Embracing creative dormancy (a zine)
On the unseen parts of the creative process
Hi I’m Keila. Perpetual weird art kid. I write zines and visual essays to help you build a sustainable creative practice. To work seasonally, each quarter of the year follows a theme. Embracing creative dormancy is part two The Art of Wintering series.
Each month, you can read zine and a biweekly article deep diving into the theme. After the quarter is up, the zines are a trilogy. However, they can also be read as standalone works.
Follow along for more creative inspiration.
I work in bursts. Somedays, knocking out a bunch of collages and zine projects. Other times not so much. I rely on a backlog of work to be able to share my work consistently. For my mental health, I try to get pen or glue to paper every day. However, that isn’t always realistic.
Some days, weeks, or even months, my practice goes dormant. I’m tapped out. Times like these, I get caught up in comparison traps. Feeling like a total freak because I can’t work how I did before. It doesn’t help when your social media is full of artists doing amazing work. The feed never sleeps.
Even nature has periods of dormancy. Something can be very much alive and be dormant. I’m finding that in these lulls, a lot of unseen process is going on. Resting, finding inspiration outside of the internet, clearing your mind, having fun, and doing low-stakes art. The truth is, you need to have lulls to fill your cup. This unseen “work" roots the work that most people see.
Once, I was in a particularly long dormancy phase with my work. I was talking to an old therapist, honestly panicking. He said that I will come back to my creative practice because I’m still thinking about it. I remind myself of that conversation a lot.
How has your wintering season gone so far? I hope you give yourself space to rest and time to root ideas.
Signing off,
K
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Hi Keila! I'm a fellow collage artist who works in Procreate :) I really enjoyed this post, thanks for sharing. I really don't like how social media creates the illusion that everyone is constantly creating amazing work--it's unhelpful. I've had a lot of dormant periods (especially pre-social media), and I try to see them as positive/necessary, they helped me to reach the place I'm at today.
Beautiful. Much needed in times of pressure 🧎♀️