What happens when you have a creative dry spell?

What happens when you have a creative dry spell?  For me, I start to panic.  I worry about money.  I think I've made a terrible mistake.

And then I remember:  THIS IS ALL PART OF THE PROCESS!

I just went through about a week of this.  Usually I have way more ideas than I can actualize in the time constraints of being a human on this planet.  Not this time.  All I could see was everything that wasn't working.  And I felt so much fear.

Here is what did work this time:

The big thing was that I started to clean out my home studio that had turned into a storage closet.  I found materials I forgot I had. I looked through old notebooks that were filled with old ideas.  I could see patterns and a few themes that kept repeating.  I found old things I had made, and I was surprised by how cool some of them were.

I started to do some little things I could control.  I worked on my son's Halloween costume.  I paid my bills. {Official least favorite task.  I secretly want to be rich and famous so I can pay my accountant can do this for me!}

I told a couple people I wasn't feeling inspired, and they offered gentle support.  I went to my studio almost every day just like I usually do.  I puttered around.  I tried not to panic.  I tried to be gentle with myself.

I got a little outside affirmation

And then. . . kapow . . . my best idea for teachers in the past couple of months hit me.  And a sweet little artsy idea also hit.  And we are off again on the creative racetrack!