On Writing - Part 7 in a series

One of the challenges for writers is maintaining our connection to the physical world. At least, I think it is—or it should be. As writers, we often live almost exclusively in our heads. Of course, you could argue that’s true for everyone to some degree, but for creatives, it’s particularly pronounced.
Even when I’m driving, I’m writing. Eating? I’m probably chewing over dialogue or imagining how a character might respond to something I’ve just observed.
Even sleeping doesn't offer much respite. My dreams, which have always been vivid and incredibly detailed, are either addressing pressing questions for a piece I'm writing, or taking something I'm writing and running in a whole new direction, pulling me down a rabbit hole that I am powerless to ignore. 

Which brings me back to the physical world. The last few years I’ve noticed a pattern: after long stretches of writing, I crave something tangible. I’ll turn to physical art—designing, sketching, or building. My mind doesn't want to deal with abstraction and needs to be engaged by something I can touch. 
For example, after finishing a project that had been brewing for over a year, I felt the overwhelming urge to get my hands dirty—literally. That’s when I started building outdoor walls, channeling my creative energy into something tactile and immediate.

After finishing Poacher, I began a sculpture, which ended with this bit of madness below: You can tell from this insane bit of work that Poacher was intense and dealt with humans seemingly endless capacity for inflicting pain on other innocent species. 

Curious what outlets other writers have between projects. Reach out to me below and let me know what you're doing, what you write about and how you keep from going insane. ​