I randomly clicked a link to an online company called ReCourses (http://www.recourses.com) whose aim is to provide helpful content to creative businesses.
The first position paper I downloaded was titled Creative Burnout, which stuck out since it's a subject I've become too familiar with lately. The writing overall is a bit purple in places, but there was a passage in there that I feel is worth sharing over and over again. It's a concept I've thought about many times but never heard put so simply:
"There is no such thing as creative burnout... Creativity is what happens when everything else is okay. In other words, when you aren’t creative it’s because other things are wrong. Unbound, creativity is inevitable."
The last line of the paper is cute and to the point: "Make them okay."
That's what this month is about for me. By next month I will finally be finished moving into the new house. My studio will be set up and not in boxes and half-moved disarray. I'm saving up to purchase some better-working equipment and my own internet connection. I have a few other fresh starts planned that should (hopefully) reduce some of the stress that's made 2010 a very slow year for me so far, artistically. It's worth it to stop and take stock every once in a while, and figure out what's hindering your progress toward your creative goals. And when you find them, fix them!
