Art and storytelling prompts to the many artists and writers who follow the blog stay alive and make things.
Category: Pep talks for the creatively blocked
#1314: “I put my emotions in the fridge and went away for a few years and now I’m afraid of what’s growing in there.”
Numbness can be a survival skill, but the feeling's gotta come back sometime.
#1286: “How do I create good art when life is tough and might not get easier?”
Dear Captain, The situation: I (she/her) am a homemaker and mum to a toddler. I’ve suffered from depression, anxiety, and fibromyalgia for eighteen years, aka my entire adult life and then some. I’m on meds and pretty much a self-care rockstar, but I still spend LOTS of time and energy coping with pain, fatigue, dizziness, … Continue reading #1286: “How do I create good art when life is tough and might not get easier?”
#1267: “How do I set goals if I don’t want anything?”
Dear Captain Awkward: I'm a grown-ass woman who has been through a few cycles of therapy that have (along with medication) helped my stress, anxiety, and ADHD. I've gotten to a point where I am financially self-sufficient, comfortable in my life and community, and blessed with a strong friends network. I'm not in a relationship … Continue reading #1267: “How do I set goals if I don’t want anything?”
Pandemic! Productivity! Life! Hacks! (from a deeply unproductive & freaked out person)
My inbox has at least 40 questions with the theme "Dear Captain Awkward, how do I stay productive right now?" stacking up in it right now. Maybe...you don't? We are living through a collective trauma on a massive scale. People are dying. The right wing government in the USA is making it worse and gaslighting … Continue reading Pandemic! Productivity! Life! Hacks! (from a deeply unproductive & freaked out person)
#1244: What to do when your art is too big for you.
I'm writing this from an inexpensive AirBnB not far from Awkward Apartment, where I took a few days to be in a blank slate, away from cats and laundry piles and human conversation, so I could sit in quiet and solitude and think about how to get my ambitious projects off the ground this year. … Continue reading #1244: What to do when your art is too big for you.
May Answers of Varying Length to Short Questions: Part 2 of 2
Continued from the previous post to give me more time to think and help you rest your scrolling fingers. Click below the jump for: Not automatically taking on new volunteer responsibilities when others pile them on, talking to kids about fatphobia and disordered eating, supporting a friend with an alcohol addiction, and bouncing back when … Continue reading May Answers of Varying Length to Short Questions: Part 2 of 2
#1199: “Hello, I’d rather hang out with my main character than my husband.”
Dear Captain - I (she/her) am a middle-aged wife of a man (he/him). We've only been married three years (together 8) but it has turned out to be rather nothing like what I wanted marriage to be - and I was not unrealistic! He's emotionally constipated and may also be more intellectually my inferior than … Continue reading #1199: “Hello, I’d rather hang out with my main character than my husband.”
#1167: “Tips for staying positive when your body hates you.”
Dear Captain Awkward, Thanks so much for this blog! I read most of the archives during a recent overnight hospital stay and it really helped keep me entertained. I (she/her pronouns are fine) was a year away from completing my dissertation when my body rebelled. I have two very large liver adenomas, larger than the … Continue reading #1167: “Tips for staying positive when your body hates you.”
Short Answer Friday for Nov. 30
Hello all! You can submit short questions at Patreon or on Twitter (@CAwkward, #AwkwardFriday) until 11 am Chicago time today. I'll answer as many as I can before 2pm. Holiday and non-holiday related questions are okay, with following parameters: I'm not answering questions about abuse in this short answer format. I think we've covered just about … Continue reading Short Answer Friday for Nov. 30