“Artists don't get down to work until the pain of working is exceeded by the pain of not working.” — Stephen DeStaebler
Creative hibernation is part of the creative process whether we like it or not - we need that moment of stillness, of pause in order to heal our minds psychic wounds which opened up during our creative release. When you’re making really honest work we open ourselves up, we become vulnerable, fragile. We need to heal those parts that we opened up during our creative release and that is where creative hibernation comes in.I believe this is an integral part of the creative process it’s a cycle.
I think of my mind as a jar which I fill up, I fill my mind with all different ideas, inspirations, dreams & Information till it is overflowing. All of these different ingredients simmer swirling and mixing together to form new ideas which overflow.This moment of overflow is my creative release and that is when I feel like my psychic wound opens up and spills out all of this creative knowledge most likely for me in the form of a new visual idea. This process of creative release however takes a lot out of you and that’s why I believe that we need to take the time and allow for creative hibernation. By allowing ourselves time to collect memories, experiences and ideas then allow them time to cook together and culminate into a final new idea is part of this hibernation period. This seemingly dull restful period I believe is an integral part to the full creative process.
When we reach the final stage of a creative release we are having an outpouring of energy, which can leave us feeling empty, as we are in fact emptying ourselves by creating. After this release we once again become the blank slate or tabula rasa. This leaves us feeling a bit uncomfortable and hollow after creation, we feel wounded and just exhausted. I feel like we need the healing period to refill our minds jar. It’s this gentle balance of living life by gathering experiences memories, and stories then letting them over flow and release into a creative work. It’s a creative life cycle.
If we allow ourselves time to wander we discover new places, new ideas we unlock old doorways and air out old memories we let them dance together spinning into some new wonderful story. Creative hibernation is the necessary part of the whole ideation process in my opinion.
This is why I say let yourself rest so you avoid burnout. Have alternate outlets to feed off each other. When you aren’t painting maybe you’re photographing or maybe you’re traveling or cooking a new recipe or learning a new creative process. These alternate experiences help us stay on a good path. As I have mentioned in the last episode, having good creative habits help our minds navigate things steering us away from dead end burn out failed fear paths. These are ways I have helped drive my art life all these years.
I also want to state for me a successful art life is not at all solely defined by fame and sales it is more about the inner growth and exploration and discovery of new visual or non visual ideas. That is what excites me. Honestly speaking sure it is a nice side effect from my efforts to have any recognition or sales but it’s not the driving force to why I make all the stuff I have all these years.
For me having that understanding of the art life cycle is helpful to pull myself out of the darkness when I find myself there... and hey it’s life so I find myself there quite a bit . Having strong creative habits and a vast array of varied interests helps me not distract myself from the darkness but harness it and ride through my storms with greater confidence and courage taking in the experiences of my journey growing until I reach another clear mind moment release overflow.
Remember, we are human, allow yourself time to live, to regenerate after producing a body of work. The energy released during this process leaves us feeling lost and weak after an idea or project comes to true fruition. Learn to recognize that feeling is simply the growing pains of starting the creative process over. We have to be able to live and accumulate experiences, ideas and memories to form new idea sparks. Try your best to practice alternate creative habits to rest and replenish the parts of yourself you just worked out to create a body of work, allow time to heal.
We all go through this cycle, though times vary and can get tangled up in depression or other emotional life chaos. But knowing, having the awareness that this is what is happening helps me move through it with a greater understanding and care during this down time.
I’m Angie.
till next time,
Dream Yourself Awake.
The Clarity Cloud Consortium™
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