The Quiet Side
Exploring the unseen benefits of creative focus.
Focus : a state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding
My focused thinking time happens in the morning. No creatures are stirring in the house, the coffee is hot and everything is quiet. I keep my daily journal open so that while I am working any thoughts that come to me can be quickly jotted down.
Primarily I use this time to do some focused creative work, occasionally I need to organize my to-do list or maybe I need to get some thoughts out on a new project idea, but after I get that on paper I am back to something creative.
Allowing myself a few minutes to forget everything else in the world and pay attention to the ink flowing from my pen when I am tangling often brings to the surface of my mind solutions to problems I have been puzzling through or new ideas that I haven’t quite been able to put some framework around. By not directly trying to solve a problem, it feels like all the information I have gathered sorts its self out and new solutions and ideas form. This only happens when I give myself the mental space to sort and organize.
This type of focus can come from any easily repeatable activity. Swimming can be good for that, counting the strokes, or running and focusing on the cadence rather than tv or music. Knitting is another activity that has a cadence, repeatable steps – watching the needles work and focusing on each knit and pearl.
When I learned about Zentangle. I was initially attracted by the designs that caught my eye – but very quickly the finished artwork became a bonus as I practiced and understood how to use the steps of Zentangle to focus. It is the clarity I get by focusing that keeps me coming back again and again.
It isn’t as easy to show a picture online of how lovely the focused time is, what makes a beautiful tile on paper, doesn’t necessarily reflect the impact on your mind.
Over the course of this year, I hope to inspire you to pick up a pen, and practice finding that focus for yourself.
Try This
My focus time often is spent tangling, or using tangling with found poetry. Sometimes it might involve sketching or a coloring book. I also go through periods of getting hooked on sudoku or crossword books which use my brain in a totally different way. The common factor is pen and paper and quiet focus.
Where can you find a little time each day to focus?
deliberate – still – appreciate – quiet – focus – trust – deconstruct – beautiful – reflect – relax – discover – create – comfort – shade – breathe – inspire – be bold – embellish – savor – slow – calm – admire
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