Creative Blocks

The term "creative block" is well known among everyone these days. Less known is how to overcome our creative blocks. You'll see plenty of authors of books and blogs on how to "break through" those creative blocks. Over the years I have been admittedly blocked and I chased myself around for answers in journal-ling and hunted for books at the library or in bookstores, articles on-line etc. A lot of methods simply don't work. It's a lot like enforcing a strict diet or forcing a child to "play" something they don't want to.

I have thought on creative blocks to overcome my own over the years and I've learned that in order for a person to "break through" there are a number of things needed and to be done in balance.

The first is compassion. Without compassion, all of our efforts are hard edged and the animal instinct in us quite rightly so, will buck and kick at any effort to "force" anything. This can be the hardest part for all of us no mater where we come from and what we do for a living. Because compassion is the hardest for us to give to ourselves most of the time, it is in my opinion, the main reason why so many artists of any kind fail to overcome their personal blocks. All of us have very personal and unique ways of being mean to ourselves that have been taught to us by the culture and by our family. Without compassion, artists cannot deal with the predicament that they are in for being an artist at this time in history. This predicament is unspoken especially for isolated artists. Everyone has a subconscious understanding of how artists and craftspeople are perceived. Without compassion we are not able to put words to our deepest shame which by it's nature enforces silence and with that silence shame builds in strength.

The second thing that we need to do is self motivation and discipline. Self motivation is important for any artist. At some point in an artists or crafts persons life they will not have anyone who is behind them. Work is done alone and therefore we may not have a cheer leading squad to back us up. Or artists will most certainly be faced with a life situation which may threaten to eclipse their creativity. Self motivation and discipline paired with compassion act as a gentle but firm guiding hand through difficult times. Self discipline and compassion give us a steady endurance and energy to take on tasks that first seem overwhelming or intimidating to us and to commit our energy to doing them every day.

The third is a philosophy built around joy. Often artists and craftspeople become caught up in business and mainstream culture philosophies such as "achievement", "money", and "respect". We become overly concerned with being amazing geniuses as a way to compensate for deep shame for being an artist. We often feel we must always do better than ordinary to prove ourselves worthy for being artists enjoying ourselves while others are toiling at crap jobs sweating and bleeding at the brow. We often create value around anything that has had suffering or a process of denying the self of happiness in some form. We create martyr complexes instead of art because with this mindset we dare not practice. Everything must be a fabulous, genius and final, complete piece of work. We dare not have fun with markers and our sketchbooks. The philosophy of doing everything for the joy it brings isn't much different from compassion. It's difference is that it takes compassion further from caring for a broken soul to liberating and strengthening the soul with the utmost generosity. Again we are faced with shame. We need to live life for joy rather than suffering as a way to pay for our right to take up space in this world, to be here. It must be a daily mantra either written where we can see it everyday or something that we say to ourselves daily as part of our self discipline and compassion.

And the next thing that we need to give ourselves is knowledge of ourselves. Again compassion comes into play and self discipline to firmly guide ourselves to unflinchingly know who we are. It can take years for some artists to truly know who they are and what they are about. Until we know we will jump from one thing to another, changing our minds because we doubt our innermost callings and are trying to shut them out. We may want to trade in what we feel called to do for something that would be more acceptable to society or something that would create more financial stability. Obviously we are always being pulled off our center in one form or another. After some time we may come to the truth ourselves. That no matter what we do, it is a risk whether it's considered safer financially or looks better on paper. Once we know this we see that we might as well commit ourselves to our truest calling. We also may see that every choice we make takes energy and time. We may find that our choice might threaten to eclipse our calling which we had previously fooled ourselves into believing that there would be time for.

