“The greatest breakthroughs whether in science, art, or personal growth often come in moments of stillness.  When the mind is quiet,” Uriel Maksumov. Along with the theme of quieting the mind and the benefits of slowing down is the idea of pressure.  Perhaps I’m sensitive to this topic because my mind is naturally loud and busy.  Throw in the daily responsibilities and daily distractions and my mind is never really settled.  I work on a schedule with tasks and demands, checking things off the list, and when anxiety sets in, I find other things to do.  As I’ve been working on transitioning to a more creative lifestyle, I’ve learned that I can’t checklist creativity, it doesn’t work like that.  Creativity doesn’t flow/turn on simply because it’s scheduled on the calendar.  Operating in both worlds is challenging because they conflict with each other and the timing of either doesn’t align.  I’ve noticed that in itself (the idea of putting restrictions on creativity) creates a lot of noise. 

How do we get new ideas if we demand them?  Creativity has curves and edges and doesn’t travel in a straight line—it’s rare that we would learn something new forcing that creative urge down the path we expect it to be on.  We have to let it guide us.  Creativity is a living thing and, like all living things, it doesn’t do well when it’s weighed down.  There’s a time for pressure as it develops strength and refines the idea but it can crack or break under constant or increased strain.  It’s like water through a hose—if we squeeze it the water will come out harder and faster.  If we squeeze it too hard, it will cut of the flow entirely, the idea being that when we release some pressure, things can flow better instead of constricting.  Pressure is noise and it prevents the spontaneous ideas and answers that may come when we are in flow. 

If we’re in need of a new idea, a revelation of sorts, a good method to encourage it is to work on something else.  Respect the boundary our creativity sets when it says we need to focus on something else.  This is different than distraction which are those things that stop us from doing the work we need to do.  Whether it’s guiding or quieting the mind, it requires discipline.  The point isn’t to focus on a specific new idea, rather to allow it happen naturally.  It’s often said you never know when inspiration may strike.  It’s in those moments when we aren’t desperately searching for an answer where the pieces can fall together and it all makes sense. We are the result of millennia of breakthroughs.  We’ve created new understanding and each new person is a chance to expand that even further.  We have to hear our purpose and what we are called to do in order to create—mindset is everything. Quiet the noise and let lightning strike.