Making art, finding flow + becoming re-enchanted
I once heard some wisdom for people like me. It said when you find yourself procrastinating, to ask yourself: what am I avoiding?
I’ve been avoiding a lot of things lately, mostly i’ve been avoiding my favourite thing: writing.
Writing for me, is the most all-consuming thing i’ve ever done. And it takes all of my mind, all of my vulnerability and a lot of my time, I suppose that’s what you call ‘flow’.
"A person is in a state of flow when they are totally immersed in a task. When a person is “in flow,” they may not notice time passing, think about why they are doing the task, or judge their efforts. Instead, they remain completely focused.”
Medical News Today
I believe flow to be one of the most wonderful things we’ll experience in this life.
I also believe flow to feel very costly. It demands our unravelling and re-enchantment with life. It asks that we let it stab into our outer shells, our disappointment, our reasons why it won’t work, the armful of things we’ve been carrying. It asks that we put it all down and exchange it for something extraordinary. Perhaps exchange isn’t the right word, because nothing really gets swapped. You’ve still got your same lot…except it becomes worth examining, picking apart, looking at closely, asking your questions. It’s punctuating the hardened sugar-layer of the creme brûlée, so you can have the burnt sugar WITH the cream. It all belongs.
This process is a mini-revival, an awakening out of apathy and numbness. Perhaps this is what religious folk call consecration: to make and declare something sacred. It’s a re-engagement with the everyday like it’s divine.
Flow is a state of being convinced, convinced that all things are possible, convinced that the thing you’re doing must get done, convinced that time doesn’t matter, convinced that you are a vessel for something divine. It’s a feeling of total completeness. A total peace created by a restlessness balanced with groundedness.
I think flow seems to counteract so many of our cultural epidemics. Our erosion of concentration. The busyness of our minds. The I-haven’t-got-enough-time. The I-need-to-be-in-control-of-this. Flow is medicinal.
If you’re feeling a block, ask to enter into flow, into total peace. Figure out your barriers to entry. Punctuate them with a spoon, however painful. Find the thing that’s been waiting. Eat it WITH the burnt sugar. It all belongs. There’s always something on the other side. Fight to be there. Seek out things that stab your outsides (safely!).
Fight to not stay on the hardened side.
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I’m making July a time for focus (tiktok you’ve got to go), creating and hopefully lots of flow time. There will be reflections to follow, i’m sure! x
