The Rhythm of Creativity

Anyone who is creative knows, there are ways to help the process and keep the flow happening. One of these ways is to just keep doing it no matter what. 

Many writers set a limit of so many words per day and many visual artists do so many sketches or start so many paintings as well. They do it even if they know what they do is dribble! They know that by doing it, they will get more comfortable with it and in the end, it will all pay off.

They also know that not every day is going to be a great day for producing something good, however how often does a song writer, for instance, go back into the lyrics of some song they had created and find just the right place to use them maybe years down the road? You never know when you are recording your thoughts, just where they will come in handy.

The other aspect of creativity is it doesn't happen in a vacuum. If you don't live, go out and grasp life to the fullest and feel, then what on earth will you have to draw from so the muse can descend? You need experiences, you need a life and you need things to share. Otherwise you are like an empty vessel with nothing to pour out into the world. It is that simple.

I often think of creativity like the moon and tides. Sometimes the pull of the moon is stronger than at other times just as sometimes you are really in a place where you can produce a lot, while if you push through at another time, you know it is not going to be anything but work, however if you wait a few days, it will come and be good, maybe even great, without all the headaches.

It is at these times I have learned to respect my energy and how I feel and find something related that needs to be done like buying groceries or doing laundry or research. Whatever it is, it doesn't mean you have writer's block, it just means you are finding and respecting your own natural rhythm.

When I used to do painting workshops, I did the 3 minute rule. I especially did this when working with oils and a student who already knew how to draw.

I would get them set up with whatever image they wanted to paint (mainly still life), their canvas and easel and paints out on their palette. They would be all ready to settle down with their tiny paint brushes...guess what, no way!

I would put on the timer, hand them 2 inch- plus paint brushes, and turn on the timer. I expected the canvas to be completely covered by the time I came back! At first there would be the typical reaction of NO WAY! In the end though, the timer would go on and I would come back in three minutes and there would have no longer blank canvas.

You know, some of the best paintings I saw were started this way and it can even be applied to writing.

If you are staring at a flashing cursor and blank screen, then give yourself a time limit and set yourself a goal. Perhaps it is to write ten things you need to do before bed or maybe it is something more related to your writing such as a list of names for your new protagonist. Whatever it is, put on that timer and just do it and I am confident, you will find writer's block is a myth created by your own expectations and pressure you have put on yourself.

Remember, not everything you write or paint is going to be a master piece, however even the mistakes are there to make you more confident and familiar with both yourself and what you want to do. If you do it the long way; the hard way or the easy way by learning from other's mistakes, it doesn't matter. There are always plenty more mistakes to learn from. All you need to remember is to do something. That is all that really matters. Keep those scraps of paper and let those failures become useful down the road. They usually do.