I am sure that for every problem there is an answer.  I am feeling not copacetic this morning.  You know how it is – morning fatigue, irritation, grumpiness, I need coffee but can’t have it anymore.  Call it what you wish.

Sheba is being annoying, barking up a storm every time the two little Chihuahuas next door poke their fuzzy white heads out on the deck.  I should not have named her after a queen.  She sure is acting like one!

How am I suppose to get creative and come up with my 500 words in this state?  The Lord must have heard me.  When I opened up Facebook, the first thing I saw was from Canada Writes on:

Art blogger The Jealous Curator on vanquishing creative block

How timely and appropriate!  It is just what I need to get going this morning. I, too, love art and had hopes of becoming an artist.  I majored in Fine Arts and English my first year in University.  I had no work discipline and gave up on the art after a year.  My thought was if I had talent, I wouldn’t have to work at it.  I could whip up masterpieces just like that.  So why waste time in something that I can’t excel and make money at?  I was listening to the voices of reason.

The next year, I dropped out of university altogether.  I had a history of being a quitter. When the going got tough, I was missing in action.  I am trying to do better now.  I am working hard, staying in the mental and physical discomfort of pushing for a little more each day.

When I read some of the winners’ stories  on Canada Writes, I think to myself:  I have no hope in hell!  But then I tell myself to move on.  If I stay in that thought, I will never accomplish anything.  I have to keep writing to get better.  I write because I love words and ideas.  I am not doing it to win at anything.  And I can’t measure myself up against others. We all have our unique styles and words.

I am going to heed the Jealous Curator’s advice on being stuck.  Maybe you will find it useful, too.  Here it is:

The Jealous Curator’s 3-part creative block exterminator

1. Time. Allow yourself time to be blocked. It happens, and yes, it will pass. It always does, but you can speed things up with ingredients 2 and 3.

2. Humour. Don’t take it so seriously. Most of the pros have a really light view on their inner critics and blocks in general. If you can laugh, and cut yourself some slack, the blocks seem to fade a lot faster!

3. Side projects. So, so, so many of the artists suggested doing little side projects to help shake yourself out of a rut. In fact, all 50 of them gave an “unblocking project” at the end of their interviews. They’re so good! (I’ve tried about five of them so far.)