The Value of Nothing

by Lynn Marlow

In thinking about the theme of this newsletter, I knew that it had to relate in some way to my own creative process and flow. I was aware that, over the last few months, my creative energy had been moving into other outlets, and I hadn’t felt the inspiration to write articles or communicate ideas.

I've looked back over the last few months, and realized that this was a familiar and predictable pattern. I’m one of those people whose energy and mood is affected by the seasons. In the autumn, my energy starts to wane, and I find myself pursuing more solitary and passive activities. The darkness and quiet of winter is at first soothing, and then eventually becomes confining and frustrating. When the first warm days of spring arrive, I celebrate the freedom and the sunshine, and feel my mood and energy rise again. For obvious reasons, spring has always been my favorite season, and nothing gives me more joy than feeling the warm sun on my face.

This pattern has been with me for most of my life. But it wasn’t until I made the commitment to this newsletter - to maintaining a steady flow of creative productivity - that I appreciated all the internal changes that I go through with the change in the seasons.

So that’s one observation I made about myself. But it wasn’t the only one. I also noticed that I like to maintain a variety of creative outlets. It’s not enough to just write. I also make fused glass, garden, design web sites, enjoy photography, and provide psychotherapy to clients, among other things. It would all be, oh, so impressive, if it weren’t for one simple problem. I can’t do them all at the same time.

Before the holidays, my attention turned to my glass work. I had plans for some gifts for family members, and I was working on some ambitious projects. I was getting ready to display my work in a local gallery, and wanted to have plenty of finished pieces. Also, by the way, during the summer, when I was doing a lot of writing, I had allowed my glass work to move to the back burner, and I hadn’t produced a whole lot during those months.

So it only stands to reason that, once I started working in glass again, my brain stopped coming up with ideas for newsletter articles. It’s as though my creative flow moves through a series of gates that divert my energy in one direction or another, but don’t permit me to do it all. I started to worry that I had run out of ideas, and that my newsletter had run out of steam.

But I kept working on my glass, and through that, knew that my creative juice was flowing just fine. I talked with my own coach, who pointed out that everything I was struggling with would find its way into my newsletter eventually. And then I decided to heed my own wisdom and advice. I found that it was better to honor and pay attention to my own energy rhythms, and to feed my (written) creativity by allowing it to rest for a little while.

So, before I knew it, it was January, my time for rest and re-evaluation. It’s a good time to clean up loose ends, to get rid of clutter, and to clear the space for the new projects and inspiration that come with the spring. My glass work has slowed down again, and organizing the shop has become a higher priority. I felt the desire to write another newsletter, knowing that it would be less ambitious than previous ones, but that that was OK. I was reminded that many of my most powerful ideas and insights come from having an awareness of my own process.

Sometimes, as with hobbies or avocations, we have the freedom to allow our energy to ebb and flow. But if we depend on our creativity for our livelihood, or have others expecting us to produce, then it becomes harder to respect those rhythms. After all, whether or not I feel like writing or painting today, the bills still need to be paid.

Nevertheless, if we don’t pay attention to what we need, creatively and energetically, our work suffers. So to truly take care of yourself, and to enable yourself to be as creative as possible, anticipate the fluctuations in your energy and rhythm, and find ways of making it work for you.

When you are feeling inspired and creative, take advantage of that. Work ahead, so that you have enough work on hand to get you through the slow times. Even if you don’t have the time to put all of your ideas into their final form, keep a file of concepts and inspiration that you can return to later. I like keeping ideas in a file on the computer, because then I know they won’t get lost. When I’m feeling frustrated, and need inspiration, I go to my idea file, and, before long, another project is taking shape.

When your energy is high, remember that you still need to rest, to eat well, and to get some exercise. Keeping your body healthy, and working at its best, is important regardless of where you are in your energy cycle.

When you feel tired and uninspired, try not to be hard on yourself. It isn’t a time for self criticism, and it isn’t a time to push yourself beyond your limits. Structure time to rest, and don’t expect yourself to produce a tremendous amount of work. Take care of routine tasks, like cleaning up and organizing, or doing the repetative parts of projects that don’t take a lot of thought. Your inner wisdom is telling you that you need comfort right now, but beware of shadow comforts.

Shadow comforts are distractions and addictions that reduce anxiety and make you numb. They may feel good for a little while, but aren’t restful, and over time, don’t feel like self care. I’m not just talking about obvious addictions, like alcohol, drugs, or tobacco. I’m including mindless television, compulsive eating, computer games, and even excessive sleep. Shadow comforts are numbing but not restful, detaching rather than connecting, meaningless and automatic, not meaningful and aware.

Genuine comfort comes from any activity with which you feel connected and involved: taking a walk or a run, talking to a favorite friend, really savoring your favorite meal. Comfort can come from meditation, or a hot shower, or a creative activity. Genuine comfort comes from being in the present, being grounded and aware, and practicing gentle, kind acceptance of yourself.

Remember the value of doing nothing. Take a little time, every day, to sit still, and practice being aware. It is amazing how, when we stop doing and moving, we become conscious and awake, aware of how dynamic and rich our experience is. It is through quiet awareness that our creativity has a chance to flow freely. Through kind acceptance we hear our own voice, and honor what we know and feel. Some of our best inspiration comes to us only if we stop long enough to listen.

Focus your attention on what is immediately around you, the sights, sounds and smells of your environment. Focus on your body, and on your breathing, and feel the emotions and the energy flowing inside of you. Practice awareness, and give yourself permission to just be. Accept what you see, hear and feel, and trust your inner wisdom.You are precious and beautiful just as you are. Your worth and your potential reside inside of you, and are always steady and strong. Doing nothing reconnects you to what is within.

Nothing is the space between the words. Nothing is the void within the statue, the white space within the painting. Nothing is the rest between the notes. It is in the nothing that we find wholeness and awareness, and it is through the quiet awareness that we feel our worth, and make conscious choices that create for us productive, and satisfying, lives.

Here's the Coaching Bit —

Here are some tips for offering yourself genuine comfort:

1. Take a little time every day to stop and breathe. Try to focus only on what comes in through your senses: the sound of your breathing, the feeling of air in your lungs, the tension or relaxation of muscles in your body. Don’t try to change anything, just be aware.
2. In whatever you do, practice being aware. If you’re sitting on the deck enjoying the sunset, let all of your senses enjoy the view, and the feeling of being relaxed. If you’re in the kitchen mopping the floor, be completely present for that, too. Feel the mop handle in your hands, watch the play of colors on the wet floor, feel the satisfaction of the floor being clean.
3. Each time you begin to create anything, whether it’s a meal or a journal entry or a drawing, slow down and pay attention to what your heart wants. When you take a few moments to listen, you’ll hear more than you ever thought possible. Follow your heart. What you create may not be perfect, but it will be uniquely you.

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©2006 Creativity Unbound

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