The Pressures of Creative Writing
But this post is not about Eat, Pray, Love.
This post is about creativity, and the pressure that creative professionals are under to constantly and consistently produce brilliant work.
Creative Writing and Stress
There’s a misconception that those with a career in the arts are living on easy street. All you do is write all day? Wow, that must be luxurious! And on top of that, there’s an endless pressure for artists to consistently outdo themselves. You’re only as good as the last thing you did.
There are tons of creativity techniques that you can use to keep a flow of creative writing ideas streaming into your creative writing. But there is never any guarantee that your next project will be a masterpiece. There’s no certainty that each work you produce will be better than your last, no matter how inspired you might be.
In music, an artist’s sophomore album can be a big flop after a hit debut. Actors start falling into stereotypes and cannot land interesting roles. And writers — well, writers can keep on writing but we all know that usually the seventh book in a series is nowhere near as good as the first one.
She Knows All About It
Elizabeth Gilbert has already experienced massive success with her memoir, and now she talks about the pressure to outperform herself. Can she do it? What if she doesn’t? Is all this pressure really necessary? And most importantly, where does creativity come from?
I encourage you to watch the video below in which Elizabeth Gilbert gives a talk on creativity and the unique pressures that creative workers are under. She offers some pretty original solutions.
After the video, share your thoughts about creative writing and let’s talk about how creative people are viewed and treated both in creative circles and in the larger culture.
Enjoy!
A New Way to Think About Creative Writing
Editor’s Note: I’ve already watched this video several times and I’m also planning to go see Elizabeth Gilbert in person this fall, since she happens to be visiting my area. She’s an engaging speaker with some interesting words of wisdom and here at Writing Forward, we like to learn from people who are smart and successful. Elizabeth Gilbert possesses both of those wonderful traits and a whole lot more.
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[...] Writing Events This month, I’m looking forward to two events. I already have tickets to see Elizabeth Gilbert speak. She’s the author of Eat, Pray, Love, a book that I adore. Just recently, I shared a video in which Elizabeth talks about the pressures of creative writing. [...]
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[...] been thinking a lot about the creative writing process. Lately, I’ve found myself working on all types of projects — web pages, blog [...]
Great post! I loved the book and listening to the video. Creativity is such an interesting topic. Gilbert was in DC a while back and I missed her. So bummed! I hope you share your experience when you see her on your site so I can live vicariously through you.
.-= Positively Present´s last blog ..combat loneliness with e.a.s.e. =-.
I will share my experience! I’m sure it’s going to be inspiring and uplifting, just as her memoir and this talk were.
Although I haven’t read the book, I’ve enjoyed the video several times. She’s a dynamic speaker. I look forward to your post about seeing her in person.
.-= LisaNewton´s last blog ..Having Fun in the Sun at Cabrillo Beach =-.
Good stuff.
Two things that have helped me:
1. Collecting patterns and practices for creating thinking. For example, Michael Michalko provides an amazing catalog of thinking techniques in his book, ThinkerToys.
2. Adding creative hours each week. I used to just focus on adding “power hours” to my week, but that was more about productivity. I find that creative hours are different and I actually have to bake those into my week deliberately — it’s a different mindset and I need to create time and space for them.
.-= J.D. Meier´s last blog ..Finding a Way to Do the Things You Hate =-.
That’s awesome J.D. – scheduling time for being creative. I like it! I will have check out ThinkerToys. Thanks for the tip