Creative block

Creative block is sometimes experienced, and at these times, often hard to overcome. It can postpone productive work for long periods. There are ways to avoid it. These may not be clear in the midst of the experience, but perhaps some preparation will assist.

There are times when time is set aside for creation, and it gets postponed or interrupted by some of life’s happenings and emergencies. Other times procrastination sets in. These things arise inevitably. Such is the beginning of a habit that becomes ingrained. An hour is put off because of some urgent event, then a day, then a week, then months pass. This cycle must be stopped early. The voluntary action it begins with becomes a mental habit that is hard to defeat.

Whenever there is an urge to work creatively, it should be heeded as soon as is possible to arrange. If some time has passed and avoidance is an entrenched mental habit the only way to break out is to face the blank page, canvas, surface, media and stay with it until work begins. This takes patience and dedication because there will be resistance. The mind, the hands, the body will try to escape, the impulse to leave and do something other will be overwhelming, but to become a functioning creative again there must be a beginning, a will to bring something new into the world. At this point, the output may not be desirable, but with renewed practice, expertise will return.

It is the mind that creates the roadblocks after it is encouraged by poor time management and prioritization. Creative time must be guarded and planned just as appointments and events, though there should always be leeway for spontaneous creation. Sometimes it is a matter of not wanting to work because of discomfort with the product or simple resistance. When these problems present, getting busy despite the critical inner voice is necessary.

Block can be overcome, it can be disarmed and sent packing, but it takes an act of will and determination to go on without compromise. Nothing great is ever created without putting in the time with the tools. It is unavoidable.

Maybe this will help with the struggle. The monster is real, but it is usually of the creative’s making. What is in mind cannot be realized without hours of dedication to working.

As a prompt, look around the current environment and select an item, tell its story, either in truth or make up a tale. If an artist, tell the story in some medium.

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Poetic form – Acrostic

2017-09-01 Do Art Now

Artwork created Friday, September 1, 2017

Most of us have done acrostic puzzles, but some may not realize it is also a poetic form. Often it is used to write about a person, event, or thing. The letters are written vertically down the page, each becoming the first letter of the respective line. Often the letters are capitalized at the beginning of each line. The lines are written out to create a poem.

The line: Do art now, will be the starter of this example.

Do Art Now!

Do you have any idea,
Original thought to lead you?

Are you stumbling in creative darkness?
Remember you have power in this place
That is unlimited by time or space.

Never underestimate your talents, gifts,
Over a lifetime you have employed them
With results, some might never imagine.

This could be continued, but an acrostic typically ends when one runs out of letters. Name acrostics are often done for special occasions, like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, promotions, and to celebrate relationships.

Give it a try. The form is actually rather simple to complete. The lines do not have to have enjambment, which is where one continues into the next, some might stand alone.

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Redirect your day

Every day we experience a variety of emotions and moods. These influence and inspire our creativity. As an exercise, think about the sentiment or mood that dominated the day. Go back into that state, if only in thought. Pick something that seemed to cause it and explore that a few minutes.

When the feeling is dominant create a character or begin a work of art that displays the emotion or mood and see how it works out. Let this be an imagined creation, not based on reality. Write or work as long as is comfortable, then continue a bit more. Often when we go beyond our limits and push ourselves, we will find an unexpected breakthrough wherein the genius lies.

This is a way to integrate creativity into our lives and sometimes find resolutions to problems or situations we are struggling to solve. The creative impulse not only allows us to do works we imagine, but it helps us deal with the things that trouble our days. It is a major contributor to our happiness and success. No one finds a new way forward without engaging creativity in their lives. Innovation is always sparked by the efforts of creative imagination.

Our goals going forward should mingle our creative imagination with our engagement with reality, so that our days may become more joyful and happiness filled.

I hope this has sparked your imagination to create something. It is my wish to encourage and inspire you. Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. There is a button which allows you to follow the website. Please come back often. Fill your days with moments of creativity, and you will find life more rewarding and less trying. Take care.

The local library, a crucial resource

In the quest to nurture our creativity the local library is one of the best places to begin. A library is a shrine to the expression of creative ideas. We can find the most current material or work which has come down through the centuries. All of it produced by humans similar to ourselves, giving us reassurance that our work can become a legacy shared through time and space. The greatest way to become immortal and affect history is to create something lasting.

Most libraries today are multimedia delights. These bastions of knowledge and entertainment contain books, eBooks, audiobooks, recordings, film, music, artwork to carry home and display for some time, computers for public use, Wi-Fi to connect our personal devices, and even more. Libraries are almost limitless with their ability to procure materials beyond their scope through an inter-library loan. Often talented community volunteers offer classes which teach new skills. Some workshops are also available at modest cost.

Librarians are a resource that our technology cannot rival. These specially trained, often highly educated, gatekeepers of the treasures we desire can provide and suggest materials with a personal touch that no machine can match. They are well familiar with the assets within their domain, and they have the expertise to recommend interesting resources or quickly find whatever we need to locate. Love your librarians, if you can make friends with them.

The best advantage of a library is all it has to offer is ours to access without cost, absolutely free. There is no better deal on earth and should you not have a library card, make it a priority to get one.

Be advised libraries are places where one can while away a substantial amount of time, so plan accordingly.

Thank you very much for visiting Haphazard Creative. I hope you enjoyed your stay and gained a bit of encouragement. There is a follow button available, which will bring you current updates. Comments are always welcome. Please come here again. Take care, and engage your creativity in all you do.