Stress and Creativity

Sunset from last night

I've not been posting much lately. I have some major distraction in my life lately, and not all of them are pleasant. I won't really get into it, other than to say that stress can affect your creativity very much. That's what I want to talk about, dealing with stress as a creative person.



Up until recently, whenever I was highly stressed I would generally shut down creatively. I wouldn't create or write. For the most part, when I make pieces I want them to convey happiness and positivity. So, I wouldn't create when I was upset because I didn't want that "in" my pieces.
I've started realizing that my art needs to be a rounded culmination of who I am, whether I am sad, mad, angry, happy, excited, or really really pissed off. The theme of the piece doesn't have to reflect the feelings I'm having, but those feelings will help make up the whole. Gestalt.




With this most recent set of stressors in my life, I have opted to do the opposite of avoidance and instead make myself be creative despite it all. Part of my being creative is journaling, but also READING! I'm not sure if everyone holds this belief, but I honestly think that reading a good book can be just as creative as writing a short story. When I read, I make up voices in my head for character. I also heavily visualize the scenes and people. I truly think this can inspire outward creativity as well.




So, I have been reading and working on a new process, that I can't share because I hope to start submitting it. (Doh!) I've also been playing with the iPad app Quiltography some more, and will probably come back to the designs I've been playing with some day in the future.
Summer is waning, and as fall approaches my schedule continues to fill and the personal stressors in my life are likely going to intensify and I must be prepared and fight to keep my creative self functioning - when she goes down the entire rest of my suffers. So I will read more, design more, stitch more, quilt more and plan to add painting back into the mix too. I need outlets, distractions, escapes. And what better way to escape, then into a creative realm that you yourself are creating.
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