It has been a while since I’ve felt the itch to create. But, today, my fingers begged to touch a keyboard, and my mind started leaking words, phrases and ideas. They fell like an incessant drip on the unyielding rock of mundane tasks and practical thoughts that normally occupy my days. They fell: drip drip drip, until I could ignore the urge no longer. So here I am.
There’s something about slow rainy days. It slows down the mental rush and wakes up my “daydreamy-ness.” It seems difficult to create in heat and busyness. While the daily bustle might inspire an idea, it is often lost in a swirl of activity. Stress and anxiety often whips the swirl into a frenzy, and all of my thoughts and ideas blur together into a chaotic mess. It takes the gentler breeze of slowness, of something that closely resembles boredom, for my mind to pick out the creative thoughts from the swirl. It takes space and coolness for any creative idea to bloom into a whole post.
This morning my fingers and my mind said Let’s write. I had a million questions:
What are we writing about?
What’s the outline?
Now?
Why?
But the answer was simple and perhaps a little scary: Don’t think, just write. Let’s go on an adventure…a walk along a meandering path through your inner creative space, and we will see where we end up. The part of me that wants everything to be planned and organized to perfection recoiled. I’d much rather know who, what, when, why and how. I want a to-do list, a schedule, a plan…something that tells me how it’ll work out to reassure my anxious mind. But the urge to write was having none of that. Let’s go.
So, again, here I am on the unknown-path-with-no-foreseeable-direction. Normally I’d try to set the mood before such adventures: a scented candle, a comfy chair, the right playlist, maybe some hot cocoa and my notebook of ideas. But today I am armed only with a 90’s R&B playlist and my phone. There is no outline and no aim other than to let the words flow unhindered from my mind to my fingertips and out into this post.
The path looks beautiful though. It is neither wide nor narrow. Somehow it is shady enough to be cool but still bright enough that I can appreciate its gentle beauty. Creativity is truly born in slowness. It feels comforting to momentarily wander away from the feeling of being trapped. This path feels…free. The air is crisp and clean, cool and comforting. Here, my dreams dance unhindered like the most beautiful butterflies amidst flowers of various colours and sizes. As I walk further, my steps become surer and more relaxed.
Here, my doubts start to melt away. Here, the sunlight is not a harsh burn, but a gentle, embracing warmth, like a hug from the heavens. Why was I afraid to come here? I wish I could be here more often. It is quiet enough for me to hear my inner voice. The false messages I’ve internalized are lost in the quiet. I feel more like myself than I have in quite a while.
As I venture further along the path, I can hear the sounds of the sea in the distance. I start to feel the salty breeze. The sea represents the epitome of love, peace and freedom for me. But I’m not ready to venture that far yet. At least now, I have the faith to believe in how exquisitely beautiful it will be, when I get there. For now, I’ll pause here, grateful for my little rainy day creative adventure.
Peace, love and sparkles
The Unicorn of Awesomeness
Shespeaksandwrites 