stuckness

Cat feels sticky.

Nǐ hǎo. This Cat.

It is the month of March and Cat is starting to feel the stirrings of springtime.

Winter is fading and outside, the ground is damp from rain. Inside, Cat lies awake at night more often, dreaming up plans for warmer weather or pulling an all-nighter to play Uno with the crew of dust bunnies that have been wintering with Cat.

However. Cat has been a little down in the dumps these past few months.

With a foreboding outside world, and an interior world full of uncertainty, existential dread, and free-floating anxiety, Cat’s creative impulse feels deadened.

What do???

Cat invites you to read along and enjoy today’s newsletter on the subject of stuckness.

when routines turn into ruts

Cat is a creature of routine. Cat requires mealtimes on regular schedule. Cat enjoys uninterrupted naptime at least eight times a day and the promise of a crunchy when Cat is good Cat.

Cat knows that moon rising in darkened sky signals nocturnal activities, like cavorting with the dust bunnies and running perimeter around house.

Cat equally knows that sun rising and birds chirping signals diurnal activities, like finding best sun spot to lounge in, and waiting for food bowl to be filled.

But Cat has been struggling with one routine in particulars. Cat has been struggling to express Cat’s self. Cat has been unable to write.

the varieties of self-expression

Cat expresses self in endless ways.

Cat meows at human to express hungers or desire for attention. Cat ramps down the hallway to express joy of release after Cat uses litter-box. Cat lowers head and whips tail back and forth to express personal boundaries and desire to be left alone. Cat lies in a pile of blankets and kneads paws to express deep comfort, a primal mechanism leftover from kittenhood.

Cat is sure that Cat’s readers are familiar with all of these feline expressions.

However. There is another kind of expression that interests Cat: the creative impulse.

the creative impulse

The creative impulse is a deep urge that comes from within. It originates outside of thinking, often arriving spontaneously, as if from a wellspring hidden deep underground, driving us to document, interpret, imagine and invent.

Cat embodies the creative impulse when Cat shreds cardboard box. For Cat, surface of cardboard box is smooth and beguiling, like artist canvas. It beckons. Cat feels like abstract expressionist when Cat makes wild gestural markings on cardboard box.

Similarly, Cat embodies the same creative impulse when Cat sits down in front of metal box and lays paws on little squares to make tap tap tap. For Cat, blank screen of metal box is like an open door.

Cat not know what Cat will find when Cat walks through this door and crosses threshold into world of creativity, into world of unknown. Cat only knows that Cat is guided by something mysterious when obeying the creative impulse.

stuckness

Cat believes self-expression is Cat’s evolutionary imperative. What Cat means is, Cat sometimes feels as though Cat will die if Cat cannot express self. Dramatic? Perhaps. Imagine Cat’s horror when Cat sat down in front of metal box and wait for tap tap tap that never come. Imagine Cat’s horror when nothing comes. Only silence.

Cat feels stuck, and Cat hates it.

This stuckness? Boo tomatoes. Terrible. This stuckness gives Cat very many feelings.

First, Cat feels denials. With help of denials, Cat brushes off regular writing schedule and spends days flopped on couch, binging on crunchy treats.

Then Cat feels anxious. Cat wonders where creative impulse hides. Cat wonders why this is happening and Cat wonders if this will ever end? Soon Cat’s thinkings overflow with troubles, frets, and worries.

After anxiety, Cat feels angers: angers at self, angers at metal box that gathers dust. Cat’s human walks by and Cat swats at humans leg for no good reason, tearing hole in human’s new pants, and Cat’s anger turns muddy and dark with sadness and regret.

Finally, self doubt arrives. Cat wonders if writing was a fluke. Or worse, a bad idea. Cat begins to feel embarrassed for ever even aspiring to be a writer. What was Cat thinking?? Cat goes down shame spiral and stays there for long time.

the pull of curiosity

At long last, Cat surrenders.

Cat throws Cat self on carpet and lays there motionless for several hours. The hours turned into days, and the days turned into weeks.

Soon, a new feeling arises: curiosity 🌱

So Cat picked self up off of floor, and decided to pay a visit to the wisest beings Cat knows: the dust bunnies. Cat has observed how the dust bunnies see things differently and Cat wonders if this is a side effect of having once been scattered across the cosmos. Surely the dusties would have sound advice for Cat on how to navigate creative stuckness.

Yes, Cat has spent many late nights playing cards and trading stories with the younger, rowdier crowd of dusties who hang out in the laundry room. But for big wisdoms and advices on important issues, Cat knows there is only one bunny to see.

solar insight and lunar wisdoms

Normals, Cat find the dustbunnies gathered in forgotten corners of the house: under the couch, behind the bookshelf, or in the brambles of plastic cords behind the big metal box. But for big wisdoms and important advices, Cat want talk to oldest, wisest dust bunny, name of Ray.

