The Writers Block

Most of the writers, creators, and artists I know truly care about the things they create. There seems to be this possibility that not only creatives, but actually everyone who really like to deliver a great performance on a project they care about, become too obsessed with the result.

The human spirit – if we´re not conscious, tricks us by convincing us to identify with either the good or the bad: if we don´t deliver a bestseller, we are not a good writer. If I work on commercial projects, I´m not a real artist. We only see the end result, and we emulate that. It seems the more we are invested into something, the less we seem to be able to distinguish ourselves from our achievements.

Yet, the wonderful thing about becoming aware is that we could see more clearly how we sometimes make ourselves very depended on things we only partially control. If we find ourselves attached to results that are influenced by more factors than only hard work, we forget about one important and elementary thing needed for a great piece of work: allowing mistakes.

Learning is a process – not a result. Emulating a result, an external thing to be achieved, forms an obstacle for making the commitment to improving ourselves. I´ve found from both the ups and the downs that there are no great outcomes and victories without failings that help you find the right direction.

So here is what I think is the answer to the writers block:

It’s the willingness to write poor things first.