Academic-ish things I don't understand.

Eh.

I'm reconsidering my schedule for the Spring semester.

Maybe it's just my mood.

I managed to collect four hours of sleep and woke up with a massive headache.  I thought googling topless photos of Helen Mirren would put me in a good mood but my menstrual cramps ruined any enjoyment I was going to get out of that.  But hey, Helen Mirren, who knew?

So I'm reconsidering my creative writing class but I always feel a certain apprehension before entering into any situation that claims to be "creative." Not all classes are run this way but enough are that I get nervous thinking about them.

Things I'd like to understand about "creative writing" and art in general:  

1.  Is writer's block real?  What, exactly, is it?  Where do you get it?  And why do people feel that this is a problem?  How can I get it? 

2.  Without schools sponsoring the use of psychedelic drugs, do people actually get anything out of sitting alone in the woods, or wherever, and recharging their creative spirit, or reaching out to them, or whatever it is people do when they talk about finding their creativity -- as if it's a distant relative that you lost track of.

3.  Why do teachers assign these strange "artist dates"? 

4.  Why do teacher's use writing prompts in creative writing?

5.  Does anyone actually find them helpful? 

6.  Why do people talk about "creativity" needing to be "retrieved."  As if it's not something that's a part of them all the time?  Or like it's a well that gets drained.  Is this how people really feel?  Why?  I do not understand this concept.

7.  Why do some teachers implement creativity propaganda and spiritual lessons as if this was a Christian conversion or a 12 step program.  Like, is it really that difficult to write or paint or to want to do any of those things?  I mean, I understand rewriting and revising and gaining perspective after you've written something, but is it really so difficult to start?  I don't understand why writing a story is treated like having to show up to work at a sewage filtration plant or something.   

8.  Am I going to be very unpopular if I tell people that Julia Cameron and The Artist's Way seems to be some weird cult to me, and instead of helping me these lessons may give me accidental bulimia because they make me want to puke.  Or maybe fall asleep.  And I had to edit a massive amount of snark out of this statement. 

9.  Does this mean I shouldn't take creative writing classes?


* * *

Of course, my headache is making me want to eat small children so I shouldn't make any decisions now, especially not out of fear.  My future creative writing teacher did instruct me for a week or two when I was in the fifth grade and as I recall I mostly got to wander around on my own and socialize.  AND she did co author a hypertext fiction piece.  Unfortunately, after much searching the interwebs, I cannot find any version of it online.   But when life makes a dead end, I make a door.  Zing!