Why are more people in creative fields feeling uninspired and demotivated?
For the better part of this year, every time I sat down to work, all I managed was staring at my blank screen as an impatient cursor blinked back at me accusingly. I deleted more words than I wrote. Every new story, once a source of excitement, started to feel like a chore. I felt fresh out of ideas or valuable contributions during every brainstorm session, even though typically I would have a lot to say. Ditto during my first (and only) Clubhouse panel discussion a few weeks ago. Panic (sans disco) ensued. The fact that we live in a world where we are expected to have opinions on just about everything did not help. I quickly realised this was not the average funk that a holiday, Netflix marathon or some dancing could fix. This was unlike anything I had ever experienced in a decade of being a writer. For months, I skirted around it, deflecting the issue thinking I was just burnt out, tired, or low on sleep. My excuses made no difference. Finally, skirt around it, I could no more. Professional hara-kiri or not, I had to admit to myself (before I did to others) that I was thoroughly uninspired. The big picture  As I spoke about it openly, I realised many fellow creatives were grappling with the same feelings right now. Sandhya Krishnan; a personal mastery coach who works with young professionals and entrepreneurs to help them find purpose, productivity and balance in their lives; confirms this. I have received several SOS messages from old clients, creative agencies and others in the field in the recent past. I personally hit a wall for a couple of weeks, too. she admits. With the ongoing pandemic, we seem to just be existing right now. There's a greyness to everything. For creatives, that can be crippling. Mental health counsellor, psychotherapist and founder of New Dimensions Counselling, Amrita Kajaria runs a support group (apart from individual sessions) for creatives like writers, content creators, illustrators and musicians. Her key observation has been that the pandemic has interfered with their vision, thereby leading to this stuck-ness so many are experiencing.