"I am very poorly today & very stupid & hate everybody & everything. One lives only to make blunders. I am going to write a little Book for Murray on orchids & today I hate them worse than everything so farewell & in a sweet frame of mind, I am Ever yours" —Charles Darwin, 1861
(Figure 1 from the ‘hated’ 1877 edition of Charles Darwin's Fertilisation of Orchids.)
Hi there,
A more reflective and less generative post, this one.
Today’s theme is being creatively blocked. Everyone knows the phrase ‘writer’s block’ and all of the material shared today does link to writing, but, take it from a former arts administrator who has worked with all kinds of creative people, these insights could apply to any discipline.
Today’s post was actually inspired by a beautiful letter written by Nick Cave in answer to a question about what to do when the lyrics aren’t coming.
“The idea of lyrics ‘not coming’ is basically a category error. What we are talking about is not a period of ‘not coming’ but a period of ‘not arriving’. The lyrics are always coming.” – Nick Cave
It’s not long and very beautifully written so do read the whole thing.
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