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Everything I learned about creative block from (finally) completing The Artist’s Way
I haven't had much going on in the way of creative output lately – no new musings, no new projects to share, no newsletters, almost no Instagram posts. Part of me feels uneasy about this fact, but another part of me rejects this idea that we should be perpetually doing, creating, sharing and using our output as a measure of our worth.
Sometimes, we need to turn off the stream of output in order to create time and space for quality input, for recharging, and for going inward. It's unsettling to let go of the buzz of external validation that come with receiving a like on social media or a nice email from a reader, but it's often what's needed to reassess and get unstuck, instead of continuing with the same processes, ideas, or projects that may no longer enliven us.
It's impossible to change direction if you keep treading the same path, and as Julia Cameron writes, "It's impossible to get better and look good at the same time."
For the last few months, instead of looking 'good' I've ceased production on many of my labours of love and gone inward with the help of the seminal do-it-yourself creative unblocking book, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.
You may have heard of the morning pages or other exercises from the book, or that it's notorious for both changing the inner-lives of creatives and being left unfinished.
After finally completing the twelve-week course (after many years of attempting to), here’s everything I learned about listening to yourself, reframing lost opportunities, moving through creatives ruts, and looking for joy.
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