Creating in the middle of things. It's another inspiration from Eric Maisel, the Creativity Coach, from his book, Coaching the Artist Within. The idea is to create in the middle of things - in the middle of turmoil and tension, in the middle of stress and sensation, in the middle of boredom and beauty, in the middle of life! Maisel says, "You are always in the middle of your personality, always in the middle of your stream of consciousness, always in the middle of your culture. There is no exit."
Writing, for me, comes in waves. I have let it come in waves. I have submitted to the idea that there are times when I am not inspired, when I am tired, when I want to shut off my brain and watch mindless television for an hour or two. I have let the writing slip off to the side when I've had "better" things to do, something more fun and less stressful, something easier and more shallow. I have let life - and relationships and jobs and adventures and responsibilities - take over. But I still write. Because writing is what I love. It is my passion and my dream, my obsession and my life.
I write in the middle of things. I bring notebooks and pens with me wherever I go. I try to write every day. I write when I am happy and when I am sad. I write when I feel lost and also when I know exactly where I am. I write for solace and celebration. I write in fear and with tremendous courage. I write when I am weak and also when I am strong. I write, I create - in the middle of things.
But there's more I could do. I could give up that hour or two of television even though I just want to shut off my mind - and write anyway. I could push through the exhaustion - and write anyway. I could acknowledge that I may not be inspired at any given moment - and write anyway. I could forgo those plans with friends even though everyone else is going out and I haven't seen them in a while - and write anyway. But I also have to live my life - otherwise what do I write about?
I realize writers (and all artists) make sacrifices for their art. And I do make some. I have to, otherwise I wouldn't write. But as a writer, I must live, too. I must experience new things and have wild adventures; I must laugh and cry, fall in love and break-up. I must observe the beauty of the world and also open my eyes to the ugliness. I must let in the pain and give of myself. I must take and I must share.
I must dive in to the middle of things, and while I'm there, swirling around in the mess and the beauty, the laughter and the pain, the misery and the excitement; I must create - right in the middle of things. As you must, too.
Showing posts with label Creativity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creativity. Show all posts
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Risking Mania
"It is a dare: find your passion, find your energy, ignite your being, and, in the process, risk mania." ~Eric Maisel, Coaching the Artist Within
I'm reading the book, Coaching the Artist Within by Eric Maisel. Today I read a chapter about positive obsessions. We tend to think of obsessions as negative things - things we need to overcome, forget, let go of or heal from. But obsessions can be positive and healthy, as well. Positive obsessions are things that nurture us, inspire us, motivate us, keep us thriving and dreaming, creating and living. A positive obsession is when you love something (or someone) passionately, think about it constantly, let other obligations or tasks slip away because of your intense interest in it. You work at this obsession tirelessly, letting it interfere with daily life. You give it the power to elevate your mood, raise your heart rate, alter your eating and sleeping patterns and consume your dreams.
I have had many positive obsessions in my life. When I am in these obsessive phases, these things have consumed my mind from morning til night. They have altered my typical patterns, made me push other things aside, kept me focused on a single train of thought and motivated me to work hard toward a specific goal.
When I decided to lose weight a few years ago, I became obsessed with diet, exercise, clothing sizes, body image and health. Though I may have been annoying to others (as some of you have told me) I needed this obsession to keep me motivated, to fuel me and power me through the weight loss. It was hard work (it still is!) and I know I couldn't have done it if I had gone at it half-heartedly. I needed to focus on the goal of weight loss and let other interests and obligations slip away for a little while. During this time I only read books about diet, weight loss, and health. I focused all of my energy on planning healthy meals, getting to the gym and finding other ways to exercise. I talked non-stop about health, diet and exercise plans. And I became obsessed with the scale, clothing sizes and the way my shrinking body looked in the mirror. I needed to do this. And I am glad I did. I lost over 80 pounds with diet and exercise alone. I shrunk 6 clothing sizes. My self-esteem sky-rocketed. I got healthy. And it changed my life. Without this positive obsession, I don't think I would have accomplished this incredible feat.
Another positive obsession is my passion for writing. I have been obsessed with writing my whole life. There are times when the writing fire burns me up inside and it is all I can think about, talk about, read about and do. Then there are times when I find an interest in other things and I let the writing lay in wait for a little while, resting peacefully. But through all of this, the passion for writing is always there. Always. I want to write. I want to surround myself with writing tools and books and other writers. I want to live the writing life. This consumes me. I am obsessed. But I love it.
