Creativity by Any Other Name
I discovered something entirely by accident that, in hindsight, turned out to have been something important.
To break Writers Block, engage in other forms of creativity. Do this A LOT.
The journey so far...
In my post A Hitchhiker’s Guide Through Writers Block, I talked about my plan to map the way for future travelers on this particular path.
My approach is to not write again until I feel truly inspired to compose, to spend as much time having fun this summer as I possibly can, and to meditate for 15 minutes every single day.
In A Meditation Revelation, I talked about the message of “Don’t listen, just hear,” and how I planned to relax and allow more than to strive and work at getting through this, and everything else in life.
The next road sign
I felt inspired one day, after meditation, to repaint my garden gnomes. I had a bunch of them in the garden shed (where I also have a raccoon maternity ward in my stored kayaks, but that’s another post.) So I made Lance go in and get them out (I’m too afraid mamma raccoon will pounce on my head to go in there myself.) And then I scrubbed the collection clean in the sink.
Lance is an artist, so we had lots of acrylic paints and brushes on hand. I used a shoebox cover for a palette, picked out a happy little garden gnome, and just started painting.
Before
After
Here’s a little hollow log gutter-spout with froggies and mushrooms.
I had such a great time painting it! And it looked pretty good for an amateur!
Painting gnomes gave me joy
It felt so good doing one piece that I kept going. I painted the gnome who rides the turtle, and the three little gnomes who are climbing a rope, and the little bunny whose base says “Life is Good.” I painted the gnome with the basket of flowers, the one just sitting cross legged, the pretty mushrooms, the hedgehog whose fur is all made of leaves. Some of them had paint that had worn off, a couple had just been gray, never painted.
I painted one or two a day for a week.
And on the 5th day of painting, I started getting story ideas again. I started to feel that stirring happening deep in my soul again.
It's not a creativity block
Turns out writer’s block is not a block of all creativity, and in fact, creative people must have creative outlets in order to be happy.
And the path through any challenge, has to be a path of joy. So one of best things to do is find other creative outlets during any hiatus from writing.
Prior to the gnome painting, I did landscaping and gardening, and before that, adult coloring books.
I’ve also continued blogging, updating my website, playing with video, and creating memes and animations at Canva.
All of these things kept my creative soul fed, and raised my vibration, powered me faster on the path to the other side of this creative challenge.
What have we learned?
Take a break–a real break–from writing.
Meditate 15 minutes a day.
Don’t strain against the block. Give yourself permission to relax and enjoy the break.
Do other creative things to feed your soul.
At some point in this series, I’ll post a meditation guide that will be simple and easy to follow.
Now just for fun, here are some more of my projects. Most were ready for the garbage can before I got inspired.
#maggieshayne #lawofattraction #writersblock #LOA #creativity