It started off like any typical June day. I drove the one-hour commute to Salt Lake City, worked my eight-hour day proofreading planners, and drove two hours home in rush-hour traffic. By then, I wasn’t feeling too good. I called in sick the next day, put on a comforting movie, and prepared to spend the next two days just recovering from the first long months of a new job.
Halfway through the movie, my brother video-called me in a panic.
“It’s Dad,” he said. “He’s fallen. And he’s not breathing.”
Immediately, all my senses went on alert. I texted everyone in my family, trying to figure out what was going on and trying—but failing—to keep myself calm.
Less than thirty minutes later, my mother gave me the most devastating news of my life. “He’s gone. Dad just passed away.”
As creators, we feel driven to put our pen to paper, our brush to canvas, our fingers to our instruments, or to create in our chosen way. This passion drives us and is a part of our very natures.
But what do you do when everything comes crashing down?
That June day three years ago, my world fell apart. I’d experienced loss and grief before. I’d had grandparents and an uncle pass away, but losing my dad hit harder. I staggered, reeling from the loss. My dad was my biggest supporter. He believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. His laugh and his voice were my favorite sounds in the world.
And now I’d never get to hear them again.
I fell into a deep depression that summer. I didn’t even touch my writing projects, even though I had several I needed to work on. I could barely cook, much less create.
But throughout that experience and other hard experiences in my life, I have learned that there are ways you can help yourself create when life gets hard.
Take Care of Yourself
Creating is difficult when you don’t feel well—whether that’s physically, emotionally, or spiritually. When I’ve been depressed or severely ill, putting my pen to paper feels as daunting as climbing Mount Everest. You need to prioritize feeling well again.
For some of us, this may mean that we write or paint or compose purely emotional pieces that are healing for us. Steven Sharp Nelson spoke at LDSPMA two years ago about how Beethoven’s best pieces came right after he had suffered a major trial in his life. One example is the famous Symphony No. 9—Beethoven wrote it after he’d completely lost his hearing, and “Ode to Joy” is one of the most recognized pieces of music in the world. Sometimes getting the emotions out is how you take care of yourself.
But for some of us, creating when our hearts are aching is the biggest challenge in the universe. If you’re suffering and need a break from creativity, give yourself permission to focus on yourself. When you are well again, you can get back to creating.
Fill Up Your Creative Well
During the rest of that awful summer, I filled my days with reading. It soothed my soul to take comfort in other stories. I read more books that summer than I had in a long time, and it was healing. When I did finally attempt to write again, the words I had consumed fueled me.
Filling up your creative well looks different for different people. Writers might be reading a whole bunch of books—whether in their genre or outside of it. Artists may go to a museum or a craft fair to see what others have done. Musicians may spend all their time listening to new music or going to concerts. Whatever your medium is, spend time consuming it.
But also spend time doing things outside your medium. Watch some films with your family and analyze the story or appreciate the stunning effects. Go on a trip with some friends to experience things you’ve never done before—even if that trip is only as far as the local escape room. Try a meal you’ve never had before. Think outside the box. You might be surprised what ends up sparking an idea.
Talk to Other Creatives
Many creatives work in solitude. It can be part of the process or just part of the creative’s personality—I’ve met many writers and artists who identify as introverts. But even introverts need friends. I love attending conferences and meeting other writers and fellow creatives. It’s cathartic to talk through troublesome issues with people who get it. Other creatives can share their views and enrich how you see and interact with the world.
A great conference for any Latter-day Saint creator is, of course, the annual LDSPMA conference held in Orem, Utah. For me, this conference is an amazing opportunity to fill up my creative well and talk to other creatives. I always leave LDSPMA feeling spiritually edified and ready to create more.
But conferences can be expensive. Another great, yet inexpensive, way to talk to other creatives is to find fellow artistic friends in social media groups. Painters could paint together once a week or meet over lunch to discuss techniques. Musicians can ask for advice on composing from other musicians. Writers can do online writing sessions with other authors to help get words on the page. Finding other creatives helps you feel less alone in your journey and can help you heal when it is hard to create.
Go at Your Own Pace
You don’t have to write your novel in one day. Nor do you have to paint your whole painting in one sitting. While we’ve all seen images of the inspired creative frantically working through the night, many work very slowly on their projects. Some might only finish one painting in a year. Others might make one hundred in a year. Some authors take ten years to write one book. Others publish four a year.
It doesn’t matter how long it takes. Take breaks when you need to. Refill your creative well so you have more to give. Remember, creating is a journey, not a destination.
Give Yourself Grace
Above all, give yourself grace. King Benjamin says, “it is not requisite that [anyone] should run faster than [they have] strength” (Mosiah 4:27). Life is hard. It has been three years since my dad’s passing, and I still have days when it’s difficult to make breakfast, much less create. But as Father Lehi said, we are here to have joy (see 2 Nephi 2:25).
So, do what brings you joy. Sometimes that might mean that your writing gets put on hold as you spend time with your children, and their smiles bring you joy and help your heart heal. Sometimes that might mean you spend an entire summer on vacation and don’t get a single painting done, but your soul feels alive and rejuvenated. Sometimes that might mean you pick up a new hobby that doesn’t require as much creative power. Whatever it may be, remember that you are a creative—even when you aren’t creating. Give yourself time to heal.
And who knows? That time you spend caring for yourself, filling up your well, talking to other creatives, going at your own pace, and giving yourself grace may lead to your next masterpiece that impacts generations. You’ve got this. Just take it one day at a time.
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