I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: writing is hard. I know that to anyone on the outside it might look as simple as sitting down at a desk and getting lost in your imagination for a few hours. But there are actually a million different things you have to take into consideration if you’re a writer—or, indeed, any artist for that matter. Some of these obstacles are linked to the physical act of creating: things like time management, especially if you have a full-time job or go to school on top of everything else; hours spent searching for just that perfect word, trying to craft characters that are complex and flawed but still likeable at the same time; considering the messages you’re sending to your audience and trying to add up and sort through all those little puzzle pieces and plot points tumbling around inside your brain.
But I think the worst obstacles writers have to face are linked to our health. And I’m not just talking about losing time and energy due to the occasional flu: I’m talking about mental health.
In an article I recently read from Electric Lit, out of all the different types of artists and creators, writers have been found to have the highest chances of suffering from mental illness. There are a few given explanations for these findings. One is, of course, the stresses of writing life (Just add everything I mentioned above to the constant rejection letters and ever-present certainty that there’s little to no gratification in this career unless you’ve already made a name for yourself). Then there’s the idea that writers are more prone to depression as it is much of our job to observe humanity and humanity is fraught with depressing things. And, of course, there is also the suggestion that the field of writing is filled with traumatized people because traumatized people tend to turn to writing as a therapeutic outlet.
But while it might be a mixture of all three hypotheses, I think it really boils down to more artistic personalities in general. As an example, I recently mentioned in another post that the Myers-Briggs personality type known as the INFJ tends to naturally lean toward writing. And the thing about INFJs is that we are incredibly sensitive people. We’re easily hurt by others and quickly discouraged to the point we want to shut ourselves away from everyone and everything. Which often means that, some days, even due to just the slightest upset, we simply don’t have the heart for anything—not even the things we love.
So the question is: how can we cope with this? How can we keep being creative when we often can’t bring ourselves to be much of anything?
I’ve asked myself this question over and over again these past few days. Between the stresses of wrapping up a master’s degree, leftover angst from being stuck inside for over a year, some bitter realizations about life as I thought I knew it, and the receipt of some constructive—but still very critical—feedback from my beta readers, I haven’t had much motivation to write. And it’s because, for the first time in a long time, I haven’t had much heart to.
Even for as long as I’ve been writing, I am still somewhat new to the writing life. But finding myself in this horrible slump and inevitably passing through it (if a bit worse for wear) has taught me a few things about coping with mental roadblocks when you’re an artist. And, as you are a fellow creator, I’d like to share them with you.
- Allow yourself to feel a little broken. Self-care is a necessary factor of life that we’re only just now really starting to take into consideration. Don’t push yourself to be creative if you find that you literally cannot bring yourself to. Have a good cry; take a bath; watch a movie; go out with loved ones; get to bed early. Things typically look brighter in the morning.
- Remind yourself of those who have supported you this whole time, and keep them close. Call your mom. Voice your concerns to your most trusted beta reader. Take a trip to the bookstore (or wherever you’ll be happy to linger for an hour or two) with your significant other.
- As a further reminder of those who support you and of all that you most definitely have accomplished already, look back at some of the praise you have previously received. I’ve recently been hearing about some authors who keep a binder or a scrapbook full of all the positive feedback they’ve gotten from readers. Consider doing something similar for your work. Make an effort to keep track of all the good things so that you don’t linger too long on the bad.
- Allow yourself to hypothetically explore the “what if” scenario. What if I did what I feel like doing right now, and gave up on my dream? What would I do instead? How would my life look? If the alternate reality you see yourself in makes you as sick to your stomach as mine did for me, then surely there’s something worthwhile about your craft that you have got to stick around for.
Life is hard enough without making the conscious choice to sacrifice security for your dreams. But people who long to be creators face this choice every day, and we tend to be the ones who are the most sensitive to the obstacles that stand in our way. Let’s face it: we have it rough. And we often reach points in our lives where we wonder if chasing a dream is really worth it. But there are ways to cope, and there are ways to pull through. First and foremost, be gentle with yourself. And take a moment to breathe. Motivation always comes back at some point—and your creative spirit never leaves you.
Do what you need to do. And then keep going.
— C.M.
Night Owls, what are some other good strategies for keeping motivation alive when our spirits are low?
