As shelter-in-place orders spread, I started to see this strange pressure on the creative, “Now is the time to write the next great American novel.” And then came the rebuttal to this argument that the amount of anxiety in quarantine is not compatible with creativity. Well, I offer something in between.
I propose that creativity can be a form of self-care right now. The pressures are all too real. Creativity shouldn’t be another one, but at the same time abandoning one’s creativity means taking away a tool, an asset, a coping strategy. Now more than ever is when we need to hear our souls sing. Whether through poetry, pottery, or print making, connecting with that higher part of yourself can make this time bearable.
In my experience, the more time I spend away from my artistic endeavors the crazier I feel. My primary creative expression, writing, feels like medicine. It flushes out the toxins. While expressing my ideas and imaginings, my writing also expresses the blight from my system. And right now we need all the healing power we have at our disposal.
I hit a hard place this past winter and started doing all the things that doctors tell you to do: exercise, eat well, sleep well, go outside, but I had forgotten about an essential piece of life until a friend reminded me. “Joanna, have you been writing?” she asked. I opened my novel the next day and a bit of relief rushed in. I realized that creativity is my self-care. Writing allows me to connect with my soul, but unfortunately, it’s one of the first things I let go when life gets hard.
We all need to escape. The Netflix binge is necessary in these times. We need to rest and retreat, but when your mind becomes mushy from endless episodes, excessive napping, or obsessive news consumption, try reclaiming your own creative power. Carve out some generative time for yourself and see how that makes you feel.
If you work from home, shut off all notifications for a bit. If you have kids, use some nap time or screen time in order to feed your own soul. You could even allow these time-boxed departures to be a structure for you to get as many words on the page or as many songs in the air as you can. Despite the higher activation energy required, you might feel a lot better afterwards. You might feel lighter, you might feel your own power, you might feel hope.
When you do create, create without pressure to produce. You don’t have to discover the law of gravity or pen a work of genius. Creating with the ego at the forefront doesn’t usually end well even under normal circumstances. Instead, create to care for yourself and banish the expectations and critics (inside and out). You just need to give yourself the space to talk to your soul.
If you can’t manage to find blocks of time (I’m looking at you full-time working parents), let your mind play while you are doing the mundane tasks of cooking beans and feeding a baby. Play with ideas in your heart while your body does what it needs to do. What would that melody sound like? What wounds might drive my protagonist? How would these colors blend?
And if you are totally exhausted and can’t manage any of this, just survive. I wish I could hold your hand. This will end, and we will create on the other side.