We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tresha Haefner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tresha, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?
Many people have faced what they call “writers block” or a block in their creativity. What most people don’t know is that there are actually three kinds of writers block, and they all have different symptoms, causes, and solutions. Here are the three causes and solutions I’ll outline briefly.
Type One: Writers Fatigue. You’re just tired and don’t have the energy to tackle your project.
Solution: Take a nap, take a vacation or just take some time off. Don’t write.
Type Two: Creative Emptiness. Maybe you just finished a big project, or you’ve been away from your creative practice. Maybe you’ve just finished doing your taxes and you’re still stuck in a non-creative headspace. You feel you have nothing new to say.
Solution: Go for a walk. Read. See museums and movies. Fill up again on things that inspire you. You might even try going to a new place, like a new park or coffee shop, or library, and just write down what you see. Make a list of whatever is in front of you. Does any of it spark memories, ideas, imaginings?
Type Three: Writers Critic. You are working on a project. You’re interested in it. You’re making some progress, but now you don’t know what comes next, or you worry what you’ve written isn’t working. Something feels “off.”
3 Solutions:
1. Give yourself permission to fail. Write what comes to mind and don’t worry if it’s good. In fact, try to write what will be bad or worse or messier or more wrong. If you can identify the fear you have (what I say won’t be perfect, what I say will be wrong, what I say might hurt someone’s feelings,) then go further into that fear. Do the thing you’re afraid of. Write something that intentionally does what you are trying to avoid. There may be a gift in there you didn’t fully see.
2. Try writing a less creative journal entry about what you are trying to say. Can you get it down in a clear way if you aren’t trying to be creative about it? You might also try writing about why you can’t write. What are you afraid of? What is getting in your way? Sometimes this can actually lead to a poem or piece of creative writing on its own.
3. Try writing the opposite of what you think you should say. If you’ve been writing a poem called “I love John.” Try writing “I hate John.” (Sorry, John.) Sometimes just changing one line or one word can make all the difference in a piece.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Thanks for asking about my work.
I founded The Poetry Salon in 2013 out of our apartment in Culver City, California. There I taught small, private workshops to adults who were writing outside of academia. Some of them had MFAs, some did not. Some were published, some were writing for their own pleasure. The classes were quite pricey, but worth it (in my humble opinion). Poets in the workshop went on to get book deals and win awards. Since the pandemic we’ve changed our model and lowered the price, plus gone completely online. Now poets can get this kind of support for their writing from anywhere at a price that is more affordable. We’re expanding access so more writers can learn and grow on their own time and at their own pace. Our mission in the coming years is to continue expanding that access and helping more people step out of their shell to become the kind of writers and creators they’ve dreamed of becoming, and to develop community along the way.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
A lot of people think you need to be born with the gift of creativity. That’s silly. Being creative is a skill you can learn. It’s true that some people are more drawn to it than others, but everybody can learn to be a better or more creative person, writer, painter, etc. etc. Here are three things I’ve learned that have absolutely helped me grow.
1. Read and learn from others. Be humble and don’t be afraid to admit what you don’t know or think your way is the only or best way. We’re here to help one another.
2. Don’t just read poetry (or novels, or whatever your medium of choice). Read books on craft. Ask how writers do what they do. Learn those techniques.
3. Ask others for feedback and support. You don’t have to take all of it though. It’s okay to say no to advice, but it’s also good to say yes to advice from time to time. Try new things, but learn to follow your own path as well.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Free Play: Improvisation for Life and Art by Stephen Nachmanovitch. This book gives some philosophical and practical tips on how to stay in the flow of creativity.
Contact Info:
- Website: thepoetrysalon.com
- Instagram: poetsofthesalon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepoetrysalononline
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=The+Poetry+Salon+
Image Credits
black and white photo, and photo of me holding a book were both taken by Alexis Rhone Fancher
