I have nothing to write about this week. So, what do you do when you have nothing to say?… Do something!
Keep in Shape
Believe it or not, you are likely to have some of your best ideas at such a time. The important thing is that you exercise your creative muscles.
You need to make regular use of your physical muscles to keep them in shape. The same is true of your creativity. Rather than waiting for inspiration to strike, sometimes you just have to do.
Blank Sheet
As a child, I was a gifted artist. Or rather, I was good at drawing. So, I made the mistake of thinking I was a gifted artist. I wasn’t. Hours were spent sitting with a blank sheet of paper, wondering what to draw.
Until an art teacher at school made me produce work at speed. He had us drawing with thick marker pens. We could not, therefore, erase mistakes and start again. He encouraged us to work fast, try different media, confront our doubts and express ourselves.
Worthless?
Which meant we produced a lot of material that was worthless. Or so we thought. Our art teacher encouraged us to keep everything. He knew that, in that way, we would learn to value the process.
If you are constantly striving to produce something ‘finished’ and substantial, there’s a good chance you won’t create anything at all. You need, sometimes, to remind yourself that it’s OK to just enjoy the doing. What comes out of it doesn’t matter.
The Reward is in the Doing
Every professional dancer, musician, actor, painter or writer understands the need to practice their art. Many of them will put in many hours that are not rewarded in any obvious way. However, the reward is in the ‘doing’ itself.
And then, every so often, all those hidden hours will result in something that does become visible to others. Then a whole new level of reward is achieved. That of knowing the effort has translated to expression. And this has then affected others.
Do Something… Anything
The ultimate aim of communicating something that resonates with an audience is, thereby, achieved. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Everything comes from a willingness to jump in and start with something… anything.
So, where did I put those pencils? I haven’t drawn anything in years…