Space

I've been pretty busy the last two weeks, and I think my creativity has suffered as a result. Being busy sounds very productive, but on reflection I think it is a signal that your time is being badly managed. The feeling of busy-ness is a feeling of stress, a kind of animal urgency. It stops you from seeing beyond your immediate situation and engaging your higher-level thinking. I think if you want to be creative you need to cultivate the opposite of busy-ness: space.

Space is that feeling when you aren't reading, watching or catching up, not doing or going or working. Space is when the external fades away and you're left alone with your thoughts, to wander where they lead and explore with the freedom of a child. It's very easy, and very tempting, to fill every second with stuff, but if you can make time for space I think you'll start to hear some quiet voices that were drowned out by the noise.

I think I'm going to start going for more walks.