BLOCKED!

Hello my beloved, consistent readers. Another day, another blog, or so I would say. However, I would not call this a blog. Frankly, this is basically a rant, not sure if it should be published, but I shall decide on that by the end of it.

For my fellow creative, artists, craftsmen, skillset users, whatever category you fall in with whatever awesome thing you are doing with your life, we all know that there is nothing as frustrating as hitting a block that is not unblocking. Since writing is mostly my forte, I shall be mentioning it more than the rest. It has been two months of attempting to connect with the writer in me and frankly it seems like that old lady has taken a vacation to who-knows-where. I have experienced writers’ block before and the last time it dragged on for almost a year and I do not wish to see that happen again.

Having a block in your craft is like being sick, for those who may not understand why it is quite a huge deal. I mean, I open my computer, start the program, but I just stare at the blank screen for minutes to hours until I decide, to hell, I just cannot. Other days, I start to type, and I am like hoorah, words… but then the words do not make sense and they sound like a bunch of gibberish and nonsense piled up in a neat little page. Today has to be the latter. Here I am, after a long Google search on what to write and how to get over writer’s block, writing about writer’s block which I am sure most of you do not care about.

Different persons experience writer’s block or a creative block in different ways.

1. Lack of ideas to work on. Sometimes a block manifests itself as drawing blanks. You seek inspiration to find a theme, an idea, or a topic to work on and you simply have nothing. It is like thinking but getting nothing. Do you ever try to think and your mind is just empty and now you are wondering about your empty mind which appears as a white sheet and you start thinking about white and forget what you were initially thinking about? That is this kind of block. It is like some sort of mind block. I think as a writer this is the most frustrating kind of block because personally, I am a thinker. I can come up with something from staring at a branch. I see a gate, and wonder who came up with gates and why? Who came up with the idea to smelt metal into something as wonderful as a gate? What creative son of a cookie came up with the idea to put intricate designs on it? The answers are gates and doorways originated from ancient central Egypt. Who knows why they were invented, probably an alien saw a wormhole or a pathway to another dimension and got inspired. Yes, and metals and smelting originated in the Late Bronze Age, from the Hittites of Anatolia around some 8700 BC. Historians reading this, I am not 100% sure about the timelines, I am not a Historian, I was just a curious cookie after seeing a knife. (Please do not crucify me, I shall read more on the subject at a later date). Okay, you get my point. I think a lot about thinking, so how do I draw blanks and get zero ideas? Well, sometimes the creative juices refuse to flow.
2. You have ideas, but lack the right words. This amuses me because I know exactly what I want to write about, so why does it end up being nonsense and trash? I have been writing since I could hold a pencil properly without shaking (true story, my first poem was when I was six and three quarters years old in class two). Why are words such a challenge all of a sudden? It should not make logical sense, but oh well.
3. You simply lack words. In this instance, you are just unable to write at all. You think about how to write about Kermit frog, and you are wondering, does a sentence start with the or a? Do I start with Kermit the frog is a frog or Kermit the frog is a muppet? You end up spiraling and well, you close the program and proceed to think about Kermit the frog for three days.
4. You simply lack the motivation. Sometimes it is not even about you being unable to write or lacking ideas, you are simply too lazy to write. Some days you simply lack the physical energy to pick up your computer, pen, or typewriter and write. It sucks because sometimes you may want to write but you just don’t feel like you can do it. Your physical or mental headspace just does not allow you to.

Whatever kind of block you may be encountering, and whatever reasons for not being able to practice your art, your craft, your work, you should know that it is okay. Sure, it does suck for your audience to not see or read or engage with your art for a while, but it obviously sucks more for you. It can be downright depressing. However, it is okay to sometimes hit a block and it is okay that that block may drag on for a while. You should not let it kill your drive though. Keep writing, however terrible those words may read. Keep drawing, however empty those sketches may seem. Keep painting, however muddled those painting may look. Keep sculpting, however uneven the sculptures may be. Keep singing, however hollow the songs may be. Keep trying, in whatever craft, whatever skill, whatever career, whatever job, whatever passion.

You will overcome the huddle and that is what matters.

With that being said, this is the end of my rant. I have not forgotten you, my lovelies. I am just struggling with the old lady (The Darkheartemoji). I am trying to find her and I will find her. Meanwhile, it is nice to know you all are still here. Darkheartemoji turns 22 soon, in under a week, so this is one of the musings of my 21-year-old self. I hope the 22-year-old Pat will be proud of us as well as the other future selves.

Stay safe, be happy and well, pray for me to your respective Deities, because if this continues I shall pluck my hairs off my head and take to the hills. (Speaking of hair, my next haircut will be sick, maybe I shall write about it.) Bye!

Your Old Cat-lady,

The Darkheartemoji!