Creatives need to continue to create

Right after 9/11, I remember questioning what I was doing at the time. Did it have any purpose? Was it really important?

I was working in the Training Department at Divers Alert Network, helping to make recreational divers safer, of course, but I did some real soul searching questioning whether it had meaning.

Similar questions came up in my mind as we went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Terror attacks and natural disasters.

Especially when I began writing fiction. I wondered if I was wasting my time. Should I be doing something important? Isn’t fiction simply escapist?

Ultimately, I decided we still have to relax, we still have to explore and have fun. Even when things are dark and the daily news is awful. We still need to escape for a while, even if it is just in the pages of a good book.

That’s the point of art. Whether it is narrative, poetry, painting, crafting and knitting or dance and theater. Adding beauty into the world is never a bad thing.

When the pandemic started, I (and a lot of my writing friends) struggled with writing anything longform. I could write essays, but anything longer than a couple pages was difficult. I think part of that was the overwhelming feeling of isolation and grief put up sort of a creative block.

If you’re a creative, and you’re struggling with something similar right now, I get you. The meme going around that says “My desire to stay informed is at odds with my desire to stay sane” or similar, really isn’t a joke. It’s a balancing act.

But this is when it is time for artists to rise. Our job is to provide solace. Let isolated people know they aren’t alone. Distract them from their anger, at least for a while.

I get that it is hard. The act of creation takes an inordinate amount of energy. On the other hand, it can be our solace, too.

I’ve often said writing is like reading, but I get to tell the characters what to do. Creating can be an escape and its own reward.

And if you happen to express some of your own anger, frustration or feelings of being overwhelmed in your art, that’s fine, too.

Writing fiction, it's always easy to name a character after someone in the news and then have them get their comeuppance.

That’s what I do.

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Check out my fiction at BooksbyEric.com.

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