After my wife and I returned from our honeymoon in Hawaii in December, 2019, we both noticed that our minds felt calm and spacious. We loved it. We both felt happier, more relaxed, and also more productive and creative. We both felt inspired again.
This wasn’t the first time vacation had made use feel this way. Time away from our normal routines gave us a sense of perspective and creative inspiration. I guess I began to wonder how, despite our busy lives, could we maintain this mind-space in the day-to-day business of our lives – not just on vacation.
Around the time we returned from Hawaii I heard one story that really resonated with me and when I heard it things started to click. Celebrity photographer, Annie Leibovitz, was once asked to take a portrait of abstract painter, Agnes Martin, as Martin went about her regular day creating art. During the session, Martin sat down on her bed and continued to sit there for some time.
Eventually, an interested Leibovitz asked her, “What are you doing?”
Martin replied, “I’m waiting to be inspired.”
When I dug a little further, what’s interesting is that if you look at some of the most successful and creative people in history, you’ll see they also use mindful waiting to tap into this source of inspiration frequently.
Einstein and Edison are both rumoured to have used their first moments upon waking up to let their minds wander on those problems they were trying to solve, letting creativity and inspiration simply show up in their minds. Bach is quoted to have believed that he simply waited for divinity to write the music, he just had to write it down. Creativity comes from something unconscious and connecting with that is a skill.
But for me, sitting and waiting are the last things I want to do. When I was a kid I’d sit and daydream all the time, but as an adult I love moving and doing. However, something about Martin’s reply made me very curious. What would happen if I deliberately spent 15 mins a day sitting and waiting? So I decided to give it a try. And while it may not be a substitute for a vacation in Hawaii, but like meditation, it’s got an edge on just about anything else I’ve done.
I’ve broken down what I’ve tried into a few different levels, each one a bit more challenging than the previous. Each one focuses on a specific type of skill and builds on the others. But each provides similar benefits.
Level 1: Sit and Relax into the Moment
This one’s deceptively ease. Pull up a chair, turn off the distractions, and simply let your mind wander for 10 mins. Setting a timer can help so that you don’t got too short. Going too short means you might not have enough time for your brain to settle and decompress.
You’re probably notice at first an unusual feeling of, “oh my god, what am I doing? Is this silly?” If so, you’re probably doing this right. Decompressing the daily thoughts is not familiar because we’re so accustomed to using our minds all the time. When we do this regularly, we give ourselves permission to clear space in our minds on the regular.
At the end of 10 mins (or whatever time you set), you’ll probably feel perhaps a little more relaxed.
Level 2: Note those Thoughts that Arise
Like in level 1, here you sit again for 10 mins. This time be more conscious of those mind-wanders. What are they about? Are you thinking about a project your working on? Or are you thinking about someone or a relationship you have? Note these thoughts. You don’t have to write this down, but not the thought with curiosity. I often found myself saying in my head “oh, hum, that’s interesting.”
At the end of this session, you may want to write down some of the thoughts you noted. I found in the short time that I did this that there were real insights I got from this session.
Level 3: Pose to your mind a question and let the silence answer
Like level 1, here you sit again for 10 mins. However, this time, instead of simply starting to watch the mind, give it something to work on, like a question or problem that your trying to solve. Then, like in level 2, watch and note what arises. It takes time to get this right and sometimes you’ll need to gently remind your mind what it should work on by simply repeating the problem and then watching a noting. Also, I’ve noticed, sometimes when my mind won’t settle on the question and wants to wander on something else, I let it because generally it’s got something else I should note.
End
That’s it. Give it a shot and let me know how this technique impacts you. Like with this approach to finding more space and inspiration in our lives, I’ve noticed that sometimes stopping to take note is the best way to move forward.
