One day, a couple of weeks ago I woke up in the morning and I felt it. My coffee didn’t quite pick me up the way it usually does. Even scribbling in my journal didn’t seem so fun. No nuggets of inspiration...no runaway curiosity fueling the ink.
For a long time, I’ve had the feeling that in some ways, the pandemic hadn't caught up with me...yet. It had occurred to me that it was odd to be cruising ahead at creative full speed. In spite of everything...
And then I just wasn’t anymore.
These are such crazy times. Hitting a wall is probably just a sign that you are normal. Human. You know this. I know it. And yet…
I heard this whisper of self-doubt.
Why aren’t you getting things done? Maybe your creative moment is over. This is it. You’ll never find the spark or the desire again. Who are you kidding?
But here’s the thing:
I’ve been here before.
No, I don’t mean I’ve already navigated a pandemic and homeschooled two kids while running a tiny business, asking myself thousands of questions at once. And still hoping to stay creative.
Still, my life has been thrown wildly off the tracks in the past.
And, probably yours has too.
What makes us strong is not avoiding life’s foggy, confusing places-- those murky spaces we don’t know our way out of just yet.
It’s knowing what to do when we find ourselves smack in the middle of them.
What makes us lifelong creatives is not that we never slow down during times of upheaval, loss, or times that force us to reinvent ourselves.
What makes us lifelong creatives is that we meet with those moments--and we keep a tiny flame of creativity and inspiration burning.
Even when our lives and paths don’t seem particularly clear.
Because we know the time will come. We will be ready. Life will be ready.
And we’ll breathe a light breath back on that flame until it lights the way again.
For ourselves. For others.
I wanted to take a moment today and honor that creative process.
Let’s look at how we, as creatives, can slow down and navigate the foggy spots. And how we stay sane, kind to ourselves and, yes, inspired by:
slowing down creatively (and otherwise) after a time of upheaval--and being unapologetic about it
being flexible about our creative outlets and sources of inspiration--to keep that flame burning
taking stock of what creative pursuits we can’t live without--because those will be the things that lead us back.
And there is a creative prompt or two in the post. So, maybe grab your pen, your journal...or your paints.
Give yourself permission to slow down--be unapologetic about it.
Do you suddenly need more sleep? Or are you having trouble focusing?
Maybe your work is taking longer...leaving you even less time to unwind?
Start with the radical act of deciding it’s ok to get less done for a while.
Work, life, creativity. It’s ok to simplify.
If you’re like me, it’s too easy to start feeling like this is somehow all your fault.
You know, because of course, we were born with superhuman abilities that are designed to make us function at full capacity under any circumstances.
Do you know what my super simple technique for reminding myself about this is?
Journaling about it.
Try this: create a tiny card/bookmark for yourself.
On one side, write: “Permission to slow down, permission to rest, permission to do nothing.”
On the other side, write down: “Schedule 10 minutes to do nothing today--at least once.”
Slip this bookmark into your journal if you write every day.
And remind yourself to jot a few things down about this permission...or what it means for your day.
Or slip it into your favorite book, if that’s your go-to activity.
Or...if things are really hectic and you’re out of your usual reading and journaling routine--slip this card into your agenda or keep it where you plan your day.
And just schedule yourself that 10 minutes to do nothing.
Some days, sitting on the couch with a cup of tea and staring into space without trying to solve any problems or fix anything is an incredibly important thing to do.
Find inspiring substitutes for your normal creative output.
Here’s what this looks like most recently in my life:
Before I entered this latest foggy period, I was starting to write longer and longer short stories.
They were more complex and engaging--and I was having fun.
But...writing longer stories when your time is short and attention span is low?
Not so rewarding.
In the first part of this year, I suddenly found myself starting a story--and never finishing it.
There were too many characters or plot elements to keep up with between sittings.
So, I gave myself permission to figure out how much time and energy I have for writing--and to choose to write something that fits in that space.
Later, when life expands again, so will my writing time.
And so will yours.
Here are some of my favorite creative outlets for moments when time or focus or energy are in short supply:
When time and energy are hard to come by, keep writing and creating with these:
One-line poems. One doodle a day. Collections of prose poems instead of longer stories. Figure out how long you currently have to sit down and write these days--is it 15 minutes a day 3-4 times a week? Ok, then figure out what you can write in one of your sittings.
Collage and writing from your reading
There is something beautiful and soothing about creating collages, black out poems or found poems either by cutting and pasting, or by writing words on the page. What’s incredible about these tiny creative acts is that they don’t take much time, they are fun and intuitive even when you’re short on focus and energy. AND--they really do make you a better and more creative writer. Probably, we should all be doing these even if we’re not short on time and focus...
Read. Just read.
If you can only do one thing, read.
If you’re a writer, you’re a reader. Every time you pick up a book, you are meeting the author halfway.
Pausing to ‘just read’ does not mean you are giving up on your writing or your creativity.
You are devoting your focus to something that will ultimately make you a better writer--and a more creative and empathetic person.
And you’re engaging in something that will make you feel better. Now.
Notice what creative outlets you can’t live without.
Maybe this is the gift you get when you live through a slowdown.
This last ‘foggy period’ I gave myself time to be less productive in general--and permission to finish fewer writing projects. And do you know what happened?
My energy slowly began to return.
But even before that, I began to really miss my creative outlets.
Yes, I was still reading and doing plenty of informal and satisfying journaling.
But I realized that there is something I truly miss about nerding out over the final drafts of a poem. There is something I also truly miss about publishing those pieces and then exchanging with other writers over what I’ve written...but also what they’ve written.
And that recognition was enough to bring me back to a little more polishing and publishing.
Because I realized that it was something that made me happy.
And that’s maybe the most important discovery you can make.
Find that creative outlet, creative community, or creative act that is essential to you.
The element you can’t leave out when you describe what it feels like to truly live.
The things that get you through: know what they are. Hold on with both hands.
Which brings me to my next point...
What is that one creative outlet that brightens YOUR life in foggy times?
Is it a group activity or a solitary process?
Do you find solace in something you can do again and again--or in the final expression of your creativity?
What does it feel like when you show up at the page?
And how do you know when it’s time to return to that creative process that you love?
Tell us all about it in the comments.
Image credit and design: Canva.