On Lisa Tener’s writing blog she conducted an interview with therapist Dr. Carrie Barron about creativity. One thing Dr. Barron said was:
“Over the years, I have treated many people who suffer from depression or anxiety. I learned that traditional treatments, psychotherapy, cognitive therapy and medication are not very effective for certain people. For some, the only thing that works is to be involved in a creative process.”
I’ve suffered from depression at various times in my life, and I think she’s right, but I also know that when you are really down, it’s hard to find the energy to commit to a creative project. There are a few strategies I’ve found useful:
- Commit to a creative project that you can achieve in a relatively short period of time—not a novel or screenplay, but a short story, a film, an essay or article, even a haiku.
- Take away the pressure to come up with something that will impress people. You may even want to promise yourself that you won’t even show the finished project to anybody. You are doing it for yourself, to enjoy the process.
- Set time goals but give yourself some leeway. If you set hard deadlines and miss them, you have just given yourself another reason to beat yourself up.
- Follow any signs of joy. If you set out to write a short story but in the middle of the process get more excited about using some element of it to make a one-minute film or write a song, go ahead. Again, it’s not about the product, it’s about the process.
- Be kind to yourself. Tell your Inner Critic that he or she has the day off. Pretend that you are five years old again, playing with finger paints or building sand castles. Listen to music while you work, something that has good associations for you. Treat yourself to a candy bar or some expensive fresh berries. If it feels like the world is giving you a kicking, you don’t have to join them.
If you don’t need this right now, print it out and tuck it away for a rainy day, I hope it will help.
(There are lots more useful tips at: www.TimeToWrite.com--check it out.)
