Boosting creativity in the time of Coronavirus
I woke up this morning and realized I'm stuck.
I’ve been stuck for a week now.
A creative rut is no fun when you make art for a living but by now I understand it’s all part of it.
Creativity is hard when the inspiration isn’t there. I haven’t been in the water since the end of February when I got back from cave country in Florida just in time for my show. Since the state of emergency was declared in Ontario on March 17, I’ve been productive with other things - the business side of things. But lack of creativity is soul sucking for me and the daily news is like a bad cherry of uncertainty on top of it.
Sometimes when we don't know where we're going, it's easier to start at the beginning. So today, I started back at the beginning with some basics - back to drawing to get some frustration and anxiety out of my system.
All I want to be is underwater so I started with that and found a clip of me holding my goPro facing me because for the life of me half the time I can't tell if my GoPro is on and I'm always checking it for the little red light.
I imagined the serenity of being underwater and indulged in some self pity - only enough to get a much needed jump start. It was a very fast drawing and a very fast painting. I felt like I was willing myself underwater in making it. It's not perfect. It's just a working reminder for myself that everything is going to be ok.
Process in creativity is just as important as the output and in this case, this quick exercise boosted the desire to paint again. I need to be making. It doesn't really matter what but birthing images and pictures into existence (in addition to diving) is how I cope.
Holding our breath in diving is a no no and I guess it's the same for everything else. While I've felt like I've been waiting to exhale for the last month, I finally feel like I can breathe again.
"Exhale" Pencil and paint on paper. 18x24"
Whatever your outlet is - I hope that it allows to you breathe again. And remember - sometimes it's just easier to start at the beginning. Start with the basics.