Something, Anything
For weeks now, we are all privy to the toxic assault of sad, bad news that has plagued the world. And unless you live in a remote location or isolated from social media it is hard to separate the events from our daily lives; now even more so — as the critical hours tick by. In the midst of all the changes; some personal & by choice, some circumstantial & not so — there have been numerous learnings & freshly acquired leanings. Not the least of which, is my better-late-than-never growing realization (not very original, but then again — everything is a Remix), of just how incredibly & powerfully the mind works — physically & energetically (or non-physically, if you like the sound of that).
This ‘happenstance’ with its many silver linings, also turned out be a major turning point, turning me around; someone who turned-tail from changes to an embracer of challenges. The Simple Lesson — CREATE; a solid turn-on & turn-out, as it were :) Simple right? Wrong. There’s a reason why it’s well-known that destruction is easier than creation. As anyone who’s every created anything can vouch, creating something new is hard as hell & requires inspiration, order & discipline.
Although Creating has been a rhythm I’ve been in for years, it was rather sporadic & externally-driven. It started as a necessity — things like cooking daily meals, building training content for work, putting in weekly hours of singing practice.. and then slowly expanded into other avenues — writing a reflective piece for a blog post, composing a new tune, doodling silly nothings, trying my hand at B&W Photography, playing creative online games, brainstorming new & I hoped, un-thought-of recipes… It grew. And then it clicked firmly into place. The magical process of bringing something into the world that didn’t exist; not from you at least!
Whatever the state of mind before the pixie-dust sprinkled process of creation; be it anger, despair, nothingness, dark-dark-darkness, anxiety, confusion or overlapping thoughts about the unfairness & unknown, blah.. after you’ve accomplished a creative unit of whatever you love, evaporates into — First, Oblivion and then Adrenaline-pumping-Rush-of -Euphoric-Peaceful-Zen. It’s like your directionless brain is reborn, your senses attuned & focused and your body throbbingly alive. And know from experience, you cannot get enough. Like putting my thoughts to words, like watching this article become real :)
It could be anything write, paint, cook, sing, knit, play, make soap, sew, build, design online modules, design… anything. The possibilities are endless. So when on a normal day, in ordinary circumstances, we ask ourselves where’s the time to do everything I want to do? Or where do I get the energy to do everything I want to?
In an idea. In something you love to build or do or make or craft or recreate. It is a process, it seeks flow. This is the key to counteracting, and mind you appreciatively, the inevitable & the unchangeable. Like in the beautiful Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi — find beauty & purpose in the imperfection.
So, create and then things happen. It is all-consuming & leaks into all areas of our life. You feel the surge of positivity, there’s renewed self-awareness, you tackle problems head-on, you juggle a dozen things with panache, you create the job, you create the right circle & opportunities, you create the legacy. Just need to start & then daily, diligently — like brushing teeth, make it a habit. Share it afterwards — the end result or the experience story, with humorous highlights maybe? Or a price tag to it. Or not. It’s all with you & within you. So even when we are gone, our creations or mastery stands as living proof — possibly undestroyed :)