Ray live in quietest corner of house, on top of fridge. But Ray lives in silent contemplation, and Ray’s words come sparingly, like flints of dust catching light. Only under light of full moon, do Ray’s wisdoms spilled freely. On nights when moon is full, stories and advices tumble from Ray like pearly wisdoms.

So Cat wait, little bit impatiently, for night of big moon.

In meantime, Cat collect gifts for Ray: a tiny feather from under the front door mat, a few strands of hair from the hairbrush on the bathroom counter, some stray chia seeds found on the kitchen floor, and some downy white fluff of unknown origin.

front and follow

Finally, night of full moon arrive. Cat wait until midnight before leaping up to the top of the fridge. Once Cat cozily seated in front of Ray with a mug of warm creams, Cat explain everything.

Cat tell Ray about the joy of writing, about Cat’s passion for tap tap tap. Cat tell Ray about the stuckness, the angers, the swatting of Cat’s human’s leg, the wallowing on the back of the couch. Cat tell Ray about the sadness, the despairs.

Cat explained everything as Ray sat silent, eyes peering out at Cat from behind a tiny pair of horn-rimmed glasses, listening. Finally, Ray spoke.

“Cat, you may be surprised to learn that the great secret of creativity comes naturally to cats.”

Cat could hardly believe what Cat was hearing. Cat feel hot burning feeling rise in Cat’s ears. Cat has been struggling all this time, frantically chasing creative impulse for weeks…and creativity is natural to Cat? How???

Cat listened intently as Ray spoke expansively, and at great length, about quantum intelligence, unconscious processing, meaning-making, and creative wellsprings.

At times, Cat struggle to understand what the wise bunny was talking about. Ray’s pearly wisdoms start to feel like fever dream, but Cat continue to listen, taking tiny sips from mug of creams to stay awake.

Soon, the silvery light of the moon faded. Cat yawned and stretched paws out in front of Ray. Cat thanked Ray for wisdoms and made motions to leave.

“One more thing, Cat.”

Cat paused before launching off of top of fridge.

“Stuckness, like everything else, is a form of energy. Energy dissipates when it is captured. In it’s most generative state, energy must flow.”

And then Ray closed tiny eyes, scuttled off into a dark corner, and Cat and jumped down off of the fridge, eager to get in bed for a long nap.

the great secret of creativity

Cat guesses Cat’s readers would like to know what Ray told Cat about stuckness, about the creative impulse and flow. Cat guesses Cat’s readers would like to know the great secret of creativity.

Well, Cat’s readers will be happy to learn that Cat took copious notes while Ray was delivering wisdoms. In Ray’s words:

💡Creativity flows best when you attract ideas rather than chase them.
Chasing often comes with pressure—forcing inspiration, overthinking, and grasping at something just out of reach. But when you create space, stay curious, and trust the process, ideas naturally find their way to you. Allow yourself to be receptive rather than frantic in pursuit.

💡Attracting means nurturing the right conditions
Spend time reading, observing, daydreaming, or simply being present—so that ideas feel invited rather than hunted. It’s like leaving a window open to enjoy a cool breeze instead of running after the wind. When you stop forcing, inspiration arrives effortlessly, surprising you with its timing and clarity.

cat attraction

Now, Cat understands that creativity comes willingly when wait for ideas, not chase after. Cat understands that walking away, changing up routine, and nourishing body with foods, sleep, and play make more receptive self, make more ready self.

That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.
—Ray Bradbunny

What Ray mean when say that creativity is like cats? Cat not like being chased, not like being cornered. Cat will come to human when Cat feels like it. Cannot force Cat. Same with creativity.

When chase ideas, brain feels tight—too many thinkings, too many trying, ideas run away. But if sit quietly, allow curiosities, and trust that ideas will come, inspiration will show up, the way that Cat shows up when human shakes bag of crunchies.

Waiting for idea is like making warm spot in sun. No need to run, no need to grab. Creativity come when ready, soft and perfect.

So has Cat’s stuckness gone away? Maybe yes, maybe no. Maybe not so important.

Cat read something wise human once said: “If you have nothing at all to create, then perhaps you create yourself.” Another wise human say this: “Creativity takes courage.”

Cat would like to know reader’s thinkings. What do readers do when struggle with stuckness? Please share in comments, or leave a 🍤 if you enjoy reading.

Thank you for reading, ❤️ Cat 🐾

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