Liminal states

More thoughts on why I've been less creative recently -

1. An interesting piece on Jeanette Winterson's site, about how creativity is linked to being 'open'. I realise I've been concentrating on surviving, and I have closed down to many things that were feeding me. How do I open up again?

2. She also talks about creativity thriving in 'liminal states' -

There’s a common myth that creativity is linked to dark states and depression; it isn’t anything like as simple as that. I think it is to do with being open, which you have to be if you want to be honest in your work, and it is to do with the liminal state of creativity – a place that happens on the cusp or the boundary of two worlds and is exhausting, exhilarating, but also frightening, and full of shapes that are unknown.

And that's the problem really- because we long for stability, and need a certain amount of routine for being creative, but if we lose this ability to be homest and on the cusp, then the creativity goes.

3. It reminded me of a poem I wrote early in the MA about liminal places - beaches, hearths and celtic myth. It never worked, but maybe I understand it now. I knew that I had to put myself on the boundary of two worlds, and I knew it would be a risk. I wrote another poem around that time called 'Apple', about Eve daring to snatch the apple. She wasn't tricked, she wanted to bring about change.