For the most part of last year, I complained endlessly about a permanent writer’s block, and the onset of a pandemic only made it worse. For this year, I made no such grandiose goals. I began reading ‘The Artist’s way’, after having it referenced in multiple blogs, articles, and YouTube videos. Creators, digital and otherwise, seem to swear by it, and I decided to buy into the hype. The first few chapters talk about uncovering your inner critic and silencing it with affirmations. It also encourages you to build a discipline of writing consistently, with no intentions of showing it up for the world to see.
Reading through the examples, I realize that the writer’s block or creator’s block is shared by everyone, whose roots can be traced to fears or preconceived notions.
One of the preconceived notions that the book describes, that stops us from exploring our artistic curiosity is that we were probably told to have an either/or expectation from life. You could either be an artist or be happy. You could either be an artist or be wealthy.
Succumbing to this either/or notion, we are content — with society’s expectations of being happy. We give power to the inner critic.
Yet another interesting concept I read about was how as blocked creatives, we often critique others’ work as well.” He/ She is not even talented . Oh the audacity to put yourself out there ! “.We often talk about others’ works. The animosity is rooted in envy, not for the talent but for the audacity. Talent takes the sideline as we watch this creator hog limelight and we are quick to call them as bogus even when they seem to possess some form of genius.
The book is also peppered with references to God, and how any form of creative work is his making. This reference might not be appealing to a lot of people whose religious beliefs (or lack thereof) might make them roll their eyes. While how you worship, and who you worship is subjective, it urges us to believe in some form of superpower and use it to center our creative and artistic flow.
In order to silence our inner critic and let our artistic side flourish, there are two habits that we can incorporate into our daily lives.
1. To write in long-form, first thing in the morning, three pages of consciousness — everything and anything that comes to your mind. And, to do this consistently. The idea is that no matter how much you resist the ideas or thoughts that you want to create due to your inner critic, eventually, there will come a time when you will get over that fear and cross over to the other side.
2. To carve out time regularly to explore your creative curiosity. It’s a play date where you spend quality time with your artist i.e.., you. A long country walk, a solitary expedition, anything, to allow you to think of ideas and allow yourself to listen to what the artistic voice has to say, without judgments.
Personally for me, to write three pages of long-form content every day seems ambitious, and taking a two-hour walk in the winters of New England seems far-fetched, I believe that the essence of what the book is trying to profess, can be adapted to suit one’s lifestyle and priorities. More importantly to allow your inner artist, some space to grow and exist, and not let the inner critic win.
