“Burn down everything.”
I was out for my routine, mind-preparing coffee today. While sipping at the cappuccino and marveling at a variety of things I started thinking about the week ahead and this post.
It’s been a crazy week in the world.
Political assassination. Governments collapsing. If you really had the time you rewrite Billy Joel’s “We didn’t start the fire” with the events going on around us at the moment. A fast browse on YouTube or any social media channel makes you negative fairly quickly, draining the will to create.
While I was busy making some notes I noticed how quiet it got in my mind. Yes, I was in the middle of a slightly busy restaurant / shopping mall but nothing bothered me at this point. While writing and sipping my coffee I lost track of the surrounding distractions. It brought up the following thought:
Find stillness.
As a part-time creative (hobby creative if you will?) we have to navigate wisely. Our time is limited so when we do have an opportunity to be creative we have to focus as much as possible. No, I’m not trying to sell you something to maximize your time. I mean we shouldn’t focus on the things which don’t contribute to our creativity.
It is easy to become despondent and think “Why do I even try?” And in these times we compare ourselves to others, conveniently forgetting each of us have a different set of circumstances resulting in different outcomes.
Finding stillness focuses mostly on a time where you cut away from the excess of the world. The news, the social media channels. The politics of everything.
Find time to create – even if it is something small. The one photo which gives you inspiration. The single paragraph you write which over time completes a newsletter draft or perhaps a novel / short story. Make time for this. It’s vital if you want to somehow escape the rat race. Even if it is only for an hour while sitting in a coffee shop.
Thanks for reading : )