5 Ways to Shake the Creativity Blues

Do you ever feel the Creativity Blues? I’m not talking about the kind of Blues that inspired Picasso’s blue period.  I'm talking about the kind of Blues that leaves you feeling uninspired to create or unequipped to handle the negative emotions associated with being creative. We’ve all felt it at times. Those thoughts in our heads that say, “This isn’t good enough to show anyone,” “What I have to say isn’t important,” or “Why does this matter?”  We’ve all had those thoughts at one point or another. In fact, anyone who creates art gets a visit from the Creativity Blues from time to time. I do...and maybe I can help by sharing some of the things that help get me through my Creativity Blues. 

First let me share with you my Bluest Creative period which happened during elementary school. In third grade, I was selected to participate in an enrichment program which supplemented our classroom studies. During the day-long program, I took classes like Mission to Mars, where we got to simulate a trip to Mars in a rocket ship and Fantasy Worlds, where I got to create my own world of creatures called the Shragonites who lived in blades of grass.  One semester I signed up for a class that sounded interesting - Playwriting.  I didn’t know what I was in for since my parents were not theater-goers. In the class, we were to take a famous story and re-envision it as a musical.  On the first day of class, the students voted on making Jack and the Beanstalk our project for the semester. One student suggested that we set the entire musical to the music of Billy Joel. The problem for me was that rock music was just as foreign to me as the theater. My parents played Beethoven and Bach records, not Billy Joel records.

Needless to say, I felt completely useless in this class. I didn’t know Billy Joel's songs well enough to suggest lyrics.  I could only sit back and watch as the creative energy churned and sputtered around me. The creative process culminated into a magical musical, and I contributed very little to this endeavor. I tried not to get demoralized about the whole experience, but it effected me deeply. I never felt so inept and so un-creative in my life. If I could have done it over again, I would have borrowed Billy Joel’s albums from the library, and played them over and over again, until I knew all the tunes by heart. But I didn’t do that. I was paralyzed by the Creativity Blues, and unable to contribute effectively to the play’s creation.

Now fast forward three decades to my first playwriting class. I studied at HB Studios in Manhattan’s West Village for several years, taking classes such as Acting, Voice and Improvisation. I thought the classes would be good for my career as a marketer, since I often had to speak to a group of people. One semester I decided to dip my toes into Playwriting, and I became immediately enthralled with it. Not only did I write words on a page, actors read it aloud to an audience of peers. The work was alive the instant it was performed. While it was a heart wrenching process to have your work be judged, it was also very exhilarating to be part of a collaborative creative process. I felt creatively inspired by the process, the other writers and the actors. And I felt somewhat vindicated from that painful childhood experience in my very first Playwriting class.

Throughout my life I’ve tried to find my voice – through my personal writing as a playwright and my professional work as a strategist. In the process of trying to find my voice, I’ve also had to shut down the voices in my head that thwart the creative process. Through my writing and my work, I’ve learned a few things about the creative process that I always go back to when I hit the Creativity Blues: 

1.     Acknowledge that vulnerability is part of the creative process. Yes, the painful memory of my elementary school playwriting fiasco is buried deep down in my psyche. As are the many other painful or uncomfortable memories that sometimes find it’s way into my writing. It’s helpful to acknowledge the pain and lean into the discomfort. When you are being creative, vulnerability will visit you time and time again. Don’t shy away from it….embrace it like it’s your long lost friend. It’s part of our psyche, so get to know it.

2.     Embrace critique, but shut down criticism. I learned from my Playwriting class that giving kind and thoughtful feedback is very important. We need to nurture and nourish the creativity in ourselves and in others.  When you give feedback on creative, give it in the spirit of critique, not criticism. Critique goes like this: “I loved the tension that you built in the scene, but I felt disconnected when the main character began to get defensive.”  Criticism goes like this: “The main character is so unlikeable and I don’t know anyone who would act like that.” Be gentle on others when giving feedback, and on yourself when receiving it. And it’s okay to disregard criticism or even critiques when it’s not useful.

3.     Look to those who nourish your creativity – not to those who put you down. When I look back to my creative past-life, I remember the encouraging words that I got from my biggest advocates – like my creative writing teacher in college who told me I had important things to say, or my elementary art teacher who told me to keep doing art. I don’t focus on the day my former boss ripped apart a presentation I wrote, or the time my play reading got the kind of feedback that makes you want to quit writing. I focus on the good and keep going.

4.     Experiment with various mediums to find the best way to tell your story. As a writer, my medium is Microsoft Word or Final Draft. But as a strategist, my medium is Powerpoint. It’s the medium of business. I’ve learned from trial and error that creating my first draft on Powerpoint at the get-go is hard for me. I don't think in the same way Powerpoint functions. So I start with a Microsoft Word document, write out my points, and edit the story before starting with my Powerpoint draft. Some writers use Post-its, others use index cards, and still others use regular-sized paper. Some artists use sketch pads and some create collages. Some use digital sketch apps and still others just start creating. Experiment with different mediums and find the process that works best for you.

5.     When you get stuck creatively, do something different. When I feel a bit tapped out creatively, I look to other creative mediums to lose myself in. I dive into a good novel, go to a good movie, color with my daughter, go to a yoga class, put on some music and dance in my living room, or take a walk in nature. For me, all of these creative outlets are just as productive as sitting down in front of a computer to work on a presentation or to write a creative piece. Activities like these feed your soul and help you think more clearly when you finally do get back to your computer, your artwork, or your instrument.

Please don’t let the Creativity Blues keep you down for too long. You have important art to put forth into the world.  There are many ways to nurture the creative spirit, and each of us will have our own ways of doing it.  I hope you’ll share some of your tips with me on beating the Creativity Blues. Good luck and happy creating!