We’re in an instant society. We get whatever we want as soon as we think we might want it.
This does not bode well for our creativity.
I am not a huge fan of suffering, but I am very big fan of percolating. FYI, just because we can’t have it right away doesn’t mean we are suffering.
It may be the preparation time. Good coffee has to brew. Good ideas have to turn into great ideas. Plants have to grow.
Sometimes we rip our still-growing ideas right out of the ground and force them to do what they weren’t meant to do. Sometimes we force our creativity to deliver results it never could. Sometimes we punish our creativity because it seems it’s not going fast enough.
Do not weep; do not wax indignant. Understand. — Baruch Spinoza
I think we’ve learned bad habits. It’s one thing for others to force you to be creative against your better judgment, but it’s quite another to force yourself. I think most of us do the latter. We can’t handle that OUR creativity is taking longer than our neighbors. We can’t deal with the idea that our ideas are not ready to be put forth. We just launch anyway, caring nothing about our own creative recovery.
The point of all this is to heal old wounds—not open up new ones. We need to give ourselves a break. Life is not a sprint race; it’s a marathon. It’s easy to shoot out of the gate thinking you’re going to have a better race than ever and about a quarter through falter because you burned up all that energy trying to best yourself.
Perhaps we are our worst enemies. Why the push? Why the pressure? Why torture ourselves like this?
We may not know exactly WHAT we are creating right at this moment, but we know it needs time. We can feel it in our soul. We need rest. We need to wander in a rose garden and smell the perfume. We need to sit and gaze out at waves crashing on a beach. We need to listen to the birds in the early morning, watching the sun rise from the shadows. We need to wash dishes by hand in the sunshine. We need to watch a three-year-old wash rocks, marveling at how little pressure she puts on herself. How much she gives to herself, without care or worry. Without haste or hurry. This is where life and creativity meet. It is where busyness and instant gratification rob us blind.
Sometimes you run out of juice and need to stop. I think I am getting the hang of it. I’m learning to not become my own worst enemy. Of course, love and care of others is important, but when you have nothing left and you still give, what exactly are you giving?
Action Tip: Cross one thing off your to-do list today and give yourself some time with your creativity. What is one creative thing you need to spend time on? Do you need to simply think, to stop and ponder, to rest, or are you still pushing for instant gratification?
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