How do you maintain your creativity under stress? (thoughts)
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I was feeling incredibly creative the last week,was writing novels,sketching,thinking of hundreds of creative projects,reading interesting things,just very happy and ripe creatively.
Anyway since yesterday I've come under a lot of stress and am dealing with various things and it's like my creativity gets switched completely off.I no longer have those creative thoughts or ideas,I'm too busy thinking about stressful things.Dont feel secure or relaxed enough to get into that space again.
Does anyone know how to maintain your creativity under stress?
I get away from the person or place that causes me stress, and just crochet my butt off. I find myself feeling better after picking up a hook and yarn.
Depends if it's positive stress or negative stress. Positive stress can be a great enabler of creativity. Negative stress may or may not block creativity.
Sometimes the stress feeds the creativity. You can try to channel it.
But I'm thinking you're not feeling it. Try anyway. I also write, and sometimes when I just don't feel like it, I sit down and after a while something comes out.
I had bought a book a couple of years ago called Writer With a Day Job, and the best thing I got out of that was to determine when your best time of day is and then set aside time to write at that time every day. Mine is in the morning, and I found that getting up and setting a time (sometimes when I was working it was only 15 minutes) to do the writing whether I felt like it or not was very productive.
Based on what you, OP, are saying, and after reading the responses thus far, I would say that the problem lies in your not "walking away" from your desire for creativity for a bit. Creativity is largely intuitive, insightful, and if you are stressed, that is sure to impede it. In short, it cannot be forced.
My thoughts are to give yourself a break: The more you worry about the lack of creativity, the more you are probably feeding into it's absence. Sleep well, eat well, and most of all, give yourself permission to NOT feel creative for the time being....It WILL return. If you are truly a creative person, it is an integral part of your personality.
I am, most of all, a writer. I have always written, and love it. However, I have had periods of time when I just couldn't write, because I was too uptight about my lack of thoughts, insights, and seemingly ability to do so. I found that if I just took a break for a day or two, that in time the creativity would return. Once I had the first paragraph written in my head, the rest followed.
Truly, do not worry about it, as that will only impede your "creative juices." Creativity is such a gift, and something that has always fascinated me, as so few possess true creative ability.
Take a hot steam or a Jacuzzi soak in the evening with a half glass of wine, take 2 melatonin and then get a good nights sleep.
The next morning, get a mental boost from coffee or an energy drink and then let your brain run amok.
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