Recently I was reading a book written by a very learned religious scholar. He spoke about how important it is to find the time at least once a day to “retreat to an intentional space for silence, solitude and listening to what is stirring in our hearts.”
It turns out I have been doing this for years. For me it’s the walking I do by myself and now with my puppy every day. No music, no phone … nothing. But I could be sitting in the park, finding a quiet place in the library … it could really be almost anywhere. My walks are a central part of my life and I’m out there unless it’s below 12 degrees (my wife’s rule, not mine!) or monsooning. The time I spend doing this is one of my most cherished and essential parts of the day. I think about many things … family, friends, new ideas for my business, all the other things I have to be thankful for, and of course photography.
What I try my best not to think about is the non-stop insanity that seems to be going on all around us on a daily basis. When one of those ugly thoughts pops up I turn my attention to something else. Plenty of time during the rest of the day to think about what makes me sad!
So when I am out there alone and with Sparky I begin to think about new ideas, places to go and pictures to make. Often I imagine photographs I have never made, but the more I think, the more inspired I become! I also think about what I want to accomplish in my darkroom. I map out entire plans for projects to do, outings to take and prints to make. It is a very good and creative time, away from all the daily distractions we all have.
Every now and then we need something to inspire us to be creative and do the work we truly want to accomplish. We just can’t find the time to reach deep down inside ourselves to discover what it is we want to do and how to make it happen … in life … and art. We’re unable to “listen to what is stirring in our hearts”.
I’m lucky that many years ago I decided to make walking a central part of my life. I did it for the exercise, but soon realized that the miles I put in every day were the least of what I got out of my daily routine. I know that what I’m able to do is easier said than done for many. So what I am suggesting is that you find some way … any way … to carve out moments of quiet time each day, wherever and in whatever way works best for you … even if it’s just a few minutes. Use the time well. Doing so might just spark a whole new creative phase in life … and art.