I know that I am in an incredibly fortunate position whilst in lockdown. My stress levels are relatively low, and for the most part I am able to enjoy being stuck at home, and have the privilege of having the mental and emotional energy to be creative and productive during this time.
This time last year, however, I was in survival mode. I had just left a long-term relationship, and moved away from my beloved home on the Gold Coast. In the six months leading up to this move, my energy had slowly been chipped away, until I felt I had nothing left to give to my writing and publishing goals.
It got to the point where I knew I was not going to wake up one day and find my creative energy magically replenished. I was going to have to just start creating, whether I was feeling inspired or not, and hope that the creative energy returned as a result.
April and July Camp NaNoWriMos helped me kick-start my daily writing habit again, and as a result, my mood began to lift, and my mental health began to improve. And it was during these times that I began to learn the difference between Productivity and Creativity.
As Is said in my previous post, everyone is dealing with this difficult time the best way they can on an individual basis. For some this means not being creative at all, and that is perfectly alright. We are grieving the things that have shifted in our lives. We are in survival mode. We simply don’t feel inspired. But by not creating at all, we may end up feeling even worse in the long run. If we wait for inspiration to find us, we could be waiting awhile.
We know how therapeutic art therapy can be. Well, this is kind of the same thing. Sometimes we just have to start creating, even if we don’t think we have the energy, in order to get the energy to feel inspired. Sometimes you have to start doing the thing, and the energy to do the thing will follow. Creativity has incredible healing power, and is there for you to tap into anytime.
Kate Kelsen 