creativity

the depths of this past week were buried by a research paper. the past month or more a haze of worksheets, books, and essays has clouded my life. someone asked a couple weeks ago if i was still writing poetry, and i realized that no, i haven't written much lately. and if i sit down with the intention of writing, it doesn't happen. poetry is spontaneous - it always has been for me. but this spontaneous creativity hasn't been happening lately. so, of course, i wonder why. where's my creativity? is it buried by all my attempts to comprehend all i'm reading? am i just too busy? i don't think it's busyness; i've been much busier and still had poetry exploding my brain. i'm inclined to think it's a lack of emotional stimulation. looking back at most of what i've written, it was usually during an emotionally stimulating or painful time. when i'm complacently busy, just doing the motions of living, my creativity seems to shrink. i seem to need to either be hurting or ecstatic. so my writing of poetry seems to be a sign of badness or absolute wonder. it means life is either horrid or beautiful. in times like this, when life is normal and just ok and all the same, nothing comes. does emotion stimulate creativity? does contentment hinder it? which is more important: creativity or contentment?