There are days when writing feels like carpentry. I sit down, open Scrivener (the best writing software there is, in my humble opinion), and my mind's eye is not able to perceive anything. I have to type it out and, more often than not, delete words and whole sentences I just wrote because it just does not feel "right".
And then there are days when it feels like the opposite. As if the words were waiting somewhere behind the veil of my mind, and I’m merely the hand that lets them pass through. I wake up with an image or situation that seems interesting, and then I just let loose.
For a long time, I thought these were two separate modes of creation: the disciplined writer versus the inspired artist. But the longer I write, the more I’m convinced that real art doesn’t live in one camp or the other. It lives in the marriage between them. In the uneasy partnership between the conscious mind that knows structure, and the unconscious mind that knows truth.
And maybe that’s the real secret of the creative endeavor: not to choose between discipline and inspiration, but to learn how to invite both into the same room.
The False Split
Primary school is probably similar in many countries - you have kids that pay attention, show interest, some are actively engaging with the subject matter, and then there are kids like my friends and I, not paying attention and doing whatever we feel like. I remember drawing a lot, but not as much as one of my friends. That person was (and is) the common definition of "talented". I always had an issue with that attribution of skill based on luck or destiny. Of course, some people are "built" to be better than others in any given criteria (think of Mike Tyson and his size/frame being perfect for his peak-a-boo style for fighting bigger and taller opponents), but we cannot dismiss hard work as a factor in "talent". I've watched that friend draw, sketch, paint, and be creative in other ways that spoke to him, so it does not surprise me at all to see the level of skill he's at now.
In general, I believe we tend to approach the creative process in the same "on/off" manner. Either you are inspired, or not. Either you are creative, or not. The concept of "death of the author" suggests that once a text is published, the original intention is no longer relevant to the interpretation of the text. I talked to people who are defenders of this, going so far as to say that a text is always intentional, and that the author's intention and effect are always known and predictable.
Equally radical is the idea that a text is infinitely interpretable, and its meaning is derived in the moment by the individual based on their personal and historical circumstances.
I believe in the middle way, in that both the author and the reader have their claim to the interpretation of the text. Similarly, when approaching writing as a creative process, I believe that the conscious mind and the unconscious mind have to come together to form "art".
The Conscious and Unconscious Mind
In "On Writing", Stephen King stresses the importance of showing up daily to write. He highlights the routine aspect of his work as vital and part of being a professional. Steven Pressfield has a similar take in his book "The War of Art", where he proposes that the artistic endeavor is met by inspiration only when one starts to make it a habit. Both authors recognize the conscious effort of putting the pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) as a form of inviting in the unconscious aspect, often called inspiration.
The former is easier to grasp; we do not struggle to understand that without actually doing something, nothing happens. It is the latter we tend to misunderstand. The flow state is possible and the source of great creativity, but only when we can marry the two aspects.
How often have you had an idea that struck you as creative/inventive, or have you ever watched a movie or read a book and something just "clicked"? Was it the story? Was it the characters? Was it the plot and messaging behind it? Often, these things are hard to grasp and quantify. The unconscious needs structure, and the conscious needs surrender.
To use a metaphor: If the conscious effort is the ship, then the unconscious is the ocean. You cannot sail without the sea, but the sea without a ship is just uncharted water.
The Marriage
To give a more practical approach to this concept laid out before you, here are steps that help me in my writing process:
- Show up to write
- Meditate/Pray before practice
- Write without editing (you can't edit a blank page!)
- Keep a notebook/log for fragments
- Physical exercise (moderate walk or workout) to "air out"
Art as Spirituality
Now I know what you're thinking; here he comes with the angel numbers and trusting the universe. My take on it: if those things (or whatever) work for you - more power to it! I believe in a free approach to art where everyone is invited to practice and engage in creativity with their own set of tools and rules (or lack of them).
To me, true art is the artist reaching into the ether, pulling an absolute out of it, and making it presentable to the audience. To quote one of my heroes, Bruce Lee: "All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns."
Listen to our episode on On Writing by Stephen King - https://open.spotify.com/episode/5RxtMqQmGvPbMBeHpudNhT?si=H2lHfthRSOusG9gCOEEKXg
Buy my book -
https://nickrothbooks.com/books/the-mask-of-verdon