Sometimes it’s easier to disprove than prove.
Many books on creativity and the writing process speak of a universe of abundance. Julia Cameron’s ‘The Artist’s Way‘ brought the concept to my attention initially; I’m sure I’d heard it somewhere, but never in this context. Others mentioned it as well, most recently (for me and my reading) Rick Rubin in the delightful “Way of Being”.
“If you think of the universe as a vast electrical sea in which you are immersed and from which you are formed, opening to your creativity changes you from something bobbing in that sea to a more fully functioning, more conscious, more cooperative part of that ecosystem…
- Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy: pure creative energy.
- There is an underlying, in-dwelling creative force infusing all of life—including ourselves.
- When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator’s creativity within us and our lives.
- We are, ourselves, creations. And we, in turn, are meant to continue creativity by being creative ourselves.”
When I first read this, I was skeptical about the universe and energy. It’s far from my “real” world in corporate career technology. Hard to swallow.
Rubin has a similar take: “Creativity is not a rare ability. It is not difficult to access. Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human. It’s our birthright. And it’s for all of us.”
I don’t know if I’d describe my experience in the same way, but I agree with the general effect; opening up every day and listening brings results. Working the habit, or training the muscle, opens one to a bottomless well of ideas.
This state is easier to disprove that to prove. When I fall out of the habit of generating with ideas, or jot down notes, or to work through story ideas… it’s very difficult to begin. Instead of too many ideas and too many thoughts, I have none. What I assume is referred to as writer’s block (closer to idea block). And it’s so, so easy to fall out of this rhythm. Currently, life is very busy between home and work. I’m still following my writing routine, but many mornings a week I’m rushed, and short either morning pages, my meditation or writing five-hundred words. The quality and quantity of ideas have slowed, almost to a crawl.
Simply getting back on track with a few weeks of focus always helps. My idea notebook fills up with ideas and fragments. Is it the universe, or a very finicky muscle that needs to be well-tuned to work? The process is the same for both. Only the story is different.
