Writing myself out of a creative rut
I have been in a creative rut for quite some time. I feel stunted, empty, and wholly unable to bring any ideas to life. Well, perhaps I should take a step back and clarify. I need to have ideas that need birthing first.
To be honest, I’m not sure how to shake it.
A lot of the advice I come across on the internet (and off the internet) says to just sit down and start writing. Anything that comes to mind, no matter how disjointed or unpolished. Then, keep returning to do it some more. The idea being that eventually you’ll find your voice and the creative juices will flow again.
Other corners of the internet say that exercise or moving your body in some way can help to clear your mind and get some fresh ideas circulating.
Neither of these pieces of advice is particularly bad. It stands to reason that you can’t get better at something you don’t do – and as you type the words out, something good will eventually come from it.
Whether you’re going for profound, funny, inspirational, or simply instructive, there’s something to the idea that the journey (of getting words down) will lead to some magical place.
Why do I call it magical? Maybe because it seems so unrealistic at this juncture. It could also be the fact that without seeing where the road goes, it feels nearly impossible to envision what the end could look like. You don’t know if there are forks in the road or other detours. You don’t know how many stops and starts there will be.
I hate to equate this creative rut to a chicken or egg problem, but that is exactly what it feels like right now. Like seriously, what comes first?
So many questions are swirling in my head, even as I write these words.
- Will I get ideas from free writing, or should I wait for inspiration before writing?
- Will reading more spark ideas?
- Does it help to reach out and engage with others or do sparks ignite in a vacuum?
- How common is it really to have a polished, well-established idea to devote time to?
- How often do people just wade through uncertainty until they stumble upon an idea?
The thing I keep coming back to is that you need to have faith in yourself and commit to working yourself out of any type of creative rut a little each day. It may suck at first, and it will be so tempting to stop but (at least in my mind) getting to the other side of this creative rut will be so satisfying.
If you’re in a similar situation, I’d love to know how you are working through it.
