Seasons

We'd all love to be creative all the time, in every circumstance.  We would love to have creativity overflowing from our fingertips so that everything we touch explodes into the world.  As I sit in my lovely warm house with the temperatures below zero outside and snow laying on the ground, I'm reminded of the seasons.  There are seasons in nature and seasons in our lives.

Our temptation is to be continually "on."  Our technology allows us to connect with the world around us 24/7 but if we let that mindset run our lives, we'll soon be on empty.

One of the things I've learned in life the hard way is that we have inner resources of energy.  When those resources are depleted, everything becomes hard and tiring and wears us down.  Even things we would normally be fine with become chores that we do because we have to, not because we want to.

I've talked in an earlier post about how we can identify activities that will help us build these reserves back up but I'd like to add to those activities (for me music and textile arts) the basics of rest and input.  To give out, you have to have something to give.  To have something to give, you have to take in.

I encourage you to take time to rest (physical, mental and emotional rest) and to take in information that can become fuel for your creative life on purpose.  I realize that those things sometimes feel out of reach, especially if you're a new parent or a parent of a special needs child.  At those times, you feel like you'll never be rested again.  Ever.  I don't want to be dismissive of the demands on your time and energy in this season of life and I don't want to be simplistic.  You need to understand your season and do what you can to take care of yourself.  Or maybe you need to allow others to take care of you.  Sometimes, that's the more difficult move.

Da Vinci's Principles - #4 Sfumato part 2

Looking a little more deeply into the Sfumato principle of da Vinci, I want to explore the point Mr. Gelb makes about "Incubation and Intuition."  Here's what he says.

"Great musicians claim that their art comes to life in the spaces between the notes.  Master sculptors point to the space around their work as the secret of it's power.  Similarly, the spaces between your conscious efforts provide a key to creative living and problem solving.  These spaces allow perceptions, ideas and feelings to incubate."

"Almost everyone has experienced 'sleeping on a problem' and awakening with a solution. But incubation is most effective when you alternate, as Leonardo did, between periods of intense, focused work and rest.  Without periods of intense, focused work, there is nothing to be incubated."

Have you ever gotten stuck on an idea?  You work and work and think and get input from others  It seems like the more you press, the further away the solution moves. It's kind of like visiting a friend who has a cat.  The more you try to lure the little moggie to give it a little pet, the further away it moves.  Have you ever noticed that the only people the cat seeks out are those that ignore it or who hate cats?  They always know.  Ideas can be just like that.

Work hard, go after the ideas, the solutions but don't be afraid to walk away and give it time to breathe, to expand on its own to a place where you can grab hold of it and own it.

(Have a look at the book, "How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci" for exercises that will help you grow in this principle.)