I'm sorry, more to myself than to my readers, that I go through these ridiculous phases. It's the most tiring on-again/off-again relationship I've ever had! My fickle mind. I can have a wonderful creative stretch going, but just a small interruption and it's right back to the intellectual and creative gutter for two or three months. That's not any way to live, and it's not any way to reach my dreams. I know that. But once you're in that gutter it's so damn hard to climb out. I never in my life thought that motivation to do something you enjoy doing would be one of the most difficult things to attain.
It can be really hard to believe that creativity is a snowball, especially when you're down in the gutter. And I know I'm not the only one who's been there, and I know I'm not the only one climbing out. So if you're stuck in this day-to-day slog where everything in your life is gray and all you want to do is lay around wishing you were better, you need to listen up. I know how hard it is when you're in that gutter, because I've been in it since January. When you're down there it's so easy to just give up. You might even convince yourself that you hate the dream you dared to dream. It's so easy to tell yourself that you hate painting, that you hate photography, that you hate poetry, that you hate writing. So, so easy to tell yourself, and so, so easy to believe it.
But don't you dare actually take that negative nonsense to heart. It's a lie, and deep down inside you know it is. It's a very convincing lie told by a very convincing liar. But it's still a lie.
You'll realize that when you finally pull yourself off the grimy gutter-bottom and try to do something again. Now don't try to climb too high all at once, or you'll tire out and slide back down. But if you take little steps, like by reviewing a video game and allowing that to breed more posts and more ideas (and this is all just a personal example, by the way. Don't take the idea of reviewing a game as literally the only way to get creative again.) you will find that your brain starts working again. You'll find that you truly enjoy creating again. You'll take hold of that spark, and if you run with it day after day it will bloom again.
Don't let yourself get lazy. That spark will snuff right back out. Don't let them tell you that you can't. They want to snuff it out for you. You just keep on keepin' on. You'll be a lot happier for it.
