Going Dry

 

Going Dry

©Scott D. Wilson, P.Eng. 2015

 

Writer ’s block, losing your muse, loss of inspiration are just a few terms for what happens when innovative people hit the metaphorical wall in their running quest for creativity.  This process seems to happen to every artist, inventor or innovator.  I can tell you that it is a difficult state for those whose spirit is driven to bring forth new creations and ideas.  It is very much like the soul lost in the desert thirsting for water.

 

Perhaps a metaphor might help to explain.  I have found that the creative process is very much akin to the physical procreative process.  Ideas seem to be inseminated within our minds during the loving exercise of our passions.  Once planted a creative vision is wrestled with as it grows and takes on a life of its own within you.  Just like pregnancy, it is an uncomfortable time as the new dream kicks and challenges the old ideas.  Your mind’s horizons are stretched and grow as the notion wrestles with past thoughts and experiences.

 

And then one day the urgency of the idea becomes intense and the near frenzied birth process takes place as the concept demands attention and action in becoming something physical: a story, a poem, a song, a picture, an invention, a business plan, a recipe, a…  And just like a proud parent you cautiously take your creation out to show to others hoping that they too will see its beauty.

It should be evident that this process can stall at many of the stages along the way but the one that troubles most folks is the inspiration at the very beginning.  Novel and interesting ideas seem to dry up and blow away.  Everything seems old.  The creative individual is left struggling and wondering why their source of inspiration has dried up.  From my own experience this state occurs progressively and results from one thing:  living an uninspiring life. 

 

This may sound overly simplistic but believe me that my statement is quite vast in its implications.  Most do not realize that their ideas are born of their daily life experiences.  Thanks to our hippocampus we only consciously perceive a small percentage of what our senses bring into us on a daily basis.  If this were not the case then we would be inundated by all the tastes, smells, colours, sounds and sensations.   Nonetheless, as we live and experience our days with all their sensations, emotions and thinking we gain experience that is stored and generates our thoughts, ideas and dreams.  Most scientists presently believe that our dreams are a way of our minds processing all that we have perceived, consciously and unconsciously during our day. 

 

In essence, our minds digest the experiences that we put into them every day and turn them into understanding and ideas.  In other words, the mind eats life experience like the body eats food.  Our minds grow strong and our wits sharpen when we provide them with stimulating events and ideas.  Unfortunately, we often allow life to become too routine or mundane and we lose our appreciation for the miracle of our own particular existence.  The common yet mundane entertainment and distractions of life rob our minds of the experiences that they crave.  This often happens through the natural survival processes of our usual days.  I have a few suggestions to correct this matter.

 

My first proposal:  Meditation.  Now before you roll your eyes and tell me that meditation is not for you I need you to revisit the concept of meditation.  When most hear the term mediation they envision guru’s seated on mats with their eyes closed for hours in silent contemplation.   This stereotype is a rather myopic view of mediation.  Mediation has many forms both static and active.  A popular active form of meditation is the Chinese martial art and activity Tai Chi Chuan.  However, others find mediation in a quiet walk with one’s pet or jogging with classic music.  My point is that each one of us can find a form of mediation that works for us.  I encourage you to find yours, anything to free your mind from the day’s mundane thoughts.

 

My next recommendation:  Reconnection with God or the Universe.  Knowing who we are and our purpose plays a strong role in bringing inspiration to our lives.  Similar to mediation, some find prayer to be a conduit for connecting to their spiritual side.  This connection can however take many forms.  Many find understanding of their identity through study and their family, cultural roots or their past.   Our lives were meant to be lived but they were also meant to be reflected upon to be understood and given meaning.  The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates put it this way “The unexamined life is not worth living.”  Whether practical or spiritual, many find that journaling or writing a diary helps them to connect with themselves.  Again, I urge the reader to find their own particular habitual connection.

 

Another suggestion:  Follow a passion or a hobby.  This may seem trite but it is a serious statement.  Many popular teachers today encourage us to find our passion, as if this is a singular thing.  However, many successful people pursue multiple interests and enjoy a variety of hobbies.  Our interests help us to relax and encourage us in our creativity.  Baking a cake or brewing beer may seem completely unrelated to writing or playing an instrument but many attest that following seemingly commonplace activities quiet minds and stir creative juices.  Often our hobbies can become forms of active meditation.  Likewise, following our various interests can also lead to better understanding of ourselves and our purpose.

 

Finally, I recommend:  Associate with other creative people.   There are several reasons why like-minded people form clubs and associations.  Certainly, one of the most significant reasons is to share information and ideas about their work and interests.  Creative people tend to brainstorm ideas with others who share their passions. If your well has run dry then it is a good idea to look around and fins some groups of people who are pursuing your craft.  The internet is filled with coaches, clubs, associations, mastermind groups and the like.  The point is, join one or more such groups and participate in their forums and real-life gatherings.  Write and chat with these people.  Help others to get started.  Whether giving or receiving help and advice you will learn and benefit.  Proverbs 27:17 of the Bible puts it well: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

 

Those four related suggestions form my recommended oasis for those thirsting for their muse or spark of creativity.  I am sure that other venues exist and I encourage you to try them all.  As in other areas of our life we need not feel like victims when our ideas become sparse.  We can be empowered to re-establish our own imaginations and rekindle the fires of inspiration in our lives.  It is not hard to lead an inspiring life but it does take effort and intention at times.  We have only ourselves and our own misgivings preventing us from regaining what we may feel that we have lost.  Let nothing stand between you and your muse!  I tend to agree with author and speaker Jacob Nordby when he stated:

“Writer's block is just another name for fear.”

