"You kinda sort of have to bore yourself into a corner until you have to cut out of your body and emerge with something new." - Marc Maron
Everybody plateaus at some point. Life is pretty much made up of rapid growth followed by plateaus followed by, depending on your outlook, more rapid growth or rapid decline.
The worst thing about a plateau is the feeling of being "fine." You're doing fine, you feel fine, people are responding the same way they always have.
But for creative people "fine" is often not enough. You resent that feeling of fineness. Fine begins to feel rotten. This might be an extremely privileged outlook. "Why can't you just enjoy the success you get?" There's just something that makes you want more. Makes you want to do better.
As a result producing things on the level where you've always produced them becomes painful. That's when the magic happens (or doesn't happen if you won't let it). You thrash. And thrash. And thrash.
Until something comes out that surprises even you. Then the process can begin over again. It's painful work and I'm not sure if it'll ever be completely fulfilling. But it will come. Believing that is the only way to keep moving forward.
