What Painting Thought Me About The Writers’ Block
It was an early evening, my time when I usually sit down to create: I create by writing. This evening was different. Outside was wet after raining all day, which is unusual for which is something unusual for Southern Spain where the sun is the king.
The air was brisk and smelled fresh almost hugging the whole apartment inside. I closed the terrace door in order not to get cold or be hugged by the chilly air. I hate the cold.
My daughter made fresh popcorn while I played my favorite Radio Station-Classic Hits, at that moment Modern Talking was playing. It is my favorite band. I opened the laptop and Microsoft Word.
The blank page was looking very inviting and then…Nothing.
Ten minutes passed…nothing.
Five minutes past again…nothing.
The blank page is still gazing at me.
I told the page: “Don’t stare at me, do something!” I started panicking because this is the first time it happens to me after three months of happy writing.
I thought I was the lucky writer who would never get writers’ block.
Yet, here I am sitting all humiliated with nowhere to hide just like Eve in paradise when she found out, she was naked. That is how humiliated, I felt.
After thirty minutes I closed the computer and started to walk around the room, brainstorming what to do. And then it hit me. I can paint.
In fact, I hadn’t painted for months. Painting is my other creative endeavor. I have enjoyed painting since I was a child and even now, I still paint here and there.
I ripped the foil packaging from the canvas I bought a few months ago and decided to paint an abstract. Something new for me because before I painted mostly still-life. I watched two or three YouTube videos on abstract painting, and I was ready to go.
The painting experience was very intense and creative, the strokes of the knife and brush were fluid. I did not stop even for a second from the start to finish. It was creative labor but so worth it.
Two hours later I finished two paintings which I am proud of, but more importantly, I learned important lessons about creativity and writing.
Neither creativity nor writing can be forced
- It just doesn’t work at least for me. I know many writers have the same schedule, but I can’t. The only schedule I have is to write at least one to two hours every day. That’s it.
So, if you are like me, don’t force it because then the writing will be shitty. It is better to do something else. Find some different kind of creativity or just read.
As Natalie Goldberg wrote in her book Writing Down the Bones if you want to write well, do three things: Listen, Write, and Read. So, listen to your writing voice.
Creativity doesn’t have a goal
2. During the painting experience last night which was intense. I finished the painting in under one hour because acrylic paint dries rapidly. In two hours, I was sweaty. I had no idea what the result of my abstract would look like. But it was a very intense run. The same applies to writing. When I write, I do have some outline, but my best articles were written without one.
I forget about the presence
3. During the creative process, I forget about the presence, I just create. It doesn’t matter if it is a painting, writing, or any other creative activity. You are totally in the present. Even my daughter knows by now
“When mom is creating don’t ask for anything because she will not hear you. When she is in her creative mode there is nothing you can do…”
Yesterday, I did the painting under two hours and I couldn’t believe two hours had passed. I was inflow and I experienced the bliss just like Ryan Frawley describes in his article:
“And when it’s at its best, a great artist can take us all along on that magical ride…We create art to experience bliss, and to connect with others. More people whose eyes shine with the light that only comes from the act of creation”
Next time if you can paint then pick another creative activity but don’t force the writing, leave it for when the time is right.