So sure, go ahead and ask yourself the famous Rilkean question: “Must I?” “Will I die if I don’t make work?” But I’m guessing that unless you’re a Romantic poet with too much ether at your disposal, the answer is probably no. You won’t. If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t have all that much to say anyway, so give it a break. Knowing when to stop can be just as important as knowing when to keep going. So sit back and observe. Go to the benches on the southeast side of Walmart and watch the American parade. Observation and experience, including trashed trailers, are the cornerstones of good art. Regroup. Remember. Dream a little. Feel. Volunteer. Cement down a few more cinder blocks in the character edifice. Write a letter. Organize. Make lists. Clean out the chicken coop. Practice your craft; do your scales, memorize a sonnet, copy a Rembrandt. Over and over. Do all this so you will be prepared to come roaring back when you have something unignorable and irrepressible to say. And you will.

Sally Mann, Art Work, p. 93