care of yourself.
Like get enough sleep,
and do something that makes you happy every day.
Give yourself a break.
You deserve it.
And when you're all better,
get to work.
***
Gratitude Journal
***
1) Shelby. I miss her so, but I'm grateful for the time we had, and her memory.
2) Therapy. Emotions are so crazy, and people much smarter than I have learned so much about how to handle them and how to live life well.
3) Vacation! I'm so ready for a break.
4) My family. You see some crazy families on Hoarders, and my family has it's crazy, but I'm grateful for my crazy family.
5) Honesty. Being honest makes life so simple.
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