I’m in a creative slump.
A while ago, I committed to writing daily. Posts, articles, scripts, or anything that requires putting one word after another in a way that makes sense. As I want to improve my writing skills, I’m aware I have to put in the work. And for the past few weeks, my plan was going great. But two days ago, when I opened my laptop eager to do my daily writing practice, I panicked. I had no idea what to write about.
I know consistency is important. To master something, consistency is key. So, because I didn’t want to finish the day without practicing, I looked for an interesting Instagram post to comment on. I know simply adding comments with emojis won’t count as practice, so I worked on developing more elaborated texts. But then yesterday came and the feeling stayed. I realized I might be in a creative slump so I started researching it.
Apparently, as Barry Davret mentions in this thoughtful article,
Every writer cycles in and out of a creative slump.
I’ve experienced this before and I knew the symptoms. What made it feel more pressuring this time was that it interfered with my goal of writing daily. As this morning nothing changed, I thought it might be a good idea to get informed and see if I can stop this creative block faster.
In my rush to find a step by step guide, I realized I’m not approaching this the right way. Blocks are normal. If you pushed your creative side for a while, your brain deserves a break. You can’t ask it to be creative constantly. So what was I trying to do? Why was I being so hard on myself?
So, this morning I decided to take a small break from writing. It was time to do something different and take my mind of this.
I meditated. I practiced yoga. I cooked this recipe. I finished Oscar Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Grey, a great fiction book I totally recommend. I wandered outside for almost an hour with my phone turned off. I cleaned a bit around the house.
I realized I’m proud of myself. It’s the first time I handle a creative slump in such a productive manner. In the past, I was stressing out a lot. I was forcing myself to come up with ingenious ideas and couldn’t stand the idea of taking some time off. Because of that, these creative blocks lasted for more than a couple of days and they felt overwhelming.
But this time was different. As I changed my approach and gave myself the space to relax, I completely forgot about the slump. Only a few hours later, when I came back to the laptop, I didn’t feel pressured to come with something ingenious. So, I started researching more about this phase.
That’s how I stumbled upon Barry Davret’s article. He shares 6 techniques to get out of this phase. As I was reading the 5th one, “Experiment and write about it” I thought I could write about the block I’m currently going through. Thus, here I am 30 minutes later, writing about my experience with this creative block. I’m still on track with my writing goal and I’ve improved my slump-management skills.
If you’re going through this as well, check out these videos for helpful techniques on getting out it well and swell:
- How To Break Out Of A Creative Slump In Twenty-Four Hours;
- 7 Ideas to Help You Escape a Creative Slump;
- 18 Ideas to Overcome Your Writer’s Block;
- In a Creative Slump? Here Are Five Ways to Help You
- How To Find Your Way Out Of A Creative Slump
And there are many more useful articles out there. Regardless of the technique you choose, don’t forget to be kind to yourself. Slumps are inevitable. They’re part of the process. See how you can use these moments to your advantage. They’ll eventually pass and you’ll get back to being your creative self, don’t stress about that. But if you still have to go through them, see if you can make the most out of these experiences. I’m currently working on this.
What’s your experience with creative slumps? How do you overcome them? Let me know what are your tips on this!
