Sunday, July 1, 2012

Creating more than Writing

Yesterday my partner and I were talking. About life. About writing. About art.

I've been a bit in what we call the "lowly worm" state, especially when it comes to my writing. I'm going through a period where my writing feels a bit dry, boring, like I have nothing to say. No time. No inspiration. Well, not enough time or inspiration or ability to put a word after a word  after a word and have it come out like anything but drivel.

That's only a slight exaggeration. I go through this from time to time. Wonder if I should give it up, stop trying. Which is why I made a commitment to myself to give writing a try again no matter what for two years, which became five years and now I'm into a ten-year commitment. The commitment is to me, to my spirit, to the depth of who I am who is a creative person who is primarily a writer.

Wait!

That's it!

My partner suggested I try doing something else. Not instead of writing, but in addition to it. Or instead of it at times when I felt stagnant. Make some art. Or just play. Collage. Draw like I used to. Sometimes I used to make cartoons of what was happening or of the story rather than with words.

See, sometimes, words have been used to manipulate or control or unreasonably influence me. As they have been with many people. And sometimes words don't come easily to me to express what I'm feeling or I get too negative about them. There were times in my life where using words, telling the truth, expressing a feeling was dangerous; so, sometimes, that feeling comes back. And I have to get through that to get to the words.

So my partner suggested it. And last week our quick write in Ariel's online class was doing a few other things than just writing. There was another important person in my life who also told me (again) to try other avenues to get to the stories, like doing collage or making something tactile.

Yesterday I did.

One of the things my partner and I did together yesterday was to go to the new, expanded Muse Art & Design store. It's very roomy and they will be getting new and more materials. I bought a spiral sketch book, a few colored pens, and I started with a couple of drawings. Nothing major or important.

But it was creativity in action. With a few words, but not many.

Sometimes I have to access my creativity in different ways, not words. And now I have a place to do that, which won't get junked up with work notes and schedule plans and to-do lists. It's only for drawing and words and creating.

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