Trusting our instincts is another great asset for an artist. We would think that this goes without saying but often artists are led to believe that to get through their artistic blocks that they have to be led by the hand. The artist and crafts person is a person that needs to be in touch with their instincts supremely, more than anyone. To have our instincts restored to the fullest strength that they can be we must know ourselves. We cannot sniff out the best path for ourselves if we don't know where we want to be. We must consider our futures and look closely at our choices for where they will lead us. Is it where we want to be? We must also study the intentions we have behind our choices. With our instincts our awareness is sharp, seeing all of the details of our choices and where it will lead. Instincts come in handy where people are concerned which an artist needs to be aware of. We are sensitive. We care and feel because deep down we believe it is right and part of a thriving spirit. Yet it opens ourselves to pain. The pain from alienation and cold criticism from others. The pain of competing egos and self centered artistic rock stars hoping to eclipse every artist who crosses their paths. We can feel shame for not being able to get along with everyone or we can choose to trust our instincts about a person for not being good for our souls. Our instincts also guide us for how to stroke the canvas or paper or clay. Our instincts tell us how to move. Our instincts alert us to danger. Our instincts tell us our deepest wisdom that is innate. Even with training, an artists greatest resource is to still trust their instincts. Without instincts there would have been no growth and no discovery in any form of art, dance, fashion, technology. Instincts are following a hunch. The universal energy in which we live, if we believe in such a thing speaks through us to carry evolution on. There can be no evolution, no enterprise and discovery without instinct. We trust our instincts when we have true compassion for ourselves and when we know ourselves. We trust ourselves to know what is best regardless of what another may say or the dirty look they may give us. Pioneers of any new growth or movement tend to be alienated and shunned. Something about them or maybe many things rubs people the wrong way. The more different an artist is the more they are challenged to know themselves and to remain centered with compassionate awareness.

Artists need times of privacy. We mostly believe that artists are only valuable once their "product" is out there. Much emphasis is places on the business of art rather than the quiet and introverted moments of development in deep listening. Deep listening for any person, spiritual, artist or not requires privacy. Time and space for us to feel unseen and unexposed. A time when we feel completely alone. We must be able to love being alone, to love the patient process of deep listening to our instincts of what color to use, of how to apply it to what surface, of what words to write, what note to hit. When we are seen, we are telling a story of some kind, rather than creating it. Very often our deepest voice cannot be heard when the loudness of society if beckoning. When we must be performing. It takes a lot of time alone to develop centered-ness to be able to hear our voice when on display on front of others. This is why it can feel so naked for an artist to suddenly be drawing or painting, weaving or singing onfront of people or an audience. We need privacy to remember that we are doing what we do for the joy it brings. Art for the sake of it rather than for the sale or for the prestige. With privacy we are allowing ourselves a time to not perform, to not consent to being a circus animal dazzling a crowd with tricks. This privacy may involve a deep and quiet time of not showing art to anyone. Development needs an incubation period. It needs a time to exist unseen by the world while it builds it's strength to handle the outside world. An artist may go through this multiple times through their life rather than only at the very beginning. If an artist allows such growth then this creates an environment for an ability to begin anew. We often doubt the new callings if we have established ourselves fearing that we won't be understood or as "successful" as our previous artistic development. Privacy and solitude is sacred. We forget this in our culture which values extrovertedness. An artist needs to be seen and known and yet an artist needs that special space away from prying eyes and voices. These days we especially believe that success is found by selling ourselves all the time, over and over again. Making sure that we are heard and seen. After awhile an artist may burn out from this activity. They may feel it is hopeless because they then come to value their art based off of facebook likes, how many people have shared or seen their work. An artist can begin to develop a fear of being forgotten, unknown. We all define success differently. Many of us define success by being in a gallery or selling a lot of our work, attracting respect and being written about in articles for our work. Yet there are artists and craftspeople who are unknown and who are happy because they are doing what they love. There is no friction between themselves and the outside worlds. They simply do what they do and follow their nose. They create their goals but realize that attachment to a goal of success could lead them to joy or not. The goal of success may or may not happen and they understand that they can only do so much to control that. But they can control the quality of the experience that they have in life and in their art and their craft. You have a choice to see how may choices that you really do have. Choices are best seen in times of quiet and solitude in a room of ones own, in the woods, by the sea, in bed, in times of in between and in dreams. In our privacy our dreams are the center, the most important, the main event. In privacy we taste the texture of listening.

These are the things I have applied to my life. There are no hard and fast rules. They are flexible because each person is different. There can be no one size fits all approach to breaking through creative blocks. Each artist must act as shamanic healer and psychologist to themselves. We must know for ourselves who we are and what we need. What we need to keep and what we need to let go of. Whether it's ideas, beliefs, choices or people. We can do this for ourselves. We are artists and do not need to be led by the hand. It may feel that way at first if we have joined the ranks in tearing ourselves down, creating a state of vulnerability. But we can and we must find the healthiest ways to be strong and empowered, liberated all through our creative lives.