Staying Creative in these Tumbleweed Times
The trouble with writing or making art about current times is, like tumbleweed racing by on a highway, ‘all this shall pass’. BUT WHEN?? And when it has passed, by which I mean ‘lockdown’ or the ‘coronavirus’ or some other, really difficult event, who is going to care about your social media posts on the piffling little quests you had at that time?
I’m talking about trying to find the coolest mask or getting that bag of flour (to make plaited bread) or getting your hair cut properly, not chopped badly by your grumpy housemate? Not many people. Apart from the grumpy housemate who won’t thank you for sharing.
When things are like this, my head starts to feel like that tumbleweed. Empty, thoughtless and frantically trying to find some purpose. When important events take over the world, not just my own little world, everything I try to do feels weighted with meaning, or with lack of meaning and purpose.
That lack of purpose can feel even more amplified if you are a creative freelancer — like an artist or a writer. Without a conventional job, you have to set your own rules and constraints. When a ‘once in a lifetime’ bad event messes with your work, your focus and your finances, you now have to also battle with a sense of loss and futility.
“It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it is the grain of sand in your shoe.”
― Anonymous
So get that grain of sand out your shoe and look for ways to manage these tumbleweed times! Here are 4 simple ideas for doing that:
- Don’t beat yourself up for finding it difficult. Just surviving is an art in itself and when things are less intense you might be able to use that in your work — ‘struggle’ is a fruitful theme to work with in any of the arts.
- Keep doing your work even if you can’t currently sell it. Obviously, this can feel pointless and upsetting. But if you think of it as creating a readily available store of new work for use in future, it can feel smart and forward thinking.
- Look after yourself and anyone you live with. In difficult times you have to act like a team and keep each other as healthy, safe, and positive as possible. And creative. Keep playing with ideas!
- Loneliness is dangerous. Try to stay in contact with friends and family throughout times of isolation, for your mental health and theirs. These are the people who will ensure that you remember the good things about yourself and the world.
My favourite literary quote for life has to be that from Charles Dickens’ novel ‘David Copperfield’ and the wonderfully hopeful, MrMicawber,
“something will turn up”
At times, that indefatigable optimism can appear misplaced. But in truth it’s also the survival instinct. Don’t give up, things can change.
As Nelson Mandela apparently said:
It always seems impossible until it’s done.
And he was right. So keep that thought in mind about any impossible things you’re feeling right now. The tumbleweed will move on and you can too.
