Brilliant essay!Writers block is church that I don’t attend. I’ve combined Anne Lamotte’s “bird by bird” concept of the shitty first draft and then accidentally brought alchemy into the creative process. I actually intend when I start writing for it to be absolute, pardon my French, shit, and in doing that the ego drops and the self can come in and all of a sudden there’s unexpected alchemy. By dropping any pressure for there to be gold in the first draft, it accidentally sneaks in, or at least a hint of it.
The writing process via alchemy is such a fascinating idea!! Early stages as nigredo feels like such a permission slip for all the confusion, break down, upset, etc that comes along with it.
Thank you, this has given me a lot to think about :)
With clients who are first starting with this way of creating , I often suggest making it almost excessively bad as if to invite the shit(and not to wake the gods) and see if there’s just anything in it that sparkles because they’re usually as at least one phrase or tiny idea.
I love this! It's speaking to something I've struggled with for a long time.
I've always felt torn when trying to work with creative energy. On one hand, we need to respect its autonomy and follow its lead. But on the other, part of being a creative is learning how to channel your energy into the task at hand, even when you'd rather be doing anything else. I'm not quite sure where the balance lies.
I feel like the landscape is constantly shifting, so balance looks different day by day. Does that make sense? I find that if I try to apply rigid rules or expectations, I just end up frustrated!
This is such a good reminder. I've been exploring the concept of discipline setting me free. As a triple Capricorn, Virgo stellium, and a moon in Taurus, structure and systems would seem my strong suit. But my Mars in Pisces and Venus in Sagittarius feel more compelling most days. So I look to my moon in Taurus in the 5th house and I'm reminded that doing something creatively embodied, different from writing (watercoloring, dancing, etc.) allows me to sit back down. Just that break releases the stuckness or boredom. No surprise my favorite quote by James Clear is: "You don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems."
Yes, that's such a beautiful extension of what I explored here. Getting back in touch with creativity, especially in am embodied way, is so powerful for reorienting!
We are on the same page, I believe; I've heard of the writing blocks. I just started to write more intentionally. The only thing I can offer to someone dealing with it is a thing I always say:
"We create nothing, yet we express everything. And still, imagination does not exist—only creation."
Brilliant essay!Writers block is church that I don’t attend. I’ve combined Anne Lamotte’s “bird by bird” concept of the shitty first draft and then accidentally brought alchemy into the creative process. I actually intend when I start writing for it to be absolute, pardon my French, shit, and in doing that the ego drops and the self can come in and all of a sudden there’s unexpected alchemy. By dropping any pressure for there to be gold in the first draft, it accidentally sneaks in, or at least a hint of it.
The writing process via alchemy is such a fascinating idea!! Early stages as nigredo feels like such a permission slip for all the confusion, break down, upset, etc that comes along with it.
Thank you, this has given me a lot to think about :)
With clients who are first starting with this way of creating , I often suggest making it almost excessively bad as if to invite the shit(and not to wake the gods) and see if there’s just anything in it that sparkles because they’re usually as at least one phrase or tiny idea.
Much like the alchemist finding the lowest of low prima materia!
I love this! It's speaking to something I've struggled with for a long time.
I've always felt torn when trying to work with creative energy. On one hand, we need to respect its autonomy and follow its lead. But on the other, part of being a creative is learning how to channel your energy into the task at hand, even when you'd rather be doing anything else. I'm not quite sure where the balance lies.
I feel like the landscape is constantly shifting, so balance looks different day by day. Does that make sense? I find that if I try to apply rigid rules or expectations, I just end up frustrated!
This is such a good reminder. I've been exploring the concept of discipline setting me free. As a triple Capricorn, Virgo stellium, and a moon in Taurus, structure and systems would seem my strong suit. But my Mars in Pisces and Venus in Sagittarius feel more compelling most days. So I look to my moon in Taurus in the 5th house and I'm reminded that doing something creatively embodied, different from writing (watercoloring, dancing, etc.) allows me to sit back down. Just that break releases the stuckness or boredom. No surprise my favorite quote by James Clear is: "You don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems."
Yes, that's such a beautiful extension of what I explored here. Getting back in touch with creativity, especially in am embodied way, is so powerful for reorienting!
We are on the same page, I believe; I've heard of the writing blocks. I just started to write more intentionally. The only thing I can offer to someone dealing with it is a thing I always say:
"We create nothing, yet we express everything. And still, imagination does not exist—only creation."
Thank you for sharing!