Mindless scrolling.
Always being entertained.
Your attention is regularly demanded by someone or something.
Perpetually occupied.
Consistently busy.

For the majority, this is the undercurrent of our lives. 

We consistently bounce from one thing to the next and never have a chance for our minds to settle in on one idea. We never have the opportunity to figure out how to entertain ourselves because we are never left to our own devices because we are being distracted by digital versions.

This may seem like I am dragging you down a road of despair on a Friday but fear not. Instead, my intent is to encourage you to go seeking more interesting paths.

In order for us to be creative or innovative, we need to encounter some level of boredom. I most predictably find myself in the sure grasp of inspiration when I am untethered mentally and physically. When I am free of the influence of television, my phone, social media, or even a crossword puzzle, I am able to be whisked away more easily into creative endeavors.

When my mind has the opportunity to wander, to meander with no real purpose I am often surprised by what insight I have or what new spark is lit up in my mind. When we have habitual activities that are well-practiced in our routines like running, walking, knitting, even mowing the lawn, they allow our conscious mind to relax so our deeper instincts and natural proclivities can float to the surface for air and nurturance. 

The rhythmic quality, I believe, lulls our analytical mind into a pleasant stupor and before long the subconscious part of our mind that traffics in metaphors, images, symbols, and sounds gets to take center stage. It will delight us, if we let it, with new solutions, a great idea for a blog, the final few sentences to wrap up a chapter, or a serene new hue to paint your bedroom.

It’s not that our conscious mind is better than our subconscious or otherwise, it’s that we attempt to pretend they are divorced from one another when they are in the most inseparable marriage fathomable. It is a partnership that works best when treated as wildly opposite and critical equals. 

“Creativity takes courage,” according to Henri Matisse. While I feel sure the obstacles to creativity in the early 1900s were far different than the likes we experience today, the irreverence we must inhabit is the same. Being creative requires relinquishing control. Allowing inspiration to take us by the hand and lead us blindly into the unknown involves risk.

There will be a payoff to saving some of your time for this brand of exploration but it won’t be revealed until it’s time. We are asked to leap first. 

Go ahead. You never know what adventure awaits.

Sunshine & Sarcasm,
Lowi & G