creative block

"Another source of restraint for the writer is the use of personal confession and the subsequent guilt that often arises from it."

— Walter Mosley

for Creatives  |  creative fear, writing, writer's block, creative block, Walter Mosley

"The urge to produce another—to redeem the first book by writing a second—led to my own spurt of inefficient frenzy, which didn't result in anything of worth.  I was stalled, not be writer's block, but by the conviction that whatever I wrote had to be of superior worth."

— Joel Fishbane

for Creatives  |  your 1st book, create for YOURSELF, artist integrity, creative fear, novel writing, writing, creative block, Joel Fishbane

"Instruction in writing is oftenest aimed at the oblivious tradesman of fiction, and the troubles of the artist are dismissed or overlooked."

— Dorothea Brande

for Creatives  |  creative process, creating isn't easy, creative fear, artists, writing, creative block, formal arts education, Dorothea Brande

"As soon as things get difficult, I walk away.  That's the great secret of creativity.  You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.  If you try to approach a cat and pick it up, hell, it won't let you do it.  You've got to say, 'Well, to hell with you.'  And the cat says, 'Wait a minute.  He's not behaving the way most humans do.'  Then the cat follows you out of curiosity: 'Well, what's wrong with you that you don't love me?'  Well, that's what an idea is.  See?  You just say, 'Well, hell, I don't need depression.  I don't need worry.  I don't need to push.'  The ideas will follow me.  When they're off-guard, and ready to be born, I'll turn around and grab them."

— Ray Bradbury

for Creatives  |  creative process, creating isn't easy, artist integrity, creative fear, writing, writer's block, creative block, ideas, Ray Bradbury

"A block may be a dam behind which creativity wells up, under tremendous pressure.  When it dissipates, the writer may experience a surge of creativity, or productivity, or both."

— Dylan Landis

for Creatives  |  creative process, writing, writer's block, creative block, Dylan Landis

"Time-based work doesn't make as much sense as it once did, as ideas are not 'things' and can't be measured in units. An idea, conceived in just a moment, can have enormous implications. Thus an 'idea person' has a more flexible approach to time. She learns how to develop the special, and often quite eccentric, circumstances that encourage creativity, and to trust inspiration when it appears—no matter what the time. "

— Martin Boroson

for Creatives  |  creative process, magic/mystery of creating/art, artists, Martin Boroson, creativity, creating in the moment, inspiration/the muse, protect the art, creative block, ideas, the creative life, value the art

"When you're stuck, when you need a jolt, when you crave to see things from a new perspective, it's time to play." (artist)

— Elle Luna (photo by Yuriy Balan)

for Creatives  |  creative process, photography, artists, creative block, artists must EXPERIENCE, Yuriy Balan, Elle Luna

"Creativity is part of human nature. It can only be untaught."

— Ai Weiwei

for Creatives  |  creativity, creative block, Ai Weiwei

"The best thing we can do is give ourselves the gift of being free from the fear of failure.  Negative thinking can lead to anxiety and depression, and these are certain creativity killers."

— Al Jenkins

for Creatives  |  creative fear, creativity, creative block, creative freedom, Al Jenkins

"If you're in the middle of writing and you go blank, stop it.  And your mind says 'no, that's it.'  You’re being warned.  Your subconscious is saying 'I don't like you anymore.  You're writing about things I don't give a damn for.'" (artist)

— Ray Bradbury (art by Craig Walkowicz)

for Creatives  |  art, artists, writing, writer's block, creative block, Ray Bradbury, Craig Walkowicz

"Cast off the fear.  I was terrified about writing stories about where I came from because I was embarrassed.  Truly great writers are not afraid to bare their souls.  Sometimes you may feel like: 'I shouldn't have put that in there, I don't want people to think it's about me or look at me differently.'  Toss those thoughts aside.  That's a mental block.  Don't think about it.  Just do it.  As long as you write from a place of purity, and it comes from your heart, you can't go wrong."

— K'Wan Foye

for Creatives  |  artist integrity, creative fear, artist in the art, writing, writer's block, creative block, K'Wan Foye

"Sometimes when you get blocked, the road around the block ends up being more interesting than things might have been if the doors in front of you opened up.  Sometimes you find secret passageways.  You find work-arounds."

— Alex Gibney

for Creatives  |  writer's block, Alex Gibney, creative block, filmmaking

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