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So many of us are trying to create in fight of flight, navigating one crisis project to the next with no sign of it letting up. We are conditioned to keep going, push through, dig deeper.
But you can't create in survival mode.
Not only is it exhausting, frustrating and totally unsustainable; but nothing truly great is made in burnout Here are some things iIm learning (the hard way) about creating the conditions to create:
- Sometimes creative success doesn't hit like a lightening bold but comes like slow food, brewed and simmering
- Stuck demands stillness, not force. Instead of pushing through, consider letting go.
- You are allowed to experience frustration and impatience. Just don't let it drive the car.
- Being hard on yourself doesn't make your art better.
- Being an artist can sometimes look like drinking tea, lounging in a hammock and doing nothing.
We need your art in this moment. James Baldwin said “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don't see.”
To be an artist is to love ourselves enough to slow down and self regulate. It's trusting in the space, the stillness and the silence that is needed to regenerate ourselves for the work ahead. You deserve it...and so does your art :)
(Art by @inspiredtowrite)
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