On Writer’s Block, Slumps, and Bohemia

The cyclical pattern of creative forces of energy comes and goes like the ocean waves during the high tide. Writing happens so naturally on some days, as easily as cutting a pad of butter with a warm knife, whereas there are other days that require five hours of positive self-talk in order to get enough motivation to get out of bed.

Handling the bouts of high energy as well as low energy is a task far too familiar for a creative person. And it is okay.

One of the driving forces of creation is that life is finite and that life has an expiration date. William Shakespeare’s eighteenth sonnet, “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” entertains the idea that immortality of a youth can be reached through writing a poem. Productive creativity was at an all time high last year because there was a greater sense of urgency, a desire to create a piece of work that would outlive the span of a human life.

Faced with Writer’s Block, read the Classics starting with Ancient Texts.
Faced with a Slump, go outside, walk along a sandy shore and touch the water and sand with bare feet or watch a wondrous sunset.
Faced with a Lack of Motivation, take a well-deserved break (again, it is okay).

Listening to this advice, I started on John Milton’s Paradise Lost followed by the Biography of Marcel Duchamp. The first book placed me in the front row while listening to speeches given by the Stygian Council; the latter taught the improbability of separating the art from the artist because the artist is needed for the art to have a bit of madness. Reading through and studying one person’s entire body of work can really put into perspective that the work accomplished in a lifetime really can make a difference.

It will be nice to discover the destination where the next Bohemia, a place for writers or artists living an unconventional life, will take place.


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