Resisting creativity

Most artists and creatives experience creative block at some point. We experience this as a barrier to our inner creativity, usually as a lack of inspiration or creative flow. It can occur at any time, but I would suggest it is most often experienced in between projects. After the completion or success of one project it can be difficult to know where to go next. Once a venture has started, however, the blocks are (hopefully) less common as you already have something to wrestle with, although I am not saying it is easy.

“There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is resistance.” – Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Resistance is a fear-based emotion. We fear that the work will suck, that people won’t like it and people will judge us for what we express. So, we resist doing the work at all, to keep our inner artist safe. Fear is experienced as a contraction, a tension and disconnectedness. We feel separated from others, ourselves and our creative genius. We feel hopeless and useless. Resistance is a bit sneaky, because it's fear disguised as something more rational. We might feel shameful if we realise we aren't making art because of fear (I did!) We know we shouldn't be using our reptilian brains for creative pursuits, and with this realisation we might just get stuck into it. As a work-around, Fear shows up as Resistance instead with it's sidekick Justification. I can't paint today because the house needs cleaning. I can't write that book because I've just been promoted at work and I don't have time. I can't start my own bakery until the kids are all at high school. Whatever form it takes for you, resistance is the negative, repelling force that distracts you from your true desire and keeps you in procrastination.

After graduating from university, I stopped creating my own art and focussed on teaching it. It was a natural shift and I hadn’t intended on leaving my art practice dormant for so long. When I recommitted myself seven years later, I was surprised to find a deep resistance that I experienced as procrastination. During my first year as a recovering creative, I read a lot of books, went to lots of galleries and pursued other creative activities such as gardening or cooking. These were all nice, and useful to some extent, but it wasn’t getting the work done. The blank page stared up at me and, after years of avoidance, making art was leading to more tension than joy. I was caught in a catch-22. I waited all week for my art day to come and then I procrastinated it away. 

Pressman’s rule of thumb about resistance: "The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it." – The War of Art

My call to artistic action was so important to me and I was scared of the enormity of this realisation. I drew many cocoons during this time, perhaps a symbol of my desire for protection and rest. My inner artist was being called forth, but it was not ready to come out.

If you’re struggling with creative block I want you to know I hear you, I’m with you. Non-creatives (in other words, people who are permanently blocked!) don't always know how to empathise with artists in the middle of a creative slump. Creative block is more than a lack of ideas or boredom with what we are doing. It can be a self-sabotaging state of mind that traps us into procrastinating indefinitely. Resistance is certainly not where inspiration resides. If you’ve read my post on inspiration, you’ll know I see it as a kind of consciousness that is wanting to work with you, but it’s impossible to connect with it if you’re in resistance. You’re just not on the same frequency. Let’s face it, would you want to collaborate with someone who’s resisting? Or would you find someone who’s open? 

If you want to break out of creative block, then you need to relax and shift your mind out of fear. The best way for me to do this is to get a good dose of nature. I believe our fast-paced world and over-reliance on technology also impacts on our creativity, so getting in touch with nature is crucial for our mental health and our inner artists. Going for a hike helps me to slow down and be in the present moment. I stop to touch trees, admire beetles and listen to bird calls. Meditation can also bring about an added sense of calm, clarity and fresh perspective, so if I can do that in nature then all-the-better! Music is another way to get creativity flowing again. Often when I feel blocked I will put on some music and draw to the melody. There’s a movement to music, and hiking, that gets the creative energy going again.

I have some other creativity hacks I’ll be sharing in future posts. Until then, I would love to hear your experiences with creative block. I often feel like creative people are expected to always be ‘on’, but creativity has ebbs and flows like anything else. Please share in the comments, what is creative block like for you and how do you get past it? What creative project have you been dreaming about and putting off?

Until next time,

Erin

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