Jayne here...
I’m rethinking a belief I’ve held for a long time: to produce "good work" you have to "work hard." Whether you are creating art or focusing on a project for your job, to produce takes effort. Julia Cameron puts forth a different perspective in The Artist Way.
"Art (or creativity) is not about thinking something up. It is about the opposite- getting something down. The direction is important here."
Her point is that we have all the ideas we need to available to us through a higher consciousness if we can be still enough to tap into them and get them down; like taking dictation. It seems the struggle to produce may be counterproductive.
In order to get whatever it is we are reaching for we must be listening; listening to ourselves, and listening the world around us. To listen we need to stop. Be still. Creative living requires downtime. Do you ever find yourself saying: "I’ve got too much to do! I’ll take that walk (listen to music, sing, etc) later, after I finish this work project or these emails." Of course, later never comes.
I have pride in my ability to "multitask." I can tick more items off my list that way! Multitasking doesn’t work with listening. My walk is a time when I often am blessed with creative ideas. I generally take the same route for my 20 minutes of daily walking. I have to park my multi-tasking urges at my front door. Leave the cell phone at home. That work call can be returned later. Talking on the phone means I miss the colors, the sounds and the occasional message from my subconscious. I make room for quiet listening.
This week I made a decision to carve out downtime every day, a walk or to just sit and reflect. It’s interesting to me to notice how much discipline that takes to sit still and not jump up to do dishes. (Funny, I’ve never been that interested in housework before!) Letting go of constant busy-ness brings up discomfort- and fear (Am I wasting my time?) I need to remember that pampering myself is never a waste of time. It’s an investment in my creativity, an investment in my health and well-being. Downtime is critical to listening. Listening is required to receive creative ideas. Creativity starts out in a passive receptive mode and becomes active. Oh, that means I’m not going to multitask my way into my creativity. But I might just get the direction I’m looking for if I don’t do so much. Sigh. Life is a paradox!
Creating downtime is part of our Third Strategy called Daily Creative Habits.
Action Step:
Commit to a daily period of downtime and daily reflection. (Take 20 minutes for a walk or for meditation or space to day dream.)
Question:
What activity helps you connect to your best ideas? (Some of ours are walking, singing, writing, and showering)
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