You just have to remember that you’re a creator and not a machine. You just have to know when you’ve got to step aside and either move onto something else or just stop until the moment feels right again.
Originally asked
The Creative Independent, to working artists, its interview series
A recurring Creative Independent question whose wording distinguishes a lasting block from a temporary impasse.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
T. Cole Rachel, The Creative Independent interview source ↗
Others on this question
View all 80 →It’s lame to say, “Well, there’s this book,” but I would only mention this book—The War of Art by Steven Pressfield—because it is a super-easy, fast read. And it really is written for artists and entrepreneurs. One of the concepts that he lays out is, it’s a matter of us not brushing over the things that are important or giving ourselves excuses to not do the work that we don’t want to do.
I do believe that some of the funniest people you’ve ever met might not ever be on a stage. Similarly, some of the most talented musicians you will ever hear are playing in a little house somewhere across the world. Some of the most profound exchanges of words happen between two people who are channeling an intimacy and depth of humanity which not all of us will hear.
Yes. I try not to overdo it. I think it comes down to the people, and there are several people I take the time to talk with. Different types of friends. I also like the transportation time when I’m traveling, like on an airplane. Those times allow me to see things I was missing, when I was only looking at the outside. Perhaps I travel in seek of that.
More on craft & work
- What is the worst job you have done? 239 answers
- What do you consider your greatest achievement? 204 answers
- How does a new work begin for you? 84 answers
- How do you know when a piece of work is finished? 76 answers
- How much rewriting or revision do you do? 59 answers
- What is the part of your job that people would be surprised is most of your job? 56 answers
Also answered this
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ursula K. Le Guin, Matthew Zapruder, Lynn Fainchtein, Laurie Anderson, Layli Long Soldier
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All craft & work questions
- The The Creative Independent questionnaire — 4 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject