--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, creative energy is like an…" description: "\"“For me, creative energy is like an old-fashioned ground-water well. When the well is dry, it’s dry. I can dig all I like, and all I’ll get for my pain..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/delia-sherman-34753_creative_for-me-creative-energy-is-like-an-old-fa_2088100.jpg" --- # For me, creative energy is like an old-fashioned… ![“For me, creative energy is like an old-fashioned ground-water well. When the well is dry, it’s dry. I can dig all I like, and all I’ll get for my pains is sore hands, some very bad prose, and maybe (if I’m lucky) a few odd droplets of notes I can actually use. Or not. It’s usually not worth it…” quote by Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/delia-sherman-34753_creative_for-me-creative-energy-is-like-an-old-fa_2088100.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/delia-sherman-34753_creative_for-me-creative-energy-is-like-an-old-fa_2088100.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/delia-sherman-34753_creative_for-me-creative-energy-is-like-an-old-fa_2088100.jpg) > ““For me, creative energy is like an old-fashioned ground-water well. When the well is dry, it’s dry. I can dig all I like, and all I’ll get for my pains is sore hands, some very bad prose, and maybe (if I’m lucky) a few odd droplets of notes I can actually use. Or not. It’s usually not worth it. After many years, I’ve discovered that it’s better to wait until some ground water seeps back into the well rather than to try and lick up every drop as it emerges.”” [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative energy fluctuates; forcing it yields poor results, patience lets inspiration naturally return. **In simple terms:** Creativity comes and goes; wait for it. Key Takeaway Allow time for ideas to replenish. Themes creativity patience inspiration Mood reflective calm Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - writing - artistic projects - brainstorming sessions Key Concepts flow state creative block Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when to pause? - What signs show your ideas are ready? A Different Perspective Forcing output can cause burnout and low quality work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-energy/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ## Related quotes > [If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/if-you-want-to-learn-to-swim-jump-into-the-water-on-dry-land-no-frame/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [All I know if you keep on taking water from the well...it will all dry up and you have up having nothing for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-marley/all-i-know-if-you-keep-on-taking-water-from-the-well-it-will-all-dry/) [Julian Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-marley/) > [“You never know the worth of water until the well is dry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-creech/you-never-know-the-worth-of-water-until-the-well-is-dry/) [Sharon Creech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-creech/) > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [If you feel bored or uncomfortable as you're writing, ask yourself what's bothering you and write about that. Sometimes your creative energy is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-feel-bored-or-uncomfortable-as-you-re-writing-ask-yourself/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I'm a terrible cook, but if I could cook, I would see that in art as well, it's how much creative energy you put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/i-m-a-terrible-cook-but-if-i-could-cook-i-would-see-that-in-art-as/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) > [The real challenge in doing a TV show is in what I would call the maintenance energy. You take that creative energy and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-carter/the-real-challenge-in-doing-a-tv-show-is-in-what-i-would-call-the/) [Chris Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-carter/) > [We wasted a lot of creative energy in that immediate post colonial era, when there was a struggle between, you know, the Cold War…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/we-wasted-a-lot-of-creative-energy-in-that-immediate-post-colonial/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [The energy of the stars becomes us. We become the energy of the stars. Stardust and spirit unite and we begin: one with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/the-energy-of-the-stars-becomes-us-we-become-the-energy-of-the-stars/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [I get my most creative energy after a show, so I love to go back to the hotel and compose new material. I generally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/i-get-my-most-creative-energy-after-a-show-so-i-love-to-go-back-to/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [I think as long as you look like your having a good time, I'm impressed. Because I have a lot of energy, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-upton/i-think-as-long-as-you-look-like-your-having-a-good-time-i-m/) [Kate Upton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-upton/) > [“We are energy, and like all energy, we are in constant change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/we-are-energy-and-like-all-energy-we-are-in-constant-change/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [You know what, I'm just going to hate you because I just don't have the energy to like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/you-know-what-i-m-just-going-to-hate-you-because-i-just-don-t-have/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [“I can feel the irrationality and anxiety draining my store of energy like a battery-operated racecar grinding away in the corner. This is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/i-can-feel-the-irrationality-and-anxiety-draining-my-store-of-energy/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [I think of masculine and feminine energy like two sides to a battery. There's a plus side and a minus side, and