On Embracing Creative Dry Spells

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I haven’t written anything in 2 months. Zero. Zip. Nada. Until right now.

At any other point of my life, I would have been beating myself up over this. Stressing over how little time I had left to be some sort of… I don’t know, literary prodigy or something. I’d see this dry spell as a reflection of my worth, my skill, my talent, my ability to get off my butt and go do something productive for once. I’d spiral into another vortex of not being able to create anything, and it would pick up speed over time, making it harder and harder to pull myself out….

But I’m trying a new approach this time. And you know what? It’s actually working. This new thing I’ve been trying out these past two months?

I’m going easy on myself. I know, I know. It’s a crazy idea, but hear me out:

I’m not spending hours staring at the blinking cursor on my screen with the insane desire to punch myself in the face. I’m not lying face down in a pile of my empty notebooks groaning miserably. I’m just…. doing the things I like that have nothing to do with writing. Letting my mind wander. Breathing a bit…. And trusting the creative spirit, the creative process. Trusting myself to come back to the craft, because I always do in the end.

I’m a writer. I’ve always been one, and I’ll always be one at heart. Just because these past few months have been low on creative output, doesn’t mean that I won’t pick back up sooner or later with that same old desire to make stuff. I just need to be patient and kind with myself.

You know what’s crazy? Having faith in my passion and the cyclical nature of my creativity puts me at ease in a way that makes it WAY easier for me to jump back into my work when I’m ready. Where before I would have spent several months — even years —  not writing anything at all and wallowing in self-hatred, these 2 months have been okay for me. Inspirational, even. And now, I’m getting right back into it. I’ve gone back to my writing goals for the year, adjusted them slightly (because goals are meant to be flexible, always), and set my sights on finalizing my beloved projects once again.

It feels really good, and I only regret not taking this approach before. So if you’re facing a dry spell, or writers block, or whatever… just trust that you will come back to it. Trust that you will return, even if it takes time. And quit it with the negative self-talk, my dude.

I can’t speak for everyone, but thinking this way has done wonders for me so far. I know I make Kiki references here literally ALL the time, but I had a major flashback to Ursula’s advice for Kiki after Kiki was hardcore stressing about losing her magical powers. This was their conversation in the film:

Kiki: Without even thinking about it, I used to be able to fly. Now I’m trying to look inside myself to find out how I did it. But I just can’t figure it out.

Ursula: You know, could be you’re working at it too hard. Maybe you should just take a break.

Kiki: Yeah, but still if I can’t fly …

Ursula: Then stop trying. Take long walks. Look at the scenery. Doze off at noon. Don’t even think about flying. And then, pretty soon you’ll be flying again.

Kiki: You think my problems will …

Ursula: Go away? That’s right. It’s going to be fine. I promise. When I was your age, I’d already decided to become an artist. I loved to paint so much. I’d paint all day until I fell asleep right at my easel. And then one day, for some reason, I just couldn’t paint anymore. I tried and tried, but nothing I did seemed any good. They were copies of paintings I’d seen somewhere before … and not very good copies either. I just felt like I’d lost my ability.

Kiki: That sounds like me.

Ursula: It’s exactly the same, but then I found the answer. You see, I hadn’t figured out what or why I wanted to paint. I had to discover my own style. When you fly, you rely on what’s inside of you, don’t you?

Kiki: Uh-huh. We fly with our spirit.

Ursula: Trusting your spirit! Yes, yes! That’s exactly what I’m talking about. That same spirit is what makes me paint and makes your friend bake. But we each need to find our own inspiration, Kiki. Sometimes it’s not easy.

… And to elaborate on Ursula’s sage advice: sometimes it’s really freaking hard. But being kind, patient and trusting with yourself pays off in the long run. Promise.