The Well of Creative Energy

One challenge of routine, engaged writing is ensuring a well of creative energy is available to regularly draw from. Without this fluid vehicle for our minds to swim through, understanding & realizing creative goals is impossible.  I am sure we have all experienced the sickening feeling of when there is work to be done, deadlines loom yet when we sit down to go about the task at hand, there is no ability present to begin.

What activities stimulate the mind & help re-energize creative energy? How does one keep inspiration alive & capable of motivating the drive to accomplish our goals?

“That strange benediction comes when it will, but with each visitation, deep within, there is a transformation; it is never the same.” - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Freud called dreams, 'a royal road into the unconscious.' He was referring to their importance in the process known as psychotherapy but could interpretation of dreams also be beneficial for enhancing the conscious power of imagination? Is there enhanced ability in de-coding the symbols of dreams?

{Images by Caras Ionut}

Concentrative Meditation: A Path to Insight

The questions sustains: how best to capture what has been shown on the screen of imagination? Is it possible for writers to borrow from techniques which assist in the art of meditation? There appear to be commonalities. Both seek to focus the mind & leave behind mundane concerns, both require focus beyond the management of daily life; both strive to streamline consciousness for an end result.

Writing is meditation in that it takes us away from world affairs to accomplish recording the words blossoming from a busy imagination. We must pass time, many hours at a desk & this can be a challenge. Distractions mount & the focus we require to complete a writing objective eludes because of a loss in essential concentration. Similar to meditation, writers must summon resolve & sustain focus.

Writers seek transformation from the everyday mind.

When a writer centres, prepared to work, this focus leads to a place of quietude; this more still-place opens a potential for genuine contemplation.

What could be more beneficial? Harnessing the contents of imagination requires reflection & an ability to move past every day distraction. Suppressed for a broader viewpoint, imagination generates.

This act of writing serves as a bridge from an inner paradigm, Awareness of this connection is a source of illumination & we persist in a complex endeavour because we have something relevant to share. Voices combine to form a network of potentiality.

{Photographs by Kumi Yamashita}

Writing as Vehicle For Self-Actualization?

Does the very act of writing bring about a greater awareness of who we are as individuals & what is expected from us to evolve into higher states of consciousness?

If desired, can writing serve as a gateway to understanding unique spiritual destiny?

A writer may create a body of work, to the fullest potential possible in the pocket of time arranged for the task but can we understand what has been created without the relationship of a reader? Can we comprehend the full impact of our efforts without a mirror to reflect the impressions our attempts at literature elicit? Can we truly evolve in a vacuum?

A unique challenge presents itself: writers work in the same solitude a reader does. We do not witness private reactions our work evokes & so must rely on a more limited range of outlets to understand the impact of our words. We may determine whether the writing is popular, based solely on the number of books sold. We may be privileged to the opinions of a handful of reviewers but the bulk of our effectiveness is kept separate from actual understanding. The act of creation serves as the vehicle for unique creative growth but are we missing essential information due to a limited scope of feedback?

“Each of us finds his unique vehicle for sharing with others his bit of wisdom.” - Ram Dass

The goal of establishing a creative centre is central to being an awakened writer. In this mental workshop, we need both clarity & lucidity. Is there a method to rely on which assists in establishing critical mental space, on a daily basis required to produce regular material? Does this impact an overall individual development, either by arresting certain aspects of growth or concentrating focus on only that which is usable fodder for a growing portfolio?

{Photographs by Dan Mountford}

A Process of Immersion - Writing as Meditative State

Harmonizing concentration is known to people who practice meditative yoga. Selecting a point of fixity, the mind is able to focus itself into a single stream of clear, undistracted thought & the body relaxes to accommodate the demands of stillness. Eventually, if this method is perfected, the result will be the expansion of an everyday awareness.

The heartbeat begins to slow & breath becomes a mechanism through which a deeper state of relaxation is achieved.

