user5805: My decrease in creativity does most likely not have anything to do with my feeble meditation attempts, because it is natural to have ups and downs, even when it comes to creativity.
But still, meditation deals with ridding oneself of attachments by observing mind states objectively and I think that following through an idea and turning it into a finished piece of work requires quite a lot of attachment and devotion to the project. 
I suppose my real question is: is it possible to balance being a practicing Buddhist and a creative artist? 

user4876: Attempts to be mindful, ala mindfulness practices, are certainly at odds with "aha" creative experiences as these emerge out of a wandering mind:
See: 
Mind wandering “Ahas” versus mindful reasoning: alternative routes to creative solutions
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4469818/
So, should one strive to be mindful, or should one allow it to unfold naturally, as a result of meditation, alternated with activity?
As this Soto Zen master says: Stop being mindful!
http://antaiji.org/archives/eng/adult18.shtml
As Maharishi Mahesh Yogi said:
The two steps of progress are rest (TM aka dhyana) and activity (everything else found during waking, dreaming and sleeping).
An enlightened person, at least in the beginning stage, is where the qualities of rest (meditation) have spontaneously emerged and become permanent in the middle of all possible activity (waking, dreaming and sleeping).
One doesn't cultivate this by attempting to BE mindful, but simply by allowing the natural cycle of rest and activity to proceed.
And mind-wandering is the essential basis of dyana and the spontaneous ability to switch from paying attention TO something and switching attention (via mind-wandering) to something else IS the creative process. In enlightenment mind-wandering is always present, even when one is fully focused on some thing, and so creativity is always present as well.
Mindfulness, in this situation, merely refers to the ever-present observer, always observing. Such a person is always mindful because it is impossible for the ever-present observer to NOT be mindful.
This confusion is why people worry that BUddhism detracts from creativity. It isn't Buddhism that detracts, but inappropriate attempts to practice what spontaneously emerges from practice: being always mindful.
The "description" that one is always mindful when one is enlightened has become a "method" to use to become enlightened.
This can only take one further away from enlightenment, which is where one is always creative because the mind is always free to wander.

user5715: Many working artists are also Buddhists. A number of high profile creative people such as Leonard Cohen, Herbie Hancock and Steve Jobs are Buddhists. See Wikipedia's long list of celebrity Buddhists, many of whom work in creative industries.
Most people report that creativity increased after taking up meditation. At least one scientific study reported that meditation enhances creativity. The Huffington Post has reported much the same news. 
Buddhist practice requires not just moment to moment awareness, but also considerable continuity of purpose. If one emphasises only the former then one is unlikely to make much progress. It's a bit like walking downstairs and forgetting why you went down there. 
So there seems to be no reason to think that being a practising Buddhist would "kill creativity". And no reason to think you cannot balance being a practising Buddhist and a creative artist. I personally know at least a dozen people who do just this. 

5805: <p>My decrease in creativity does most likely not have anything to do with my feeble meditation attempts, because it is natural to have ups and downs, even when it comes to creativity.</p>

<p>But still, meditation deals with ridding oneself of attachments by observing mind states objectively and I think that following through an idea and turning it into a finished piece of work requires quite a lot of attachment and devotion to the project. </p>

<p>I suppose my real question is: is it possible to balance being a practicing Buddhist and a creative artist? </p>
 4876: <p>Attempts to be mindful, ala mindfulness practices, are certainly at odds with "aha" creative experiences as these emerge out of a wandering mind:</p>

<p>See: 
Mind wandering “Ahas” versus mindful reasoning: alternative routes to creative solutions
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4469818/" rel="nofollow">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4469818/</a></p>

<p>So, should one strive to be mindful, or should one allow it to unfold naturally, as a result of meditation, alternated with activity?</p>

<p>As this Soto Zen master says: Stop being mindful!
<a href="http://antaiji.org/archives/eng/adult18.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://antaiji.org/archives/eng/adult18.shtml</a></p>

<p>As Maharishi Mahesh Yogi said:
The two steps of progress are rest (TM aka <em>dhyana</em>) and activity (everything else found during waking, dreaming and sleeping).</p>

<p>An enlightened person, at least in the beginning stage, is where the qualities of rest (meditation) have spontaneously emerged and become permanent in the middle of all possible activity (waking, dreaming and sleeping).</p>

<p>One doesn't cultivate this by attempting to BE mindful, but simply by allowing the natural cycle of rest and activity to proceed.</p>

<p>And mind-wandering is the essential basis of <em>dyana</em> and the spontaneous ability to switch from paying attention TO something and switching attention (via mind-wandering) to something else IS the creative process. In enlightenment mind-wandering is always present, even when one is fully focused on some thing, and so creativity is always present as well.</p>

<p>Mindfulness, in this situation, merely refers to the ever-present observer, always observing. Such a person is always mindful because it is impossible for the ever-present observer to NOT be mindful.</p>

<p>This confusion is why people worry that BUddhism detracts from creativity. It isn't Buddhism that detracts, but inappropriate attempts to practice what spontaneously emerges from practice: being always mindful.</p>

<p>The "description" that one is always mindful when one is enlightened has become a "method" to use to become enlightened.</p>

<p>This can only take one further away from enlightenment, which is where one is always creative because the mind is always free to wander.</p>
 5715: <p>Many working artists are also Buddhists. A number of high profile creative people such as Leonard Cohen, Herbie Hancock and Steve Jobs are Buddhists. See Wikipedia's long <a href="http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=List_of_Celebrity_Buddhists">list of celebrity Buddhists</a>, many of whom work in creative industries.</p>

<p>Most people report that creativity increased after taking up meditation. At least one <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141028082355.htm">scientific study</a> reported that meditation enhances creativity. The <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bianca-rothschild/the-science-of-how-medita_b_5579901.html">Huffington Post</a> has reported much the same news. </p>

<p>Buddhist practice requires not just moment to moment awareness, but also considerable continuity of purpose. If one emphasises only the former then one is unlikely to make much progress. It's a bit like walking downstairs and forgetting why you went down there. </p>

<p>So there seems to be no reason to think that being a practising Buddhist would "kill creativity". And no reason to think you cannot balance being a practising Buddhist and a creative artist. I personally know at least a dozen people who do just this. </p>
