“Writer’s Block” – The idea that we have sudden, unexpected blocks in our creativity.
We lose the ability to write, or on a larger scale, create.
Author Steven Pressfield debunks this in his book “The War of Art.”
Marketing extraordinaire Seth Godin also opposes this.
They claim that it really is just an excuse to not do our work. To not create art.
However, we also know that a particular insight can come to us at certain times. This could be a realisation where we put our keys, or it could be a new idea. This could be called creativity.
We also know that these more sudden bursts of creativity or insight come not when we are deep in thought about the topic, but when we are not in thought at all. The idea can come quite often when we are not looking for the idea at all.
Creativity comes from our silence, our centre. When the mind is clear. It is something new, otherwise it would not be creative.
So, we then find that we can cultivate this inner silence and then cultivate creativity. This has happened to me on all time-frames, many times. In particular, it almost always happens on silent retreat.
Knowing that “trying” to be creative isn’t necessarily going to help and that accumulating inner silence or stillness*, or “learning to stand alone” may well help, there are a few things we can do:
- Meditation. A daily practice will help to reduce noise and cultivate that quiet space. We can gain a fresh viewpoint on things when we return to our everyday tasks
- Travel. “Environmental Enrichment” not only can improve health, but also brings new inspiration
- Limit external inputs and distractions. When we over-engage in social media, TV or other noisy inputs, we fill the conscious and sub-conscious mind with borrowed imagery, emotion, excitation, frustration and fears. When we create space, we allow the gap for our own realisations to surface.
- Practicing awareness, questioning. When we read a book, talk to friends, see a film, we can be fully in the experience, or we can remain the observer: “interesting, what do I actually think about this based on my OWN experience?”
To me, the practice of standing alone, or creating space for creativity to come is incredibly valuable. I prioritise this on multiple timeframes (daily, weekly, monthly, annually).
It doesn’t mean these times will necessarily be where your next big idea comes from, but it certainly means you are cultivating a practice that often does bring creativity.
*Not necessarily physical stillness. Many have creative bursts when the mind is still, but the body is in motion. Like during a long run, for example.
