008 Creative Grief Unmasked

After publishing my three-novella series "Chronicles of Kenji," I experienced an unexpected emptiness that I later identified as creative grief – the mourning process that follows the completion of a significant creative project. 

• Creative grief is a normal part of the artistic process, not just a block
• Every creative project has its own season, including the grieving period
• Exploring different creative mediums can provide alternative outlets while recovering
• Time eventually allows healing and readiness to begin new projects
• The process of making art reflects life itself with its emotional highs and lows

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Pockets Podcast

Transcript

Richmond: 0:05

Hi, you're listening to Pockets, a podcast about finding joy, meaning and purpose in life's simplest moments. I'm Richmond Camero. Let's dive into today's journey.

Richmond: 0:25

I spent four years writing, editing and preparing my three novella series Chronicles of Kenji. It was October 2022 when I finally hit the publish button for these three books. It was fulfilling and exciting the mere fact that my story is out there in the world for readers to read. I understand that it's not an immediate success. I expect that I won't be beside names like Brandon Sanderson or VE Schwab anytime soon. But one I didn't expect is a feeling, a feeling that seemed to come out from nowhere and weighed on me for several months. It was grief.

Richmond: 1:11

I didn't know what to call it that time. I thought it was just a temporary creative block and I only needed to have fresh ideas for me to start again. But it was so difficult to start a new project. I would have some ideas, I would start to outline a few scenes I had in mind, but it didn't end up into something tangible At that time. I already have a system on how to approach my projects. I knew I have the tools to overcome block, but for some reasons, those techniques weren't working. So I asked myself then what do I do now?

Richmond: 1:51

As with all things, I started with the virtue of curiosity to further probe what I felt. I just finished writing a three novella series. Why did I feel empty? When I thought about it, it felt like I just lost something that I was used to seeing in the four years I'm doing a project. Imagine that, on a semi-daily basis, I was working on this project. I spent a good amount of time with the characters I created and I've seen their highs and lows. Consequently, I went through the peaks and valleys of the creative process. There was a certain rhythm that the project brought and then it was finished. It was all gone. The routine that I was so used to was gone. I felt empty and it felt like it was a long creative block. They say that in order for us to have power on something, we need to find it a name. So I couldn't say how relieved I was when I found the proper name for what I'm feeling Creative grief.

Richmond: 3:03

I found an article talking about it and it was describing how I felt. That time I felt seen and validated that what I was feeling towards my finished project was normal. I felt better because I was aware of what was happening to me, but at the same time, I also knew that it would still take some time for me to get back again. Looking back, there are some things that I learned when I was going through my creative grief. The first is understanding that it is part of the creative process.

Richmond: 3:34

It's strange to think that grief is part of creation, but in other ways it also makes sense. Everything is temporary, and that includes the process of creation itself. Everything is temporary, and that includes the process of creation itself. Yes, once we make art, it has the potential to last more than a lifetime, but the time and effort that we resiliently and happily spend for the project, that's something that we cannot experience again. That's why there's grief. We mourn for the time we spend with our project and that's why, also, it is part of the process. If we want to continue creating, there will be new projects that we will start and someday it will end too. Even the process of creation has its own season. Second is the way that I cope up with the grieving season.

Richmond: 4:25

This was difficult. Even though I understand what I was going through. It was tough for me to start a new project with the same energy I did with the last one. So how would I continue creating then? What I found helpful is to define the minimum output that I could create Spending five minutes creating, writing a few sentences following prompts, world building and even journaling. It might vary as each day pass, but I know I have something to turn to If that doesn't work. Turning to a different hobby might be helpful, like drawing or playing music.

Richmond: 5:07

Creation is multidimensional. We can express in different medium, even though we're going through grief in one of them. Lastly, is that time would allow us to heal and go through our next project. Eventually, the season of mourning passed and I was able to appreciate that I have a finished project under my belt. That was when I felt ready to start a new writing project. It took time, but it was time needed for me to go through the different stages of grief. I felt stronger, but at the same time I am also aware that this might come again. Art has always been a depiction of life, and it's not art as the final product only. That is also applicable to art as a process. The process of making art is a roller coaster of emotions with its own highs and lows, and all of them contribute to the beauty of creating. You've been with Puppets. Thank you so much for sharing this space with me. Now go embrace the moments, build your pockets of meaning and keep curiosity as your guide.