Creative Soul: Creative Inertia

In my studio

Today I emerged out of almost a month-long artistic silence. How could this happen? I was sure I was completely healed of creative inertia…

But it happens. It happens to everyone. It happens for short and long times. It’s dangerous and defeating. It’s the worst state and feeling for the creative soul. And it can happen anytime.

Until we say: ¡Basta! Enough!

There is always a way to say it when we are ready. And words are not needed. In fact, words are not welcome. Only actions push us forward.

This is what happened to me this month. I had a little vacation, and I was so hopeful and ready to create… but my mother was visiting and I had to spend time with her, and my apartment was dirty and I had to clean it, and I had to see my friends because I don’t want to end up friendless, and I needed to meet with my team because I have to cultivate their young minds, and I had to rest because that’s the point of vacations, and I felt a little sad and low so I needed to rest some more, and I had to cook some good meals because I like to eat my own food, and I had to spend time with my husband because I felt I should, and I had to send Etsy packages because that’s what I signed up for, and I had to work a little because my team was working, and so many more things that left me exhausted and needing a recovery from my very short school vacation days.

And I know those were all excuses I was allowing to rule my creative life. Creativity is challenging, perhaps because it is so deeply pleasurable that we hesitate to embrace it fully.

Fortunately, I have now snapped out of it, after 3 weeks. Maybe even more. I took a day off from my mind, wrote in my journal, took time to meditate, and examined what was happening. Then I remembered that last year I drew almost every day, published a book, created many artworks and did not allow anything to interfere with my commitment to my artwork.

I asked myself: What are my tools? How do I create the structure that allows me to enter the space of creativity? Drawing, writing. The space itself: my studio.

Once I recognized these elements, I sat at my table and started.

It will happen again, It happens to everyone. But each time we recommit to our creative work, we become stronger and learn the way back to ourselves. Because an object at rest only needs a little push to move forward. And as momentum grows, transformation is inevitable.