Hi Intellectual Nomads!
What do you do when you’re stuck?
banished to desert,
her whispered curses carried
home on wind killed him
I’ve never had a shortage of ideas. Writing block has never been a creative struggle for me. However, I regularly find myself doubting the creative direction I’m headed in.
I sometimes feel like a ping-pong ball being batted around by two questions:
What kind of work do I want to make?
What kind of stuff will people want to pay for?
Having been making and selling stuff online for ten years now, I’ve noticed some patterns. I usually start feeling lost like this when I finish a big project, such as publishing a collection of haiku comics.
I also now know how to find my way out of the creative desert.
When I feel stuck, I start experimenting. I try different genres, techniques, and mediums. I also listen to more music, watch more TV, and read more books.
However, the most important thing I do to get unstuck is to give myself the freedom to intellectually wander. I relax and see where my curiosity leads me. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that, eventually, I will find my way to the right thing.
How about you? What works for you when you’re stuck?
Be the weird your want to see in the world!
Cheers,
Jason
I can so relate to the title of your post--in more ways than one!
When I’m stressed or burnt out, I set my writing aside and focus on other interests. I listen to music (always looking for new bands/artists), go outside, exercise, read...and when my mind is right, I’m able to come back to the writing.