“It will come,” that’s what I said to Vicki about the fleeting article idea I had that morning between sleep and waking. It was there. I could feel it, but I knew to wait for it to resurface. Forcing my focus would only prohibit the idea floating back to consciousness.
So, I tended to other things. When younger, I believed singular attention and strength would produce results. But age has taught me, timing plays an essential role, and that non-focus, non-exertion matter as much as mind and muscle.
The birth of my first daughter taught me this, well the preparation of her arrival did. In a CPR class for expectant parents, the instructor passed by as I intensely pumped a baby doll’s chest, and said, “You would have killed that infant.” I thought, “I guess there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.”
But I did not learn instantly that will and strength can be counter-productive. Only two years ago, I broke the branch of the gorgeous and absurdly large lemon tree that stood guard at the end of our garden. Yanking on a lemon that wasn’t fully ripe brought a torn branch with it. Though I’ve grown in my ability to not force things along (including people and lately my puppy), it’s a process, and I still need reminders.
What is productivity but maturation? Maturation is a synergistic process that asks us to participate AND chill out. Like the rest between musical notes, stepping away, or altering one’s pace and intensity, are a part of a whole. When engaged otherwise (that includes goofing off, relaxing, and playing) we are respecting the timeline of nature and creativity.
I’m not sure if that idea I wanted to share with Vicki and write about will return to me (maybe that’s for the best since those seemingly fuzzy morning ideas aren’t always so good), but I am thankful for the reminder that creativity dances inside me, choreographing its next show and tell. If it’s not that idea, it will be another.
Creative Work Happens in the Spaces Between. Take this forward:
✅ Listen to intuition
✅ Trust the process
✅ Resist the urge to force
✅ Understand/appreciate timing
✅ Honor the percolation
✅ Participation AND step back
✅ Surrender a fully defined outcome