in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/i-think-of-masculine-and-feminine-energy-like-two-sides-to-a-battery/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) ## More by Delia Sherman > [“All my life I have written letters - to our mother, our relatives, a wide circle of friends and acquaintance, to my husband, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/all-my-life-i-have-written-letters-to-our-mother-our-relatives-a-wide/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [Not all animal brides are doomed. Not all men are greedy or violent or possessive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/not-all-animal-brides-are-doomed-not-all-men-are-greedy-or-violent-or/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [The fact that I seem to prefer seals over any other animal brides is something I hadn't actually realized until this moment. Perhaps it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/the-fact-that-i-seem-to-prefer-seals-over-any-other-animal-brides-is/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [What was the good of dreaming of adventure if you turned your back on the first one that came your way?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/what-was-the-good-of-dreaming-of-adventure-if-you-turned-your-back-on/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [Many fairy tales and ballads present us with animals who are nobler, truer, and kinder than the greedy human beings who desire to possess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/many-fairy-tales-and-ballads-present-us-with-animals-who-are-nobler/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [I think happy, companionate marriages between men and women who respect each other (as far as is consistent with being actual human beings) should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/i-think-happy-companionate-marriages-between-men-and-women-who/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [“Anybody who can get through March without breaking a glass, a friendship, a secret, a promise, or somebody's nose is either a saint or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/anybody-who-can-get-through-march-without-breaking-a-glass-a/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [I can't rhyme for little green apples. What I can do is scan and make patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/i-can-t-rhyme-for-little-green-apples-what-i-can-do-is-scan-and-make/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [Aren't we most aware of our animal natures when love or hunger or hatred burns through reason and encourages us to do exactly what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/aren-t-we-most-aware-of-our-animal-natures-when-love-or-hunger-or/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [I've always loved stories of animals and birds that can appear to be human, just by taking off their skins or their feathers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/i-ve-always-loved-stories-of-animals-and-birds-that-can-appear-to-be/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [Poetry, for me, conveys the essence of narrative rather than its particulars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/poetry-for-me-conveys-the-essence-of-narrative-rather-than-its/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [“His mama beat him with an ugly stick so hard, it gone straight on till his soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/his-mama-beat-him-with-an-ugly-stick-so-hard-it-gone-straight-on-till/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) > [I love the idea of species fluidity, I guess, the sense of the maiden inherent in the swan or seal, the youth inherent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-sherman/i-love-the-idea-of-species-fluidity-i-guess-the-sense-of-the-maiden/) [Delia Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) [Explore all 14 Delia Sherman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-sherman/) ## More Creative quotes > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [When you're being truly creative, time stands still, and you enter a dimension that can carry you beyond the ordinariness of everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/when-you-re-being-truly-creative-time-stands-still-and-you-enter-a/) [Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Money is only used for two things. One, it's to make you comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more creative you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/money-is-only-used-for-two-things-one-it-s-to-make-you-comfortable/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [The creative strength is good enough and deep enough to bring itself to flower and to grow in spite of this sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-greenberg/the-creative-strength-is-good-enough-and-deep-enough-to-bring-itself/) [Joanne Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-greenberg/) > [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [What Sri Chinmoy does is God-given! He has a tremendous, a fantastic creative urge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shankar/what-sri-chinmoy-does-is-god-given-he-has-a-tremendous-a-fantastic/) [Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shankar/) > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [when times are tough, the weak bail and the tough get creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-times-are-tough-the-weak-bail-and-the-tough-get-creative/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [Teasing out the way the world might look through another's eyes is what makes the creative process so fascinating and enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/teasing-out-the-way-the-world-might-look-through-another-s-eyes-is/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) [Browse all 7,284 Creative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For me, creative energy is like an old-fashioned ground-water well. When the well is dry, it’s dry. I can dig all I like, and all I’ll get for my pains is sore hands, some very bad prose, and maybe (if I’m lucky) a few odd droplets of notes I can actually use. Or not. It’s usually not worth it. 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