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

Episode Transcript

Richmond (00:05):
Hi, you're listening to Pockets, a podcast about
finding joy, meaning and purposein life's simplest moments.
I'm Richmond Camero.
Let's dive into today's journey.
I spent four years writing,editing and preparing my three

(00:30):
novella series Chronicles ofKenji.
It was October 2022 when Ifinally hit the publish button
for these three books.
It was fulfilling and excitingthe mere fact that my story is
out there in the world forreaders to read.
I understand that it's not animmediate success.
I expect that I won't be besidenames like Brandon Sanderson or

(00:59):
VE Schwab anytime soon.
But one I didn't expect is afeeling, a feeling that seemed
to come out from nowhere andweighed on me for several months
.
It was grief.
I didn't know what to call itthat time.
I thought it was just atemporary creative block and I

(01:20):
only needed to have fresh ideasfor me to start again.
But it was so difficult tostart a new project.
I would have some ideas, Iwould start to outline a few
scenes I had in mind, but itdidn't end up into something
tangible At that time.
I already have a system on howto approach my projects.
I knew I have the tools toovercome block, but for some

(01:43):
reasons, those techniquesweren't working.
So I asked myself then what doI do now?
As with all things, I startedwith the virtue of curiosity to
further probe what I felt.
I just finished writing a threenovella series.
Why did I feel empty?
When I thought about it, itfelt like I just lost something

(02:08):
that I was used to seeing in thefour years I'm doing a project.
Imagine that, on a semi-dailybasis, I was working on this
project.
I spent a good amount of timewith the characters I created
and I've seen their highs andlows.
Consequently, I went throughthe peaks and valleys of the
creative process.
There was a certain rhythm thatthe project brought and then it

(02:33):
was finished.
It was all gone.
The routine that I was so usedto was gone.
I felt empty and it felt likeit was a long creative block.
They say that in order for usto have power on something, we
need to find it a name.
So I couldn't say how relievedI was when I found the proper

(02:55):
name for what I'm feelingCreative grief.
I found an article talking aboutit and it was describing how I
felt.
That time I felt seen andvalidated that what I was
feeling towards my finishedproject was normal.
I felt better because I wasaware of what was happening to
me, but at the same time, I alsoknew that it would still take

(03:19):
some time for me to get backagain.
Looking back, there are somethings that I learned when I was
going through my creative grief.
The first is understanding thatit is part of the creative
process.
It's strange to think that griefis part of creation, but in
other ways it also makes sense.

(03:39):
Everything is temporary, andthat includes the process of
creation itself.
Everything is temporary, andthat includes the process of
creation itself.
Yes, once we make art, it hasthe potential to last more than
a lifetime, but the time andeffort that we resiliently and
happily spend for the project,that's something that we cannot
experience again.

(03:59):
That's why there's grief.
We mourn for the time we spendwith 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 somedayit will end too.
Even the process of creationhas its own season.
Second is the way that I copeup with the grieving season.

(04:25):
This was difficult.
Even though I understand what Iwas going through.
It was tough for me to start anew project with the same energy
I did with the last one.
So how would I continuecreating then?
What I found helpful is todefine the minimum output that I
could create Spending fiveminutes creating, writing a few

(04:47):
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 hobbymight be helpful, like drawing
or playing music.

(05:07):
Creation is multidimensional.
We can express in differentmedium, even though we're going
through grief in one of them.
Lastly, is that time wouldallow us to heal and go through
our next project.
Eventually, the season ofmourning passed and I was able
to appreciate that I have afinished project under my belt.

(05:27):
That was when I felt ready tostart a new writing project.
It took time, but it was timeneeded for me to go through the
different stages of grief.
I felt stronger, but at thesame time I am also aware that
this might come again.
Art has always been a depictionof life, and it's not art as

(05:58):
the final product only.
That is also applicable to artas a process.
The process of making art is aroller coaster of emotions with
its own highs and lows, and allof them contribute to the beauty
of creating.
You've been with Puppets.
Thank you so much for sharingthis space with me.
Now go embrace the moments,build your pockets of meaning

(06:20):
and keep curiosity as your guide.