I don’t know about other creative types ( I have heard stories about authors who did their best writing when drunk or musicians who created their most beautiful songs during a time of great despair), but I create my best works when I am happy and calm.  And lately, I have had some tremedous stresses affecting my creative process.

As a cure for “Artist’s Block”, I have heard that one is supposed to write down everything that is bothering them.

Now that may work for some folks, but for me–writing is a terrible chore.  I really worry about what I am going to say and how I am going to say it. (And notice the lack of typos in my blog….that’s right, I worry about spelling, grammar and punctuation, too!) So I have not found writing to be a good tool for getting past a block.

What works for me is scribbling. 

I grab a few pages from my sketchbook and I scribble….and scribble…..and scribble…..and scribble….

Until the squiggly lines start to look like shapes and forms and IDEAS.

And then all of a sudden amidst the scribbles a little smiley face will pop up….

And from there one drawing will lead to another

And I will have moved past my block.

Time to get scribbling!