If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. Writing is like a muscle. In order to do it well, you have to exercise it. You have to work out that muscle on a consistent basis, earning better results with lots and lots of practice. If it's been a while since you've written creatively, that muscle can atrophy, virtually paralyzing you when you need the muscle most.
I don't know if that's my problem now, but I'm having a hard time writing anything of substance lately. It's not for lack of material; the world is full of interesting stories and contemplations. I just don't think I can add anything new. I can't say anything that hasn't been said before.
Maybe I used up all my good writing. Maybe I spent it all on newspapers. That would be a shame, to throw all my best stuff in the recycling bin after a quick glance.
But I don't know if I can be creative and express myself fully through writing anymore. Maybe I need to go back to painting. Maybe I need to move forward into music. There are many other art media with new ways to share my feelings about life, the universe and everything.
I don't create to impress or to leave a legacy or any of that. I do it to let out this backup of emotions and unspoken passions, expel the demons from my mind before they can do permanent damage, breathe life into infant perceptions and see what they look like from the outside. I assume most artists feel the same way. When writing ceases to do those things, maybe it's time to move on.
I'm not saying I'm going to stop writing. I can't do that. I have to write. But I might stop pushing myself so hard to be clever. Leave that to the ones getting paid to do it.
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