Some other positive obsessive phases I have gone through involve travel, education, nature, relationship, cooking, family, friendship, celebration and love. Each one is something that has taught me, nurtured me, enriched my life and inspired my dreams. I benefit immensely from these positive obsessions. I wouldn't be who I am without them.
But there are times when there's just too much and I crave that one, important, all-consuming obsession. Right now I am obsessed with a few things all at once and I can feel my mind and my heart being pulled in too many different directions. I find that I cannot give enough to each obsession, even though I try, and so it feels like I am neglecting some things that are important to me. I am obsessed with school, writing, my relationship, finding my way in a new town, health and weight loss, maintaining friendships and relationships with family, planning my future, discovering who I am, doing what I want........this is how I am risking mania. I am spreading myself thin trying to give my full energy and attention to all the things I want and love and need - and it's feeding me, nurturing me and keeping me going. But it's also making me a little crazy. Like Eric Maisel's dare above: I am finding my passion, finding my energy, igniting my being and, in the process, I am risking mania!
What are your positive obsessions? How do you risk mania in your life?
I'm reading the book, Coaching the Artist Within by Eric Maisel. Today I read a chapter about positive obsessions. We tend to think of obsessions as negative things - things we need to overcome, forget, let go of or heal from. But obsessions can be positive and healthy, as well. Positive obsessions are things that nurture us, inspire us, motivate us, keep us thriving and dreaming, creating and living. A positive obsession is when you love something (or someone) passionately, think about it constantly, let other obligations or tasks slip away because of your intense interest in it. You work at this obsession tirelessly, letting it interfere with daily life. You give it the power to elevate your mood, raise your heart rate, alter your eating and sleeping patterns and consume your dreams.
I have had many positive obsessions in my life. When I am in these obsessive phases, these things have consumed my mind from morning til night. They have altered my typical patterns, made me push other things aside, kept me focused on a single train of thought and motivated me to work hard toward a specific goal.
When I decided to lose weight a few years ago, I became obsessed with diet, exercise, clothing sizes, body image and health. Though I may have been annoying to others (as some of you have told me) I needed this obsession to keep me motivated, to fuel me and power me through the weight loss. It was hard work (it still is!) and I know I couldn't have done it if I had gone at it half-heartedly. I needed to focus on the goal of weight loss and let other interests and obligations slip away for a little while. During this time I only read books about diet, weight loss, and health. I focused all of my energy on planning healthy meals, getting to the gym and finding other ways to exercise. I talked non-stop about health, diet and exercise plans. And I became obsessed with the scale, clothing sizes and the way my shrinking body looked in the mirror. I needed to do this. And I am glad I did. I lost over 80 pounds with diet and exercise alone. I shrunk 6 clothing sizes. My self-esteem sky-rocketed. I got healthy. And it changed my life. Without this positive obsession, I don't think I would have accomplished this incredible feat.
Another positive obsession is my passion for writing. I have been obsessed with writing my whole life. There are times when the writing fire burns me up inside and it is all I can think about, talk about, read about and do. Then there are times when I find an interest in other things and I let the writing lay in wait for a little while, resting peacefully. But through all of this, the passion for writing is always there. Always. I want to write. I want to surround myself with writing tools and books and other writers. I want to live the writing life. This consumes me. I am obsessed. But I love it.
Some other positive obsessive phases I have gone through involve travel, education, nature, relationship, cooking, family, friendship, celebration and love. Each one is something that has taught me, nurtured me, enriched my life and inspired my dreams. I benefit immensely from these positive obsessions. I wouldn't be who I am without them.
But there are times when there's just too much and I crave that one, important, all-consuming obsession. Right now I am obsessed with a few things all at once and I can feel my mind and my heart being pulled in too many different directions. I find that I cannot give enough to each obsession, even though I try, and so it feels like I am neglecting some things that are important to me. I am obsessed with school, writing, my relationship, finding my way in a new town, health and weight loss, maintaining friendships and relationships with family, planning my future, discovering who I am, doing what I want........this is how I am risking mania. I am spreading myself thin trying to give my full energy and attention to all the things I want and love and need - and it's feeding me, nurturing me and keeping me going. But it's also making me a little crazy. Like Eric Maisel's dare above: I am finding my passion, finding my energy, igniting my being and, in the process, I am risking mania!
What are your positive obsessions? How do you risk mania in your life?
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