Write even when it feels uncomfortable, specially when it does

Here is a quote attributed ¹ to the Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky (“Solaris”, “Stalker”, “The Mirror”):

“An artist will never, ever have ideal conditions to create, so don’t ever expect them.”

Do you believe that you need ideal conditions to create?

I know I fall victim of that fallacy every now and then. Surprisingly, I also realized that the times when I feel less inspired, or less motivated to write, I end up with some really good ideas if I only force myself to just write.

By forcing yourself to write when it feels most uncomfortable, you will push against those barriers in your minds that block your progress. Use that resistance as creative juice and push forward.

Here is Tarkovsky’s full quote extracted from the documentary “A Poet in Cinema”:

“An artist never works under ideal conditions. If they existed, his work wouldn’t exist, for the artist doesn’t live in a vacuum. Some sort of pressure must exist. The artist exists because the world is not perfect. Art would be useless if the world were perfect, as man wouldn’t look for harmony but simply live in it. Art is born out of an ill-designed world.” —Andrei Tarkovsky