In the last post, I wrote about the importance of taking things one step at a time (something I’ve historically struggled to do).
And in this post, I am going to attempt to do just that. I am going to listen to the moment, each moment, and respond accordingly. You see, so much of talking is just listening. Same with doing, writing, or creating. Moving forward with anything feels lighter the more we awaken our senses.
I have had several conversations lately about the concept of “timing” when it comes to creativity. How do you know the right time to act? Is there such a thing as the right time?
In my experience, people tend to fall into one of two camps.
There is no such thing as the right time. Therefore, if you are not moving forward — you are to blame. To these folks, it might feel like a cop-out or an excuse to rely on the motto “I guess it just wasn’t the right time.” These folks are aware of the agency they have over their own creative process. They want to honor their responsibility, impact, and willpower.
Timing is an art, thus it’s incredibly important for creativity. Therefore, it is important to not rush things — so you can move forward at a comfortable pace. These folks know that so much of the joy of creation comes from an origin point of peace.
However, I’d argue that this is a paradox. Time matters. It also does not matter. Creativity is both proactive and reactive, we move with it and dance with time.
There are two limiting beliefs that we can get trapped in if we do not understand the role that time plays in creativity.
“There is no right time, therefore I have no excuse but to keep going, all the time.” The danger here is when we push ourselves past our limit. Because we can identify with the creative agent inside of us, we can overestimate the power we actually have as a human. There is only so much you can do in a day. And as a human, we have to provide a level of maintenance to our vessel — or else we will burn out, and fry out. That means rest, self-care, and nourishing moments spent consuming art or with loved ones. Or else, we risk a total system shut down. You are not a failure, but you might be dealing with a system failure. This is a state in which we cannot possibly will ourselves to do anything more than what we are already doing. This can lead to a lot of suppressed shame and exhaustion, wondering “why can’t I do it? What is wrong with me?” For you, you may need to give yourself time to decompress. You need to realize that you are only one person. While you may be attuned to infinite possibilities, not all of those ideas can be implemented in reality. Especially not all at once.
“Some times are more ideal than others, therefore I am afraid that if I act now, that now is the wrong time.” The danger here is waiting around too long, waiting for inspiration to land upon you. Waiting for a sign. Waiting for clarity. The danger is when you become so receptive that you are more than ready to begin. You are so ready to begin that you have no idea where to start. At worst, you are giving up your agency and the power of decision-making. You may be subconsciously expecting somebody else to come in and make that decision for you. Maybe you’d like for life to slap you across the face a bit, so you know it’s real. Maybe you’re afraid of failure. For you, you may need to recognize that there is no such thing as a bad first try. You need some trial and error in life in order to develop the confidence in your ability to adjust in the moment when life throws obstacles your way.
As you can see, both doing too much and doing not enough can bring about states of overwhelm. So as always, I’m going to suggest finding “a balance.” Here are two things we can do, no matter who you are, to help your creative flow feel more manageable.
Listen to the moment
Listening to the moment is something that I personally am pretty focused on right now. I have been recovering from burnout for a couple of years now, and I don’t use that term lightly. I keep underestimating how much time and rest I actually need in order to consciously jump back into the mix of doing stuff. When you recognize fully that you are a creative agent, it is easy to be impatient. This is where listening to the moment comes in. Ask yourself, what is mine to do right now? What feels restorative, or invigorating?
Sometimes, the moment may tell you that even though something feels exciting, you would much prefer to do something else that would rejuvenate your energy. The more you listen to each moment, the stronger your relationship will be with your more primal instincts. It is these instincts that will help you push forward when you know you do have the energy to create what you desire. These instincts will also tell you when you need a nap. The mind can help you push forward, anyway, when you know you have doubts or insecurities to overcome. But the mind should not force you to ignore your instincts. Especially when your instinct is trying to tell you that it’s seeking restoration.
If you know you need to work on a larger project, don’t feel the need to force it to happen all at once. Ask yourself, “what feels good to add to this growing pile right now?” Tune in to how much you actually have to give, and your limits will show you when it’s time to stop.
Create the moment
Is your lifestyle currently set up to allow creative inspiration to find you? If it is never the right time, sometimes we need to make time. Ask yourself, what are my priorities? Are your actions currently aligned with your deepest priorities, or have you found yourself running on autopilot? If you have already done the work to be receptive to creative impulse when it finds you, the next step is to arrange your schedule to specifically dedicate some time for yourself to get in the flow. Your mind is already open, it is already roaming all day every day. Even if you do not like plans, you may need to block out some “me time” where you cannot be bothered. This time is a gift, from you to you. If you do not decide to give this to yourself, you will be left with the feeling of looming decisions that need to be made. Even if you do have free time in your schedule, you may not know how to use it.
If scheduling this feels daunting, remember: You do not need to plan out everything step by step. In fact, it’s best not to. If you have multiple interests, you don’t even need to decide if this time will be used for writing, music, poetry, or what have you. But you need to tell yourself something like, “Saturday afternoons are a good time for me to get in the flow with my creative instincts,” for example. Doing so is deciding for yourself to prioritize what you really want. The “right time” is created when you give yourself a sacred container to do and make whatever it is that feels right to you, at that time. With that container, you get to pour all of that beautiful messiness out of you.
You may find that some days you tune in and realize you feel an impulse to draw, other times you may want to write. That is okay, as long as you are moving forward on something. Your instincts will show you what you want to create more of. Perhaps you already have lots of time on this schedule where you already naturally roam freely. You may call it dilly-dallying, and you may even become frustrated if you find yourself in this space without a sense of forward motion. But if you give yourself dedicated time for intentional dilly-dallying, and you give it to yourself regularly — you’d be surprised by how far you can go.
As I have been crawling my way out of burnout, I am finding myself on both sides of the spectrum. I did too much, now I feel like I am hesitant to restart. Now, I feel like a creative sponge –overwhelmed by ideas in my head, unsure which step should go next.
I am finding myself wanting to reject strict plans and goals for the time being. Not until I have rebuilt a stronger relationship with my instincts. I want to prove that to myself first. To me, these instincts are both intuitive and physical in nature. It feels like a dance. Back and forth, we listen to the body, we listen to the metaphysical urges that are drawn out of us, and back again.
"The danger is when you become so receptive that you are more than ready to begin. You are so ready to begin that you have no idea where to start."
I feel like this is the story of my life. I've been called an "artist", "creative", "free spirit", etc. by others for as long as I can remember but I feel uncomfortable self-identifying with such terms because I feel like I don't have a cohesive and consolidated portfolio of work to show off and "prove" my status as such. I feel that most of my creativity is an inward, receptive, sponge-like process and that expressing it outwardly often feels fruitless, cheapening, or like you said- completely overwhelming.
The advice you offer here is super practical and makes me think about how rarely it is that I truly budget in the time to simply create regardless of the outcome of whatever is produced, as well as how important it is to set the stage or create a container for creative endeavors. I truly think capitalism has severely perverted our relationship with creative activities and it's really hard to shift that perspective away from the capitalistic impulses to be productive and impressive with every creative act or to prioritize productivity at all times and let creativity fall by the wayside. Thank you for taking the time to speak on this matter in such a grounded and relatable way!