晴耕雨読 seiko udoku : Farm when it's sunny, read when it rains.
Sometimes the tides deposit millions of beautiful seashells on the beach and sometimes they wash up only a few broken shards. Have you found that generating ideas is also unpredictable and seems to ebb and flow?
Have you been hungry and wandered around having a difficult time searching for a suitable restaurant and after finding one and eating, you notice on the way home, three more good possibilities. Have you felt indecision when being helped by a pushy salesperson until you say: ”I’m not going to make a decision today.” Then with the pressure turned off, your blood pressure drops, your head clears, and you feel confident to make a purchase.
Sometimes pressure creates necessity, sometimes it creates diamonds, but often it causes anxiety. Are you more creative under pressure with deadlines looming or when relaxed? Not sure what to paint or write? Not sure how to solve a problem? or what to do on a rainy Sunday? When you finally get an idea, the pressure is off, you relax and your mind generates a thunderstorm of new ideas. Too many to use – so catch them in buckets! And write them down for next time. Even if you don’t use them, they can kindle new thoughts.
There is certainly a lot of pressure to develop solutions in Japan today. The kind of pressure most of us would be fortunate to never have to face. To solve the problems – wishing the Japanese buckets of useful ideas!
I can’t be creative under pressure. As soon as the pressure is off, my creativeness comes back. I think it’s important to let your mind be free a bit then the ideas come pouring in. Must be why I find myself blogging late into the night after the kids go to bed. I need learn to fill a bucket and go to sleep. :). I certainly wouldn’t want to experience what Japan is going through…bless them all.
It’s such a challenge to find peaceful times to create – so many nighttime thoughts are fleeting- I always expect to remember them, but often don’t – it’s good that you are writing some in your blog. Thanks Melinda for your thoughts –
Someone told me the other day that “everything is optional” and that idea has helped take some of the air away from self imposed pressures.
I also prefer a perfect timing to create many things in a peaceful time. Especially at night, before going to sleep. So many things are running through my head.
I am hopeless under pressure. Just can’t work that way at all. I really need to clear away pressures completely to be creative, otherwise I get bouts of ‘mini-burnout’ as I’ve taken to calling them.
You and me both, wishing the Japanese buckets of useful ideas. They’re a strong people, I’m astonished at the way they are coping with their disaster.
Thanks for commenting Val – taking a few steps back and away seem trying to figure and dismissing pressures that are self-imposed helps me. I’ve been enjoying reading your blog and hope you enjoyed your break – David
Its a good challenge for us to figure out many ideas and to refrain pressure. For me, i make it simple as it is and work as i have no tomorrow.