October's Notable Quote for Newsletter Writers
with Beth Pickens
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
This month’s notable quote is from the book Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles by Beth Pickens. She distinguishes between solitude and isolation in this passage:
Solitude actively seeks the fullness of an internal universe that the outside world cannot penetrate. Isolation caves inward in a pained, depressive, noisy silence while solitude grins happily to itself, gratefully relishing the celebratory quiet. - Beth Pickens
If you’re creatively stuck, ask yourself whether you might have too little solitude in your life. I crave solitude, and as someone who homeschools, I don’t get a lot of it. For me, carving out space to be alone and to dive into my internal universe feels life-giving and creatively stimulating.
Conversely, you may feel isolated. If you feel that noisy silence sneaking in, maybe it’s time to head out on a walk with a friend, to sign up for a class or workshop with other people, or to show up in online spaces with other human beings.
Whether it’s isolation, lack of solitude, or something else that gets you stuck, I find the hardest thing is stepping back for long enough to realize something’s off.
Wishing you the presence of mind to notice quickly when the creative gremlins strike so that you can change things up. Your writing is important 💚
Talk soon. Happy writing.
Camille