I am writing this for me more than anyone else. Since I have been back from my trip, I have been in this state of fogginess, definitely not creative. I have been trying to live a more creative life, so this is troubling. I had a conversation with myself, my muse, my spirit, to get me out of the funk.
1. Forgive yourself. You have actually been doing a lot of life things, like doctor and dentist appointments, a four-week, four-session Latin dance class, cooking Thanksgiving dinner, and getting Christmas packages sent to loved ones. So you haven't written on your blog. Oh well. If this is today's priority, do it. If other things come up, do it with a spirit of life-affirming gratitude.
2. Reading is a good thing. I have always thought of reading as non-creative, but enjoyable. But, a writer must have readers, and if you want your life to stand for the encouragement of creativity, then you have to also be a reader. In recent weeks, I have finished the third in Ken Follett's Century trilogy, the Edge of Eternity, a biography of Evita, and issues of the Sun, an ad-free literary magazine I subscribe to. I'm reading Barbara Kingsolver's book of short stories, Homeland. I read the paper daily now. Oh, I do read a lot of articles on the internet too.
3. Physical activity is a good thing. I need to do more of it, and it has been great going to this dance class. It's my preferred way of moving around, and if I spend part of my day dancing, it can only be good, even if it doesn't lead to producing something tangibly creative.
4. You should just write reflectively, without any goal to publish it on your blog. I haven't been doing this lately, but good idea, muse who is talking to me now.
5. Remember that cooking gives you that feeling of creating something from nothing. So count cooking as a creative activity.
6. You have taken a few cool photographs, like looking up at the sky on a cloudy day while at the beach. And here's another idea for a blog piece: In what way is amateur photography creative?
8. In a weird way, that fogginess can be a spur to action. It's uncomfortable and the only way out is to do something. And so, I finally finished writing and posting about my trip to Uruguay.
I don't know how many times I can use lack of creativity as inspiration to write something, but at least this once.