Creative Down-Periods or Slumps

I'm going through a creative down-period right now. What does that mean, exactly? It means I'm not producing much and what I am producing I am not overly thrilled about. These times come and go. And come again. Right on schedule. In fact, they will never not come. 

In fact, to be completely honest, as almost any serious painter/writer/creator knows, being in a down period or slump is almost the default state of an artist. That's the state that you fall back into immediately upon losing your steam, taking a few days off, etc. One has to work very hard to get out of that state, and work very hard to stay out of it. 

What do I do to get out of these slumps? Sadly, there is only one cure: keep creating. 

1.) Over the course of a lifetime of writing, painting, making stuff, etc. what I have noticed is: Usually when I'm feeling bad or down about my art it's because I haven't been doing it regularly. When you're in the middle of an artistic slump, look back at the past few days or weeks. Have you been creating regularly? Probably not. There are people who say you don't "need" to write or paint every day. I disagree. In fact, I only really get back into the groove after about 3-4 days of painting regularly. Then, once I'm in the groove, much more than 1-2 days off knocks me back off my game. And certainly anything more than 3-4 days off makes me feel like I have to start all over again, from scratch, as though I've never held a paintbrush before.

2.) The only reliable cure I know of to alleviate the creative doldrums is to start creating, and keep creating. If you're a painter, get out your sketchbook and just draw a box. Doodle. Draw your hand. Do anything. If you're a writer, get out your notebook and write about what you see around you. Write 500 words about your favorite coffee mug. If you're a musician, just play one note for 15 minutes and hear it reverberate around the room. Filmmaker, sculptor, poet, photographer... same thing. Just get crackin. Because a heightened state of creative flow is right around the corner. 

I don't know why it's so difficult to remember this during slumps or down periods. But each time feels like the first time, and each time feels like the end of one's creative world. But it's not, I assure you, and the solution to these slumps is just as I've said above: Get moving and stay moving.