By far one of the most discussed theme in the world of design is the creative block. I rarely encounter such a state of being nowadays but I think it has a lot to do with the philosophy and the habits I cultivated in time. But what is a block? Is it a cube? Is it a box? It definitely feels like a room without windows or doors. The witty of you might suggest to think outside the box/block during these times. But can you? What can you do to get out of the creative block or avoid getting into one There are things in life we can't control. Disease, illness, war, death of loved ones, corruption and the list goes on. We are affected by our environment and shaped by our surroundings. One cannot stay the same in a world that's changing constantly. But even in the worst of times, people did creative work. Just go and read books written by war prisoners, people who survived camps and people who defied death. My point is that people will find ways of expressing and do creative work in spite of what's happening to them and around them. Some of the artist out there believe that during only in the worse of times can one bring out quality work. There are quite a few who subscribe to this thinking. "Trauma is the best stimuli there is!" you'll hear some times. I wouldn't count on it. Should we make our life miserable only to be creative? I think those people missed the point, the artist went the creative route in order to clean the misery out of their lives and their minds. Feeling stuck or getting yourself stuck in your creative journey is something that can be easily managed and happens more often than you care to think of. Yes, even to the people you look up to, especially to them. What can you do? Routine Not knowing what to do leaves your day empty but full of potential. So full of potential that you don't know where to start and by the time you decide where to start, the day is over. In the book "Daily Rituals: How Artists Work" the author Mason Currey compiled daily habits and activities of famous writers, painters, filmmakers and other creative people. All of them had a routine. Even one as simple as wake up drink coffee, write for 2 hours and then do whatever, seemed to work wonders for them. “A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove for one’s mental energies and helps stave off the tyranny of moods.” - Mason Currey Bottle up creative energy Gather up creative energy by consuming other people's work. Watch movies, go to museum, go to galleries, go to concerts or even something as simple as staying on the Pinterest and reading random poems helps. Works for me. Seeing and experiencing culture, arouse or own desire of coming up with stuff. Coming back from the cinema after watching the movie Logan I went straight to my sketchbook and did a poster as form of appreciation of how much I liked it. Hang out with stimulating people Creative people are fun, in fact are the most interesting and kind people I get to spend the time with. They are self aware of their issues more often than not, they see the world from a variety of different perspectives and they live life with so much more joy. Just by hanging out with them makes you excited and stimulated. Obviously, not all of them are fitting my description, please do find the right ones for you and do a list of what makes them alike. I tried, they are as different as they come. "Creative people can stimulate creativity in others, by osmosis." - Alan Watts Losing the flow of keeping ourselves creative I think I speak for the majority of artists and designers when I say that keeping ourselves creative equals keeping ourselves in a state of existence that is fulfilling and meaningful. Whoa Cajva, you just solved the big question that was bothering us since the dawn of time! Boah chill, I'm mostly writing for myself in here so there is no need for perspicacity. So how do you lose the flow? By not doing the work. Whoa, so I'm not doing it because I'm not doing it? Exactly and once you start doing it, you will get to do it even more. Deep, I know! If at some point you stopped painting the more time will pass, it will become almost impossible to get back at it, but if you are painting on the regular, is easier to surpass the fear of the white canvas. Fear that will always linger there. Spartans were the best warriors not because their tactic was innovative or their strategy was extremely advanced. In fact, Spartans had a simple way of fighting called phalanx formation which they practiced on the regular. The enemy knew exactly how the Spartans will fight and still lost. That's the power of keeping yourself practicing on the regular. It builds that muscle memory. Yes but the Spartans are not around anymore! As is the case with everything there was at some point in time. Don't you worry about your own downfall. If you do your thing, by the time the downfall hits, you won't even be around to witness it. Oh and if you like Spartans, I recommend reading "Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield. ______________ How do you keep yourself creative?

How do you pick the books you end up reading? Believe me or not, I picked some for their cover. I'm a designer after all. As can be expected, not all the books I've read in 2023 are published in 2023 as well. I used to tell myself that if I don't finish the book I am reading, it doesn't count. I even went so further of not allowing myself to start another book if I haven't finished one before. Seneca seems to agree with this. Well, not me, at least not anymore. Nowadays, I read a couple of books at a time, I alternate them and if I don't like a book even after I read half of it, I just stop reading it. Of all the books I read last year, a few really touched me. Inspirational, painful, heartbreaking and hopeful are some of words that I use to describe these gorgeous writings. This doesn't mean that if you read them, you will find them as beautiful as I did, or maybe you will. I hope. Letter to the Father F. Kafka I found it beautiful and heartbreaking. A man who has gathered all the frustration for not being able to live up to his father's expectation, writes him a letter. Reading the book made me realize that I'm both the father and the son towards myself and towards people around me. While the father never got to read the letter, I'm glad I did. Shout out to my sister for recommending this book to me! “A man doesn’t need to fly to the sun, he need only find a patch of clean earth, and crawl there, and let the sun shine on him.” Franz Kafka is quite a writer. I wasn't particularly fond of him, but this letter was a gorgeous piece of writing. I saw that he wrote quite a few love letters as well, which I'm definitely going to read. The Creative Act: A Way of Being Rick Rubin Because it was an audiobook, this book felt quite meditative. I heard it while drawing and painting, and I felt like I was at a therapy session. Ideas mentioned in this book might set you free on your creative path and wash away some of the bias you build up. “If you have an idea you’re excited about and you don’t bring it to life, it’s not uncommon for the idea to find its voice through another maker. This isn’t because the other artist stole your idea, but because the idea’s time has come.” If you like Alan Watts, or if you are simply an artist who lacks a bit of motivation to get it going, this is definitely for you. Brand by Hand: Blisters, Calluses, and Clients: A Life in Design Jon Contino This book has a foreword and in between those words I found myself. I've been hand drawing all the design work I did since I started my career but never put it out there for the show. Inspired by this book, I'm now confident and motivated to share my work and the process behind the scenes. I watched his course to see the man in action. A really beautiful class, more suited for designers who kick-start their career, but entertaining even for the more advanced designers like myself. In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom Yeonmi Park Haunting, outrageous and a remarkable book, but what's even more remarkable is the author. The resilience this young girl has while trying to escape North Korea is utterly stunning. Everything hurts when you read her story but you need to keep a small beacon of hope inside your hearth. She IS the definition of 'if you walk through hell, keep walking'. “I couldn't imagine it was possible for something so beautiful to exist in the same world as me.” You read the stories you hear the tales of what people have been through when there were wars and communism and you say to yourself "that can't happen in our modern wold". We couldn't be more in the wrong. A Matter of Life and Death Irvin D. Yalom, Marilyn Yalom I'm not crying, you're crying. A book filled with pain as well as hope, joy and beauty. A journal wrote by a couple where one struggles with a terminal illness and the other struggles with grief. This book has psychology, philosophy, sociology, biology and everything in between. “There is something comforting about a stone marked, presumably for eternity, with the name of your loved one.” Spoiler alert: In the audio book version there are two narrators one for Irvin and one for Marilyn. I really started to miss the female voice after a while and the loneliness that sets in is almost palpable. ______________________________ I also wanted to talk about Seneca's Letters from a Stoic and Austin Kleon's books but in the end I decided not to include them here because I reread these books yearly. My full list of books that I've read in 2023 can be accessed here. What book did you loved reading in the past year? Send me your recommendations!