The Artist's Way Week 10: Recovering a Sense of Self-Protection and Identifying 3 Common Stumbling Blocks
Week 10: Recovering a Sense of Self-Protection
Last week in The Artist’s Way blog series, we discussed how to maneuver creative u-turns, aka those moments where we find ourselves retreating back to the self-sabotaging habits of our previously blocked selves. Similarly, in Week 10, we’re talking about some common setbacks that we might experience even after becoming seasoned artists - blocks that can hinder us from our creative calling.
Every artist has one or two recurring blocks that really have a way of infiltrating our creative process. They are things that bring us a false sense of comfort, distract us, and help us mask the real feeling we are trying to avoid - fear. We try to find comfort in these toxic patterns of behavior, but ultimately, they keep us from moving forward. This week, I’m sharing three common blocks discussed in this week’s readings in The Artist’s Way: workaholism, drought, and competition.
Identifying 3 Common Blocks
Workaholism
“Workaholism is an addiction, and like all addictions, it blocks creative energy...If people are too busy to write morning pages, or too busy to take an artist date, they are probably too busy to hear the voice of authentic creative urges. To return to the concept of a radio set, the workaholic jams the signals with self-induced static.” - Julia Cameron
Some of us may not think that workaholism would be a block. In fact, the phrases “I’m working” or “I’m busy” seem to carry a certain air of purpose and duty to them. The feeling of having a lot to do somehow makes us feel productive, but Julia reminds us that workaholism can actually hinder us from creative play - something that is absolutely necessary for our creative growth.
For workaholics, their work is closely tied to their image of self-worth, so the idea of “just having fun” or letting go of control can make them feel uneasy, anxious, or unproductive. But Julia reminds us that in order to really get in tune with our deepest creative desires and truly become a thriving artist, we need to allow ourselves to let go and give our artist child the freedom to explore and indulge.
Too much “work” blocks our creative flow, and so we need to be mindful of how we’re spending our time and ask ourselves whether or not we’re prioritizing creative play in the midst of all the busyness. “In striving to clear the way for our creative flow, we must look at our work habits very clearly.”
Drought
All artists go through dry seasons where nothing feels exciting, our art feels forced, and our creative wells feel empty. During these droughts, things might feel bleak and hopeless, and the feelings of doubt and failure can get pretty overwhelming.
During a drought, it’s common to catch yourself saying things like “What’s the point?”, “My work isn’t good enough”, and “Nobody cares”. These feelings and thoughts can become a huge block in our creativity - they can keep us stagnant and blocked for long periods of time.
Ironically though, these are the seasons where it’s most important to keep showing up, even if it’s just the mere act of doing morning pages every day. In fact, Julia argues that morning pages are crucial during dry seasons because they have the power to bring us the clarity and strength that we need in order to keep pushing forward and finding our direction again. It’s the same idea of “filling the form”. One step at a time, one page at a time.
“Droughts end because we have kept writing our pages, They end because we have not collapsed to the floor of our despair and refused to move. We have doubted, yes, but we have stumbled on...The time in the desert brings us clarity and charity. When you are in a drought, know that it is to a purpose.” - Julia Cameron
Competition
Julia calls competition a spiritual drug. It poisons our well and impedes our progress. And it has the power to block us in a very pervasive way.
When we see somebody getting “ahead” of us or moving towards their dreams a lot faster than we are, it makes us question ourselves and wonder things like “Why am I not farther along?”, “Why wasn’t my work chosen?”, “When will I get my break?”, “Is my work not good enough?”. These types of questions can become a huge distraction and stumbling block for our creative growth.
But instead, we should be asking better questions like: “What steps can I take to move towards my goals today?”, “Did I spend time working on my art?”, “Does my art represent who I am in an authentic way?”.
When we stay in our lane and step outside the world of comparison and competition, we allow ourselves to focus more internally on the things that really matter in our creative journey. We no longer let other artists or the “marketplace” determine our worth or value, but we are able to put that energy into putting in the work that allows us to create art that is true to ourselves. And with time, our own path will start to emerge.
“As artists, we cannot afford to think about who is getting ahead of us and how they don’t deserve it. The desire to be “better than” can choke off the simple desire to “be”. As artists we cannot afford this thinking. It leads us away from our own voices and choices and into a defensive game that centers outside of ourselves and our sphere of influence. It asks us to define our own creativity in terms of someone else’s….Let the critics spot trends. Let reviewers concern themselves with what is in and what is not. Let us concern ourselves first and foremost with what it is within us that is struggling to be born.” - Julia Cameron
The creative journey can be a long and hard one, and along the way, we may start to recognize certain patterns of thought or behavior that block us from our inner artist. The good news though, is that when we become more aware of our own blocking devices, we also become better equipped to tackle and overcome them.
I hope this week’s readings were helpful in identifying some common mindset blocks that you might encounter along the way. None of these blocks are easy to deal with, but when we choose to acknowledge them and confront them head on, they only make us stronger.
As always, the key is to never give up.
See you in Week 11!