Welcome to Creative Blocks

Last week I wrote about the beauty I find in destruction. Part of that beauty also lies in what is created by that destruction. A few years after a forest fire, new life starts to grow. When a volcano erupts in the ocean a new island is formed. As I melt crayons, a beautiful picture forms.

Then there are the days where I'm stuck staring at a blank page or canvas. Trying desperately to fill it with...something.

I'm often given the advice to "write everyday" no matter what. I don't find it to be practical. For one thing, I'm very busy and trying to find time to sit down and write on my laptop everyday is tedious. For another, some days there's just nothing there for me to write down. It's like my mind has gone blank and there just aren't words.

It's frustrating. It's challenging. I feel like I've lost part of myself.

Finally, there are the days where I'm so full of s words that I can't think straight. My mind is a buzz with what I want to create. What do I focus on? What should be created first?

I'm slowly learning different techniques to help with these creative blocks. I've had varying rates of success with the techniques I've tried and others I have only just recently been introduced to.

1) Exercise - I'm a very active person. Going to the gym or for a hike helps me burn off all of my extra energy that would otherwise have me bouncing off the walls. If I need a break at work, I run up and down the stairs until I can sit still again. Yoga is another form of exercise that I love doing when I need to center myself. It's precise and requires discipline to match the movements in the right positions to my breathing.

2) Meditation - Much like yoga, meditation requires focus and discipline. Breathing is essential to meditative practice. I usually couple my meditation with yoga and feel invigorated by my practice.

3) Getting in touch with nature - If I have the time and it's not too hot, I like to go hiking on the weekends. I typically go to an area that is well populated or join a Meet Up group hike. I find that getting in touch with nature helps me center myself mentally and creatively. The air is clean and smells fresh. The sounds of the city and suburbs melt away. All I hear is the rush of water and away of trees. I also usually run into a lot of people walking their dogs and am allowed to pet the doggies. Note: I do not recommend hiking alone or in a secluded area. On my last hike with a Meet Up group we came across a mama bear and her cub. It was terrifying in a group, it could end tragically if you're alone.

4) Art - Melted crayon art and acrylic painting has given me a new creative outlet that has inspired me to write new poetry. I started keeping a sketchbook in high school that I used to create characters, settings, or abstract concepts. Occasionally the art I create goes with a specific writing piece.

5) Word Art - Along the same vain as regular art, word art is a subset that I enjoy using for brainstorming. There are a couple of ways that I create word art. The first I started doing is by choosing a word and then sketch the word with different images that I associate with the word. Another is by writing poetry or prose in the form of a picture.

6) Listen to music - Many of the writer's I follow or have met spoke about how they use music to help them write. One writer talked about how she listens to one song over and over while writing a book. By the time they had finished writing, they could never listen to that song again. I tend to listen to music to help me set the mood for my writing, but sometimes I get so distracted that I start dancing and forget to actually write.

7) Tarot cards - I haven't tried this technique yet, but earlier today I was introduced to using tarot to help write a story. It sounds like a great technique. If you're curious, here's a YouTube video for you to check out.

8) Keeping a journal - I love keeping a journal. It helps me organize my thoughts and work out what I am feeling. Some journals had nonsensical poetry, while others were a record of my day to day activities.

Filling a blank space is hard. There's no debris left over from a destructive force to build something new. It all comes from the mind.

What are some techniques you guys, my readers, use when you're having a creative block? It doesn't have to be for writing, but any creative activity you guys participate in. I would never have thought of using tarot cards to help me write without learning about it from a friend.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Beautiful Destruction

A few years back, I saw a video on Facebook where someone glued crayons to a canvas and then melted them with a hairdryer to create a beautiful rainbow. You guys might have seen this video too, or a variation of it. There were versions with a night sky, people walking in the rain under an umbrella, and several with heart designed. Here's a video if you're curious.

I recently was looking for a new project (*cough way to express myself *cough) and once again stumbled upon the melted crayon art videos. It didn’t look too difficult or expensive. I brought a few boxes of crayons and some canvases and got to work experimenting with what I could do.

And I love it!

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve likely seen a bunch of the “paintings” I’ve come up with (you can follow me at bartholomewalexandra). Each one is unique. All I do is pick the colors and control the heat and airflow on the hairdryer. Sometimes I draw images as the crayon melts, but I don’t always control where the wax goes.

I make beautiful creations out of the destruction of another object.

And there is something seriously satisfying about doing that. It’s like watching an explosion during a movie, there’s a rush watching the destruction take place. It might make a mess, but it also allows for new creation.

I love destruction. Fireworks, explosions, knocking down a block tower, or watching as a wave swallows a sandcastle. It’s beautiful in its own way.

But destruction is also dangerous.

I don’t like destruction if it’s going to harm someone physically, mentally, and/or emotionally. I don’t want to watch as someone lose everything in a natural disaster. I might like seeing a volcano erupt, but not at the expense of someone’s life.

Maybe it’s a morbid fascination. Destruction is beautiful and dangerous. I feel a rush of joy and a flicker of sadness. It’s the beginning and ending of a story. All of which is part of a natural order.

Even the known universe started with a bang.

Beauty is subjective at its core. My love affair with destruction in order to create is my own. I feel good when I’ve managed to make something beautiful after spending an hour or so melting crayons, especially when I’m having a bad spell.

And if I don’t love what I do, there’s no point in me doing it.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Also if you see any art you like here or on Instagram, please let me know.

Until next week.