Writer's Block

Heyo!

Like all creatives, I have found myself to be in a bit of a rut at the moment, suffering with writer's block. I know not all creatives are writers, but this term can be applied to any of the arts and creative subjects and make sense. Creative block is one of the worst things, and it gives me a great deal if stress because my whole world and uni life revolves around creating and when I can't do that it really affects me. I end up feeling like I have no control over the situation and consequently over the future which is really scary, especially as I am in third year and everything is so intense and feels way too much! 

As you can probably tell, it causes me a huge deal of anxiety, and often leads to a bout of creative depression because I don't feel good enough, and I feel my work won't ever be to the standard it needs to be. I know I am not alone in this, as all my creative pals feel this way. It's not good to be around other people struggling most of the time, but I find that bouncing off of other people helps me a bit and I might be able to help someone or vice-versa. Me and Jord talk about this sometimes and it helps to know that other people go through it too, it helps to normalise what can feel like a huge unbeatable obstacle. Living with creatives like Trey and EJ has also taught me to let yourself take some time out from things, and that if you have to force it, it's probably going to be crap anyway. 

Having a creative block, when that's your profession or area of interest is really difficult. The sense in inadequacy sinks in and you just spiral into the rut which is tricky to recover from. It is possible to get out of it however, but it's not always straight forward. Some ways you can get over it, which I am trying right now, consist of:

Taking yourself away from it, and coming back to it when you can (not always possible!)

Creating other things, even if it's not your thing. I've been sketching (pretty badly) and immersing myself in other great writing to remind me why I do what I do

Go outside. Being outside can trigger new ideas and inspiration can hit which may not seem relevant, but it will help you in the long run and will probably prove valuable later on!

Creating daily, even if you don't want to or don't think you can. Create something every day, and this will help develop your style in whatever form, and will help you overcome the barrier.

Whatever you do, don't just give up. Remind yourself why you love doing what you do, immerse yourself in the work of others. look back at what you were like a year ago and look at how far you've come. Also, don't just sit on an idea and try to make it work, feel free to explore other avenues, because the first thing that comes into your head is simply that, and something better might come along!

If you take nothing else from this, take the wise words from my housemate and gal pal EJ:

"Just write, even if it's rubbish, that way you get all the rubbish out and there's only good stuff left."

B x