I’m not 100% sure that writer’s block actually exists, at least not in the way we usually talk about it.
There’s the whole “plumbers don’t get plumber’s block” argument – basically saying that writer’s just need to sit themselves down and get to work, instead of waiting for inspiration.
And there’s something to that. If you’re a writer – or a creative of any type – you can’t just sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. You can’t just create when you’re inspired and ignore your creativity at all other times. That’s an insult to your muse.
As a creative, you’re in a relationship with your muse, which is just a personification of your creative energy, your creative self, and the creative energy of the Universe.
And, like any intimate relationship, the relationship with your muse requires commitment, attention, and seduction.
This video is all about seducing your muse, so that you’ll never have to deal with writer’s block – or any other creative block – again. And, of course, we’re going to be using our tarot cards, which makes this video one more in our Tarot for Writer’s Series.
Want more tarot videos like this one? Click here.
Using tarot for writer’s block
Writer’s block – or creative’s block – or whatever you want to call it IS real, and it’s something we all deal with, if we commit to living a creative life.
What is writer’s block? It manifests itself in different ways, including being unable to move forward on a project, staring at that blank page without any ideas coming, or having ideas but doing everything to avoid the page.
Why do we experience writer’s block? EVERY writer is different, and every project is different. So we experience writer’s block for different reasons, and we’ll probably experience it in different ways throughout our creative life.
We don’t experience writer’s block because of just one reason. Often, there’s a few issues happening all at once. Writer’s block could be due to fear, to burnout, to resistance, and to issues having to do with our unique personality and strengths.
The easiest to identify and most annoying, hardest to address is burnout. If you’re experiencing burnout, you’ve spent too much time on outputs and not enough on inputs. This means you’ve been pushing yourself too hard, without taking care of your own needs, or your creativity’s needs.
Too much output could be too many creative projects, or to much stress related to family-issues, financial worries, world events, or just life. Too much out without enough in.
Inputs include the basics of self-care, as well as idea or creativity inputs. You need time to fill the well, so you’ll have the energy to write (through self-care) and you’ll have something to write about (through idea inputs).
Recovery from burnout is actually very simple, but it’s not easy or quick. You’ll need to give yourself grace, and realize that this season of your life is all about self-care and inputs.
Other reasons for experiencing writer’s block? Fear and Resistance. Very common in new writers or writers who are trying something new – new genre, new series, or newly relying on this income.
This is harder to address, but it MUST be addressed before you’ll clear up your writer’s block. While you can push through fear, it’s best to address it. Pushing through it – pretending the fear isn’t there – means you’ll always have a weight on you, or a limit on you, which means you’re not creating your best work.
Fear is an arrow, that’s all. It’s just pointing at something that’s really really important to you. To address that fear, you need to make friends with it.
You’ll always have fears of some sort, but the more you communicate with your fears, the better your relationship will be. Just like your muse, it helps to personify your fear. Your fear is a friend who is trying to keep you safe and protected.
Writer’s block is a common experience, but it’s not a necessary one. Using your tarot cards to help with burnout, fear, and Resistance will all help your writer’s block. The video above goes into far more detail about how to use tarot for writer’s block, specifically.