If a point of concentration is sustained for suitable duration, the practitioner of this meditative technique will experience a sensation of leaving their body. Some profess to enter into a plane of illumination, where a mystical union occurs. The point of concentration expands, enough so that they feel as though they are surrounded by a halo of bright light.

To account for this mystical expansion, a super-intelligent, cosmic life energy called “prana,” is said to be released as a result of perfecting yogic techniques. Prana is a form of energy which lies dormant in the body & may only be awakened through disciplined practice. Stemming from the kundalini, prana flows up the base of a spine, directly into the brain, causing this state of super-consciousness.

This awakening is, by design, a temporary state. It is reported to produce a form of euphoria in its recipient. Afterwards, once the prana begins to dissipate & the normal state of consciousness returns, there is a period of disruption. After the prana recedes, there can be a general state of exhaustion reported, in sharp contrast to the typical restfulness & mental clarity this form of meditative yoga will produce. Abnormal peculiarities of behaviour may also occur, as well as greater instability in the emotional nature.

The mind is not a safe, locked & secure, a compartment unto itself nor the receptacle where the only function is to contain the thoughts which are self-generated. Are there techniques writers can practice, similar to the devotion this form of meditation requires, where a channel of creative energy is opened, then calibrated?

{Artwork by Daniel Airam}

The Hallucinations of Hermits: An Exploration of the Compensatory Nature of the Imagination

What is required when I spend so much time in my mind?

For the engaged writer, concentration creates a private experience. The focus which enables us to convert scenes played upon the screen of imagination requires a removal of distraction. This challenge means we spend time alone, in the planes of imaginary space. Is there a downside to this immersion? Do we begin to novelize our private lives, applying the secrets from our mind to what is occurring in the present sense? Is there a hangover of distemper when we remove ourselves from this dialogue? Or conversely, is there a state of euphoria in living so much from imagination?

 Ecstatic Experience = feelings of a new life, another world, satisfaction, joy, salvation, glory; of new and/or mystical knowledge, of loss of words, images, sense; of unity, heaven; of up-feelings; of contact; of loss of worldliness, desire, sorrow, sin; of enlargement and improvement; of loss of place, of light and/or fire feelings; of peace and calm; of liquidity; of ineffability; of release; of pain.

              Excerpt from “Ecstasy” by Margharita Laski

I hope those who experience this anxiety or ecstasy will feel free to share, not only their frustrations but also the remedies that have been applied in an attempt to overcome feelings of dissociation. In collecting unique experiences, we may discover commonalities.

{Artwork by Enzo Cucchi}

The Engaged Writing Code

Some days the writing is sexy & natural, others a futile chore. On the surface nothing accounts for the difference in ability. I behave the same way in each instance, the mechanics do not alter & my enthusiasm to create something fresh & original compels on both occasions. Still. There are separate modes of aptitude as a result of equal effort.

One principle aim of this blog remains an exploration into what causes differences in creative ability. Is there a secret to engaged writing? I remain curious to discover.

How is it that on one occasion I summon clear, effective language to record plainly what is transpiring on the screen of an inspired imagination yet on other occasions, the words grind to a halt & the visions dissolve?

It would appear being swept away in a flood of feelings, triggered through the conversion of different forms of expression is volatile. How the excitement & at times, the euphoria is experienced might be a mitigating factor?

Psycho-dynamically, feelings towards this discrepancy in performance ability is abject confusion. Was it something I ate? Is there something troubling me? What can be blocking all this best intention?

The lapse in ability can effect confidence. Can I actually write or am I deceiving myself with fragmented bursts of disjointed sequence? Are the times when I am able to get something onto paper a fluke? Why am I not able to summon this at will?

To discover methods & attitudes which enable consistent performance will be a professional breakthrough. Sustained performance represents maturity & a progression of technique. This remains the goal going forward.

{Artwork by Alberto Giacometti}

The Book Baby

At long last, I have my first novel up on Amazon.

Mirror Face

And so. . .




Will be back on Tuesday,  September 11th, 2012.

Happy end of summer, all!