My creative process has always been like breathing, a two movements cycle.
Breathe in new ideas through conversations, books, travels, and experiences of any sort. Breathe out words.
Both are essentials. If I don't breathe in, my words become stale. They lack freshness and newness.
If I don't breathe out, I end up with too much stuff in my mind, which makes it harder to do anything.
So, I must regularly check if my breathing cycle is working properly.
Am I repeating myself over and over? Am I quoting the same things, reusing old stuff, and constantly digging my archive for something to share? Then I need to breathe in some fresh air. I need to have new conversations, read new books, travel to new places or live new experiences.
Am I lacking concreteness, experiencing a sense of disconnection from reality and feeling guilty about it? Then I need to breathe out and integrate all this stuff spinning in my head, put it out there in some forms, and create space for something new.
Like many things in my life, is all about finding and staying in my rhythm. Knowing that life happens and sometimes that rhythm gets disrupted.
When that happens, I've learned to be patient and take small steps until I find it again.