In response, I started to explore these creative
downs. Through reading the work of Eric Maisel, I discovered they are not entirely
seasonal. He makes the point that both creating and not creating provoke
anxiety in creative people—it’s intrinsic to the creative process. Taking one
of Maisel’s ideas, I’m employing a new strategy which is to document my writing
anxieties by keeping an ‘anxiety awareness journal’ for the next month. While I
seem to be unable to produce new work at the moment, I can certainly bleat about
the fact, even if I'm my only audience. Given that creative people live with
anxiety for many reasons and at many levels, this method aids in identifying and
challenging the specifics of what is behind the procrastination, fear, blues or
any other word you want to give the ‘not writing’.
I recognise the irony of writing a blog
about not being able to write. Perhaps acknowledgment does start the road to
recovery. So, that’s my plan but before I begin, I need a cup of tea, a biscuit
and an hour or so to edit my cupboards...Hey, at least I'm in writing metaphor mode.