#86 Nature as a Medicine for Creative Blocks
It’s likely no secret that, for me, the natural world is a muse and a space to visit - physically or emotionally - when I am feeling creatively blocked. I posted this prompt on the grid some time ago and followed it up with an episode on the podcast (episode 2.7) about recovering from creative exhaustion, and was also a guest on the wonderful Holly Worton’s podcast, Into the Woods', to discuss it, and I thought I’d take some time to reconnect with it now as I enter into a phase of writing that will (hopefully!) see the completion of a project that has been on the back-burner for years.
As a teenager, I used to row to a high level, training long hours, often two sessions per day, seven days a week. As a result, I got overtraining syndrome, now commonly known as RED-s in people with a menstrual cycle. My body was so tired from training that it became unable to hold onto any nutrients I might have been consuming that I got to the point where my times stopped improving, my training got harder and harder, I kept getting ill and my menstrual cycle stopped completely. I see creative blocks in a similar way to this. Sometimes we push ourselves so hard, creatively or otherwise, that we literally run ourselves dry - the words no longer flow and any time spent trying to create often ends in frustration and sometime tears. For me, this becomes a vicious cycle and anything I try to do leads nowhere, meaning I get more frustrated with myself and end up stopping altogether.
Becoming aware of when this cycle is starting is key to knowing when it’s time to take some rest.
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Signs that you might be creatively blocked
Creative blocks can manifest themselves in many different ways. For some, these might look like:
A lack of motivation
An unsettled mood
An inability to start or a fear of the plank page/canvas
Feeling as if you are going around in circles and perhaps that everything you create is awful to the point that you stop creating altogether
Take a moment to consider what creative blocks look like for you. Have you experienced them in the past and, if so, how did you overcome them? For me, it’s often about not being able to begin because I’m too worried that the end result will just be rubbish.
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Possible Causes of Creative Blocks
Thinking about what might trigger these blocks is also important in catching them before they hit. These are just a few reasons I might start feeling blocked:
Comparisonitis - without a doubt, the thief of joy!
Busy-ness or long to-do lists
Multiple distractions
Looming deadlines at work or even in your main creative practice
Tired/stressed/overworked i.e. all of the above!
If you are feeling any of these things, take time to consider what might help you to get out of the muck and mire. Don’t be afraid to take some time out; it won’t be a waste of time if it means when you come back to your practice you are feeling renewed and re-inspired. Chances are, you’ll end up creating more that you might have done if you’d have forced yourself to keep going!
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Moving Past the Blocks
If you’re feeling any of the above, try this:
Get outside and breathe!
Go for a walk in a green or blue space
Turn off your phone/alerts
Free write…anything! Allow your work to be just for fun, a first draft or just ‘a bit rubbish!’ and stop pressuring yourself to have it ‘perfect’ first time (this is a big one for me!)
Experiment with a different medium e.g. draw instead of write, dance instead of design (or vice versa)…you get the idea!
Use any of the prompts on this website or in the writing prompt episodes of the Prompted by Nature podcast - just for fun!
For me, moving my body and getting outside to do some free writing never fails to sort my head out and although I am still finding getting started on a couple of things a challenge, consistent practice always seems to help my confidence a lot.
Those two things: being outside and getting you creating are both essentially what everything I do is about. Whether it’s outdoor writing classes or retreats, the podcasts or my prompts here, I hope you can take something that works for you and get yourself inspired to create something wonderful.
Happy creating!
Helen x
