Last post, when I revealed my submission for the Witchlore issue of Wyrd & Wyse, I talked about Ira Glass’s The Gap. Which is a fantastic summation of the struggle that every artist deals with at some point, and is worth this listen for anyone in a creative field. But this week I want to talk about what I call The Drop.
I know that I’m not the only person who experiences this, but I very rarely hear anyone talk about it. Sometimes after completing a project, especially a really big project, The Drop happens. The drop is a very specific form of post-project depression, and it often catches artists unaware. For me, it often starts as a sort of “I’m over it” feeling, where I no longer feel excited about this really cool thing I did. Usually I feel really restless and unfocused, and I find it difficult to concentrate on whatever the Next Thing on my agenda is. Sometimes I even feel like whatever Big Project I just finished is my final Good Piece, and I become absolutely certain that I will never make anything anywhere near as good, so trying to make something new seems kind of pointless?
And that’s where I’ve been stuck at for most of this week. Eventually, of course, the muse returns, but as far as I know, the only cure for The Drop is time. Thankfully, the muse has returned for me, but if you're an artist or creative who is struggling with The Drop right now, just know that you're not alone.