Writer's Block
Achieving the balance between Creating and Consuming
Have you heard of writer’s block?
It’s happens to writers where they cannot continue to create, no matter how hard they try. Imagine the gifted artist sitting over a blank piece of paper with an even blanker mind. The pen rests at the side, ready for use and yet, the words do not flow.
The process is blocked. But why?
I will suggest that, as with most natural process, there is an ebb and a flow, a waxing and a waning, a back and forth, a yin and a yang. Look at the patterns in nature for gaining understanding on the creative process.
One may try to explain, “I’m just not creative,” they say. Before I explain how to restart the creative process, let me support this argument.
It’s true. You are not creative. Neither am I. Creative is not something you are, but rather something you do. A process you honor and practice. A powerful law you submit to in order to feel alive.
This work is an action, and is most certainly hard work. And so, you can do well, better, or poorly as with any practice and skill. Since the block does not occur because of who you are, then why are you not creating? As with all things in nature, peace is found in the balance. You are not creating because it is not the season to create. It is the season to consume.
Consume.
Consumer.
Maybe this is a bad word for you. I conjure up an image of a mindless purchaser of needless things promised to bring happiness. I imagine a I am a hungry hungry hippo that scarfs down entertainment, pausing my scrolling only to sacrifice a “like” to appease the algorithm gods.
Last time I checked, energy cannot be created or destroyed and I create nothing with nothing. First, I require fuel to rearrange something into something magnificent. Consumption is the breathing in to the Creation of breathing out.
The creative process is not blocked, my friend, but rather it is a signal for you to feed your soul with fuel. The creative process is blocked because you are not honoring the second part to creation - consumption.
We have noticed that the content (out there) is not *** spoilers *** always quality. Follow this simple rule I keep for myself when discerning between the quality of content.
The content that I consume is good for me as much as it fuels me to create.
Is it the season to create or consume? Nature helps us understand that we need both because it is the ebb and flow, the back and forth, the see and the saw that powers our spirit alive and releases the block.
Consume to Create and Create to Consume