Stress and Creativity

The last two, three months have been most stressful for me. Now, stress for a creative person is a necessary part of the creative process. Really, would you want to read a novel by someone who has had a fairy-tale life and never had stress? How would she impart the tension to her characters that would make us want to turn the page?

But sometimes, stress, which is also called life can seem overwhelming. Looking back over the last weeks, I realize that I used several strategies that helped make life manageable. So I'll share them with you. 

First, someone I barely know offered to do something very generous for me. I said yes. I didn't think oh, that's too much to ask or how can I pay her back or I don't know her well enough. She would not have offered if it was too much. Somethings I learned long ago can never be paid back to the people who give them to me but I can pass on the goodness. And I know, too, that this woman, at the time, needed to do something herself and there was something she could do for me. So it wasn't all about me.         


Another thing I did was recognize my limitations. I advanced to the rear. Times of stress are not the times to begin the Great American Novel or the ten foot sculpture or the twenty by ten foot canvas. Times of stress are for reading instead of writing, cleaning brushes instead of painting, taking inventory instead of buying. So I took the pressure off myself to create. Now that I look about my studio, I can appreciate all that I have done in the last few weeks. I've accomplished more than I thought myself capable of under the circumstances. 

I'll share two other strategies for dealing with stress and creativity next week. For now, how do you deal with stress? 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!