Flow Instead of Force

Hello friends, 

For most of us in the modern world, we are constantly pushing forward, whether it be at work, in your love life, or just between interpersonal relations. There's so much of the U.S. culture that say 'go, do more, work harder, strive for more!'. Every thing feels like a competition, like a giant race to some distant finish line that we only get to when we die. What are we chasing? Are we really appreciating the life around us as it is now?

The material world has this radical grip on most of us, myself included; I'm not above this criticism. l love 'stuff' too, and I am constantly trying to 'do more'. Being an independent artist, it's literally my job to push myself because I don't have a boss breathing down my neck making sure I hit my deadlines. And truthfully, I do enjoy the hustle. Yet over the past year or two, I've noticed that the hustle (the way I've been working)  has worn me out not only physical but spiritually and creatively; and being that my job is rooted in spirituality and creativity that's a real big bummer. I've recently started taking more of a step back when I feel like I'm pushing too much. When I force myself to be creative or to paint when I don't feel right, the project generally doesn't come out the way I would like-it's not my best. There are several folks in the art community (mainly commercial illustrators) that say that this is a counterproductive practice and that you should push yourself through 'art block' or when you don't feel like it; that are is a practice and that you shouldn't just do art when you're feeling 'inspired'. I agree and disagree with this idea, and I'll get more in depth with that specifically in a later post. 

So what do I mean by flow instead of force? It's an idea I've been toying with since watching a video by the magnificant Jessica Alexandria of Behati Life on Youtube. She's an astrologer and skilled tarot card reader that I've been following for a few months now.  I'm sure there's skeptics out there that will say that listening to tarot readers and astrologers is silly, and that's your perspective. Being a witch, I am stitched together with the stars and the roots of the earth; I feel a connection to these practices. We can talk more about that in another post. 

It starts with forgiving myself for not being productive 100% of the time and accepting the idea that it is necessary to take breaks....and eat. I get so busy being busy that there are days that I have painted for over 12+ hours and only drank coffee. That is no way shape or form is healthy. I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that coffee is not an all encompassing way of sustaining life, and it's staining my teeth. The funny thing is that I love good food.....not junk food, but healthy, sustaining, life giving greens and fruits, good meats and homemade breads. And yet, there are days that I get so focused on being 'productive' and getting work done that I forego my own well being. How could being that focused on work be good for you....and honestly, good for my business? 

Continuing to learn how to take breaks (and what constitutes as a break), I've come to find that doing other activities outside of my usual art routine of drinking stale coffee and obsessively watching the news is good for those ever-elusive creative juices. Reading, for instance, has become some what of a more substantial activity in my usual pursuits, as of late. Getting out of the house and spending time with people (instead of just my easel) has proven to be really good for not only my 'inspiration' but my mental health. I'm actually pretty ok with spending copious amounts of time alone, I'm an only child- it's how I was raised. But, I can only inspire myself for so long before I begin to puke out the same stagnant ideas I've been scribbling down for 25 years. I think I'm just bored. 

Being bored is a new concept for me. As an only child, my mother's favorite line growing up was always 'go entertain yourself'. And, I did. I learned how to create my own inspiration and fun. So what the fuck does any of this have to do with 'flow vs. force'? I think I'm trying to say that some times you need to step out of the norm to inspire that creativity to come back. By forcing art to come out, by forcing myself to work I only find shitty work on the other side of that finish line. When taking my time and allowing the ideas to flow into my consciousness, I find that fresh ideas come from new experiences and new perspectives. Radical thought, huh? Not really....this is nothing new. 

Read a new book. Go for a walk in a new neighborhood. Eat a different sandwich at your favorite deli. This is classic advice. When you try new things, try to see things in a new light...new ideas emerge. If you're as bored with your work, your surroundings, your thoughts (as I am), get out and try something different and see how that feels. It's like trying to shove your foot into a shoe that's three sizes too small. Yea, that little shoe might be really pretty, but in the end is it going to help you walk to your next destination without killing your feet?  When we allow life to inspire us on it's own terms, in it's own time, we tend to see that it was already there. 

I know most of this post was pretty ramble-y, but I hope the basic message got across. Let me know your thoughts on the subject. I would love to hear from you. My own echo chamber is getting pretty boring. 

xo. ❤ h.