I have to say this counter-intuitive framing didn't feel accurate to me at first, but having read the piece and sat with your perspective, I see what you mean. I have had seasons where I couldn't create a thing, and couldn't imagine a life beyond day-to-day survival. And I've had seasons which were busy and somewhat frantic but when I was beavering away toward a creative project. I'm thinking of the pieces I wrote on my iPhone commuting on a sweaty bus or all the time I spent doing mindless manual work while listening to podcasts that got my intellectual wheels turning. More than anything, I've learned that a completely empty day with nothing to do but create sometimes provokes a kind of writerly stage fright. Sometimes, creativity comes from being pulled along in the rush of life and seeing that there's a space to make something amidst the rush. Thank you for sharing. This post made me think.
Clare, I'm honored that you took the time to read, and then to sit, and then to write this beautiful description of your own creative practices during busy seasons. I've been right there with you on that proverbial sweaty bus. I'd be interested to know more about how your mileage (pun not totally intended) varies from what's on offer here.
I have to say this counter-intuitive framing didn't feel accurate to me at first, but having read the piece and sat with your perspective, I see what you mean. I have had seasons where I couldn't create a thing, and couldn't imagine a life beyond day-to-day survival. And I've had seasons which were busy and somewhat frantic but when I was beavering away toward a creative project. I'm thinking of the pieces I wrote on my iPhone commuting on a sweaty bus or all the time I spent doing mindless manual work while listening to podcasts that got my intellectual wheels turning. More than anything, I've learned that a completely empty day with nothing to do but create sometimes provokes a kind of writerly stage fright. Sometimes, creativity comes from being pulled along in the rush of life and seeing that there's a space to make something amidst the rush. Thank you for sharing. This post made me think.
Clare, I'm honored that you took the time to read, and then to sit, and then to write this beautiful description of your own creative practices during busy seasons. I've been right there with you on that proverbial sweaty bus. I'd be interested to know more about how your mileage (pun not totally intended) varies from what's on offer here.