White Space

Somewhere between the urgent disruptions, the thought-robbing distractions, our screaming to-do list, and the continuous lure of breaking news, there are openings where we can slow down, slip through the gaps, and actually find enough white space to get some creative work done. Some days, the openings are so wide we can spend long hours catching up on our most important projects and goals. Other times the days are jammed with a boatload of responsibilities or unexpected catastrophes, and there is no white space to be found anywhere.

However, what I’ve come to learn is that navigating our busy schedule is not difficult because most of us artists & treps have our own favorite software, or time-management systems that help us triage the work load of the day. But finding that time to contemplate, create and manifest our ideas and projects can be challenging. That’s because the gaps we really need to slip through are the ones between our busy thoughts, where pure creativity lives, not the ones between our busy schedules, where time-management lives. 

And the only way I know to slow down my restless thoughts, just long enough to slip through the gaps and experience that creative still zone, is to sit in a private space, every day, for 10, 20, 30 minutes, close my eyes, and allow the gaps between my thoughts to open up effortlessly, so that I can slowly slide into the deep end of the pool. 

Important because That simple daily routine (that I’ve been doing for nearly 40-years) has become the solid foundation under my feet, that allows me to walk through life a little slower, a little lighter and a little clearer. Not in search of enlightenment, more in search of that illusive white space.