Isn’t it strange how it is, on occasions, possible to switch off completely areas of one’s life which in normal circumstances would occupy the very centre of one’s attention? Perhaps it is even more strange that one can contemplate that fact without feeling that an essential part of one’s personality has disappeared for good. What is the difference between this situation and the state of “artistic block”? How can it be that in two situations which look superficially similar, one is quite comfortable whereas the other is desperately unhappy?