A prescription for creative constipation
Sometimes when I don't have the right words for something, I call on my inner 3-year-old who always knows how to say exactly what I've become too much of an adult to. One such moment arrived earlier this week when I found myself at the end of another work day feeling depleted and fed up. Why? Well because I needed to take a creative poo.
Whenever I go long periods of time without actually making anything - a blog post, a story, a poem, a cookie from scratch - this quiet, restless tempo starts to build in the background. I can usually sense it, and when I feel too burned out to address it, my screen time hits an all time high.
But the thing about constipation is that it doesn't necessarily resolve on its own; at least not the kind that has you feeling like you're carrying around a load of bricks in your stomach. You typically need some sort of intervention to get things...moving. That's why I think constipation is the perfect, if not a little gross, metaphor for what it feels like when your creative output is backed up.
So here's the prescription I'm following to resolve my current bout of creative constipation.
Buying domain names. I've got 3 domain names in my cart right now for project ideas I felt really passionate about at one time, but didn't pull the trigger. Having the domains ready to go for the moment I'm ready to get started is one less roadblock to getting started, so I'm going to buy those domains!
Starting in comically small increments. I'm setting the bar for my writing so low that not even an ant could limbo under it. I'm beginning by protecting 15 minutes of everyday to do some sort of writing. Whether that be answering a journal prompt or working on a poem or short story. No word count goals. Just me, whatever I'm using to write, and a timer.
Swapping consumer scroll time with creative scroll time. I am prone to scrolling the home page of YouTube and Substack; both great places to get lost in learning something new. Also great places to get stuck in the cycle of consuming other people's creative output without making your own. Instead of throwing my phone into the ocean, I'm swapping YouTube and Substack meandering with sites like Are.na and Sublime. Both places contain troves of inspiring and idea generating content. A lot of my creative hesitation comes from a lack of knowing what interests me enough to talk about it in writing. If you too find yourself consuming people's content more than you make it, try this out.
Trying a new tool or form. I'm not a painter and I am definitely not a proficient drawer, so I was surprised to find myself suddenly interested in watercolor painting. Not sure why, but it might be a sign that a new way of being creative is waiting to be unlocked. So I plan on getting myself a starter watercolor paint set and go from there. Maybe I'll write a poem and then paint something to accompany it.
Switching up one meal or routine. Every morning I have a cup of coffee with more than the recommended serving of creamer. Up until about 2 weeks ago, that was fine. But now I'm bored of it and I think that boredom is contributing to a creative rut. So for the next week, I'm switching my coffee out for tea. This morning was the first time I made the swap and here I am writing this blog post. Coincidence? Maybe, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
That's the script! We'll see how this goes.
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