aeschylated:

shinondraws:

I was listening to an art podcast and I heard someone use “creative hibernation” as a term to describe a period of time when your creative energy and flow of ideas is slowing down.

Honestly, it sounds so much better than “art block”. To me, “creative hibernation” sounds less like a negative thing and more like an organic part of the creative process. 

“Art block” sounds very definite. They sound like something you MUST actively fight against to break them down in order to continue. “Hibernation” on the other hand sounds more like a thing that happens every now and then but that will go away on its own when it’s time. It’s a stage of gathering energy for the next creative pursuit. Art block on the other hand is an artificial, mental block that actually just seems to solidify the more you treat it like an obstacle to get around.

All creative people go through this type of slowing down all the time and it is completely alright. I thought I would share this because I think the right kind of mentality is actually one of the most important things of recovering your creative energy.

Maybe 9-10 years ago I heard Sting give an interview on the radio (Fresh Air, I believe) and he expressed something similar but in terms of input and output. He said he cycles through these periods regularly, sometimes releasing a lot of creative products out into the world (output), and sometimes taking a break to absorb and process what he’s receiving from others (input). I found this to be an immensely helpful way of looking at my own academic and creative processes.