b'and openness to explore imaginative possibilities;camp and wrote about the aspects that capturedI learnt to let go of any attachment I had to thethat success in overcoming writers block must it prompted inspiration that was used in the finalmy personal interest, such as the excess of waste.character and trust in the opinions of my peers. Itlie in the personal development of imagination, production of Footprints which may have otherwiseThe exercise enabled me to let go of fears fuelledmust be noted that we had only a day to condensecompassion, and self. been rejected. Thus, spontaneous play acted as aby perfectionism and simply write without anythe script. This meant that quick judgments had reminder to enjoy the journey of writing, ratherattachment to an outcome; it was liberating toto be made to overcome these obstacles effectively than fixating on the pressures of an end goal.forego the concept of right or wrong and give per- under time pressure. It is now my belief that this mission for words to flow. This meant that I waswas a necessary sacrifice to get past the blockages Having initiated the process of reintroducingable to find an angle of the climate change themewe were facing as a team and complete the edits fun into practice, I decided to direct my processthat stimulated my personal imagination. As Eliz- needed in the time. As playwright Robert Cohen towards eliminating perfectionism when ap- abeth Gilbert asserts, creative living is the abilityasserts, sensitive questions, reactions and sugges-proaching psychological barriers. Creativity coachto be driven more strongly by curiosity than feartions may be traded back and forth the involve- Bane, Rosanne (2012) Around the Writers Block Using Brain Rosanne Bane emphasises that every writer ex- and so the work of the writer is never complete inment must be collaborative, not a battle of author- Science to Solve Writers Resistance, New York: Penguin Groupperiences some kind of resistancewe threatenunlocking the hidden jewels within (2015: 8-12).ity (2010: 79). Indeed, Cohens notion highlightsBell, Lucy cited. Wright, Steve (2017) Interview: Playwright and bully ourselves; we question our ability, ourFree-writing has transformed my understand- an important lesson in adapting to circumstances.Lucy Bell On Pulling Out, Bristol247, [Online Article] commitment, our character It drains the joy outing of success as a playwright. I now argue thatThis has informed my newfound philosophy thathttps://www.bristol247.com/culture/theatre/interview-lu-of writing (Bane 2012: 2, 3). This suggests thatperfectionism is the enemy of progress; the writerflexibility is essential to the success of collabora- cy-bell-bristol/ [Visited 01/05/22]the restraints of fear from our inner critic limitsmust find ways to conquer their inner critic sotive playwriting. For example, my initial idea toCohen, Robert (2010) Working Together in Theatre Collaboration imaginative flow. Yet, the experience of writersthat deadlines can be met. Therefore, playwritingintroduce themes of veganism through a chocolateand Leadership, London: Palgrave Macmillanblock is a natural obstacle that any playwrightis a continuous journey of self in dialogue withgift was enhanced by another playwrights sugges-must face in creative development. A person- others, and so discovering your own passions willtion to have the character refuse it publicly, thusFoxon, George and Turvey, Chris (2018) Being a Playwright: A al struggle that I frequently encountered whenin turn benefit collective work. further isolating them. This means that exter- Career Guide for Writers, London: Nick Hern Bookswriting scene seven of Footprints was confrontingnal perspectives can be a useful aid in working the daunting blank page. Finding inspiration toDiscovering this creative free flow has shifted mythrough fixed psychological blockages. The scriptGilbert, Elizabeth (2015) Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear, initiate putting words to paper was challenging;once isolated practice towards playful collabora- was improved by letting go of control and trustingNew York: Bloomsburynothing surrounding the refugee camp theme oftion. Foxon and Turveys notion that the contem- in the abilities of a team.Nachmanovitch, Stephen (1991), Free Play: Power of Improvisa-Act 2 seemed to satisfy my inner critic. For exam- porary playwright must depart from the solitarytion in Life and the Arts: Improvisation in Life and Art, New York: ple, I would struggle to find a dialogue to beginartist stereotype presents its own demands; thePlay and spontaneity have transformed my ap- Penguin Publishing Groupthe scene that felt truthful to the apocalypticroles traditionally lone-working conditions meansproach to conquering psychological barriers. INiazi, Yusuf cited. ArtsCulture (2021) Yusuf Niazi | associ-narrative my peers had devised. Upon reflection,that relinquishing total control over a script isnow realise that perfectionism is ineffective forate director of Exeter Northcott Theatre, ArtsCulture, [Online I found it more difficult to continue storylinesinevitably challenging (Foxon and Turvey 2018:writing progression. Exploring exercises that aidArticle] https://artsculture.newsandmediarepublic.org/news/that had not come from my own imagining; there102). This is a crucial shift in relationship thatin releasing control and fixed expectations hasyusuf-niazi-associate-director-of-exeter-northcott-theatre/ was an additional pressure to develop fixed ideasI have had to navigate throughout the processnot only been personally rewarding by reintro- [Visited 03/05/22]constructed by others that I had no personal con- of writing Footprints. Upon reflection, my initialducing fun to the practice, but also beneficial toNeipris, Janet (2005) To Be A Playwright, London: Routledge nection to. This meant it was challenging to inputhesitancy towards sharing ideas was because I wasthe experimentation of others. Niazi and Bells my voice into the already established script.reluctant to let go of control and become suscep- methodologies were integral to this shift in phi-tible to the opinions of others. Creative collabora- losophy. They fostered a willingness to trust in It was only after attending a Northcott Futurestion is a process I have had little experience withones own opinion and others to develop creative Programme workshop with Artistic Director ofand so the act of giving up artistic authority wasideas beyond their original form. This nurtures a Documental Theatre, Lucy Bell, that I learnt thedaunting in having to present unrefined work.cooperative environment through which external importance of finding a relatable stimulus. SheThus, a collective covenant of trust and sensitiv- perspectives can bring new insight into navigat-stated that when creating her play Pulling Out, Iity had to be built for us to successfully conquering obstacles. Thus, releasing physical and men-remembered how, being a teenager, I felt like Iwriters block.tal tensions through a spontaneous approach to was painfully visiblethe more I read about thiswriting meant that I was able to conquer fears of overlooked group. the more interested I be- This was particularly significant when it came toright and wrong. This brings into question what came; it was a personal connection that sparkedcutting down the script, which required all of usit means to work efficiently as a playwright. Does her initial writing process (2017). This conceptto reach a consensus of which eighty pages mustsuccess constitute creating a finished script within informs her practice of spontaneous free-writing.be scrapped. A personal obstacle which informeda timeframe, or is it based on the personal jour-By selecting a random picture of a location andmy learning process was having to sacrifice myney of connecting joy with passion? What messag-writing continuously for ten minutes, it forces theown character. Based on team feedback, they feltes do I want to promote as a playwright and how playwright to surpass the obstacle of the blankthat Alice was a strong comedic addition butcan these be incorporated into the process itself? page. Thus, Bells methodology has played adid not develop the plays climate change themeA balance of individual sacrifice alongside cham-crucial role in my playwriting journey. For exam- enough to make the cut. This meant that I had topioning your own voice is therefore essential for a ple, I took inspiration from a photo of a refugeeovercome personal biases for the benefit of others.playwright to flourish within a team. This means 20 21'