On a parting note, if you want to hear an inspiring story from a modern artist who lost and found his muse I highly recommend Sting’s powerful TED Talk entitled “How I started writing songs again”:
https://www.ted.com/talks/sting_how_i_started_writing_songs_again?language=en

 

Meet the Author

Meet the Author

©2014 Scott Wilson

Today I will stray slightly from my focus on topics that directly speak to success.  For me, success is linked to creativity and inspiration. Without these elements our best efforts will often fail because we need creativity and inspitration to adapt to the inevitable challenges that occur.  It is with that in mind that I present the following:

How many of us would kill for the chance to meet our favourite author and maybe get a signed copy of their work?  Most of us would jump at the chance to speak face to face with J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, Stephen King, Robert Ludlum or Tom Clancy, to name a few.  Their stories have become our stories.  We have memories of curling up with their well-crafted tales, sometimes even with our friends and family. It would be such a wonderful opportunity to speak with the minds that brought to life our favourite fictional characters.

But what if we could meet the mind who authored the colours of fall or the terrible beauty of fire?  Imagine speaking with the one who conceived and crafted the feeling of joy and invented laughter.  Envision what it would be like to converse with the designer of tears.  How would we feel about a signed copy of today’s blazing sunset?

This may sound trite but these meetings can happen.  We have within us the capacity to connect with the author of all that surrounds us.  The signature of the Maker can be seen everywhere from the tiny mote of quarks up to glorious wonder of galaxies.   This moment that you take to read these words was crafted just for you.  Make no mistake; you are where you need to be right now.  The One who fearfully and wonderfully imagined you is not dead or missing.  You were meant to make this connection.

All that is needed is a bit of your time.  No fancy words or special phrases are required.  You can speak or remain silent.  But you must take the time to slow the incessant chatter between your ears, just like you do before falling asleep.  However, don’t sleep.  Instead, awaken to all that you have been blind to around you.  Find inspiration in your every breath.  Open your heart to miracle that is your very life itself.  Let the One who dreamed this universe speak the words and paint the pictures that are only for you!

The invitation is there, every day.  Come, meet the author…

Engineering Your Own Day

Engineering Your Own Day

©Scott D. Wilson 2014


I am an engineer.  I think I was born this way.  The primary work of an engineer is to design practical things using scientific principles.  I like designing stuff.  I enjoy putting mechanisms together to make them work in new and different ways.  I used to think that designing was only about pragmatic devices that enable us to do so much more than we could before.


For example, I work daily as a telecommunications engineer.  I design communication system that enable people to connect and collaborate faster and easier so that they can innovate and solve problems better.  I enjoy learning about new technological advances and products. Many of the technologies that I use have only been developed very recently.  I am pleased when the people that I serve show enthusiasm about the systems that I develop for them to share, cooperate and communicate.


I have realized that engineering high-tech systems is only part of what I enjoy.  I realize that I also relish learning about new ideas and thoughts on many diverse topics.  I am also very good at putting various ideas and principles together in innovative and interesting ways that allow people to see things from a new and helpful perspective.  This is simply the engineering and designing ideas and concepts instead of physical systems.


Another peculiarity of the way I operate is that I often think in pictures, emotions, smells, tastes and sounds rather than simply in words.  Consequently, I tend to connect diverse things like food, joy, music and math.  My difficulty then comes in finding the words to express these feelings and ideas.  As the saying goes, a picture truly does paint a thousand words.  So to do emotions, tastes and other sensory experiences.


I trust that you, my reader, can understand how difficult it may be to adequately explain the richness certain concepts to those who may never have encountered them.  How might one properly explain a freezing snowy winter day to someone who has lived their entire life in tropical desert? And so it has been with some of the ideas that I have encountered.


One such idea that came to me was about the days of our lives and their true value.  If you indulge me I will try to paint a picture of my unorthodox thoughts.  Imagine if you will, the infinity of time and space laid out from the beginning of the universe until today and stretching on until the very end of time.  Within this vast physical plane our small area of existence is almost unthinkably small both physically and in terms of time.  Nonetheless, we each are privileged to both experience and observe life, an exceeding rare commodity in the vast cosmos.


As an engineer I have deep respect for all forms of life because they are all incredibly marvelous fragile designs. Like snowflakes, every genetic sequence of life is unique and  the slightest change in environmental conditions would extinguish them or render their creation impossible.  Both science and spirituality can appreciate the miraculous combinations that exist to generate life here in all its shapes and sizes.


And here are you amid this mathematical improbability that has somehow generated and sustained life.  You are alive and reading these words now.  And here is the amazing thing:  This moment, this hour, this very day is yours.  It may sound unbelievable but the facts attest that this day with all its opportunities and perils was designed specifically for you.  The fact that you are experiencing it right now bear witness to this truth. 


Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your own personal day just like Christmas, St. Patrick’s or Groundhog day?  The reality is that you already do right now.  This is your day.  The universe or God, whatever you conceive them to be has conspired to have you born and living at this very time and place.  Your options are almost unlimited.  You can squander this time worrying or considering things that may never happen or that have long past into history. Or you can start right now with whatever you have and begin engineering something new and better.


Every person with a sound mind has the capacity to design a new reality for themselves.  This time and place holds opportunities and risks that are unique to you and you alone.  You unique genetic make-up will not pass through this time period again.  Our society’s siren song tells us that it is easier to accept the reality that is presented to us by those around us.  It is possible to coast through life doing what is needed  to remain alive.  Mere existence is commonplace.  Intentionally living and experiencing our unique day is rare.


It is up to you to make the most of what this life has handed to you.  This challenge is yours alone.  I feel called to remind you that life has gifted you with this moment to experience, experiment and learn.  The past can either hold you back or teach you how to move forward.  Yes, failure is a possibility.  Disappointment is a risk.  So too are the probabilities of success, joy and wonder.  All you need to do is grab this moment and begin to engineer you own day!