by Certain periods of my life, I’m able to create effortlessly. The words fall onto the page fluidly, the artwork doesn’t look half bad, and I’m genuinely happy with my output. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes I sit around, waiting for inspiration, and nothing seems to come my way. The ideas are forced and incomplete. There’s some sort of magic missing to it all.
These are the times when input becomes essential. I think when creativity wanes, it’s because the mind is lacking in content to draw upon. The way I see it, I think the best creative projects originate from a large and interconnected map of ideas in the mind. And as you create, whatever, from this, your mind is emptied out overtime.
Eventually you run out of content to draw upon and your output dries up. However normal these periods of time are, the experience of writer’s (or any other creative) block is supremely frustrating. But, I think there is a solution. First, it’s important to let go of the idea that you need to be creating amazing content all the time. It’s just not realistic.
Also, I’m not sure how healthy it is to be in your own mind so much. Luckily, there is more to life than the prison of our conscious mind. We can leave it for some time and explore the external world, observing all the beautiful details around us that we weren’t fully paying attention to when we were in a creative flux.
So what do we do when our creative output has waned and we can’t seem to make anything of value?
1. Invest time in conversations.
Putting genuine effort into your interactions, and listening intently to what the other person is saying helps a lot in the creative process. My favorite interactions are when two people are bouncing ideas off of each other, back and forth.
I like to surround myself with really creative and smart people because we get into these topics that I would probably never explore on my own. The minds of my closest friends are incredibly fascinating to me, and it’s always very stimulating getting into a good conversation with one of them. Because many of them have different interests than I do, I’m able to learn about very interesting topics every time we chat.
And when I get into these deep convos, I almost never want them to end. When they do, my mind continues to mull over the conversation and the variety of different directions we could have gone with it. I start to think about the connection between whatever we happened to be talking about and something completely unrelated that was floating around in my subconscious. And when this happens, I need something to do with all the built-up energy. So, I write.
* slight tangent * Writing helps a lot with my concentration. If there are too many ideas floating around in my mind for too long, I go a little crazy. Too many thoughts, in my mind, causes me immense anxiety. I need to empty it out as often as possible to avoid buildup that is too stimulating.
2. Create for fun
If you’re completely out of ideas, just fuck around. Your artwork doesn’t need to be good. In fact, try to make it as bad as possible. Experiment with methods you are usually too nervous to try and see what happens. Creativity doesn’t need to be so damn serious. The fate of the world doesn’t lie on whether or not your poem makes sense. Just have fun with it and never let the excitement fade away.
When you start creating with perfection in mind, and no longer see it as play, then it becomes increasingly hard to trust your own intuition.
My favorite writing that I’ve created are the ones where I’m having fun with it. Maybe it’s overly informal at times and is more stream of consciousness, but who cares? There are no rules when it comes to creativity. Nobody is grading you. Do whatever feels right and enjoy the process!
3. Never stop learning!
Unfortunately, I don’t think the education system does a great job encouraging lifelong learning. Honestly, I think it sucks a lot of fun out of learning and puts it in a manufactured box of sitting at desks, being talked at for eight hours a day, and giving you busywork disguised as homework to help you “learn better.” But all this does is make kids hate school, and by extension also hate learning.
This is so unfortunate because knowledge is a very beautiful thing. It expands your perspective to such a crazy degree and helps you see outside of your small mind prison (that I was talking about earlier).
So, whatever is your preferred method of learning – be it reading, watching movies, Youtube videos, travel, etc. – do that! Follow your curiosities and see where they lead! There is so much out there to explore. You never know what oddly specific and random topic you’re deeply passionate about until you try it first.
And then draw upon the knowledge you’ve gained for creative inspiration.
The vast majority of my content is sparked by books I’ve read. Currently, I’m reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert for the second time (I don’t typically reread books, but wow! This one is super good if you haven’t yet read it). It’s all about creativity which sparked my last two pieces of writing.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it’s important to find a proper balance of inputs and outputs that work best for you. When you can’t seem to create anything, focus your energies on observing the external world. Pay attention to everything that’s going on around you. Leave your mind prison and run free, naked with your hair blowing in the breeze behind you (ok maybe not that, but it could work for someone!). Have fun with creativity. Play a little bit, and find beauty in everyday interactions. Creation will come when you’re ready for it. Trust the process, let go of impossibly high expectations, and you’ll be golden.
tori's thoughts 
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