Reconnect with Your Muse
Mindfulness and and creative expression
無念の念を念として、歌うも舞うも法の声
Munen no nen wo nen to shite, utau mo mau mo nori no koe
Yoke yourself to the place where thoughts come from, and even singing and dancing become expressions of Spirit
- Zen Master Hakuin, Zazen Wasan (The Song of Zazen)
If I had to give myself a label, I’d say Artist.
I can’t draw for beans, but I can write. That’s where I first discovered the Muse. Even as a high school student I’d have the sense of some Thought taking shape in the deep parts of my mind, calling to be expressed. Sitting down with a pencil and trying to give it form was and continues to be one of my great delights.
No doubt mindfulness has given me more reliable access to the Muse, mostly by removing what gets in the way.
For myself, what’s gotten in the way is a kind of doubt. A thought comes to me as I’m writing, say, and there’s a moment of hesitation.
Is this good enough?
From the mindfulness perspective, we could say that moment of hesitation is non-Equanimity with inner See Hear Feel. A thought comes up and instead of receiving it and (in this case) transcribing it onto the page, I get stuck in between.
As I paid more attention to how I was engaging in the creative process, another word came to mind: ingratitude.
When I sit down to write (or to create anything, really, whether that’s a lesson plan or a dinner menu), where do my thoughts come from?
I may have to make some effort to think, but even so it became clear to me that my thoughts were coming from somewhere else.
So if my thoughts are being given to me, rejecting them is a kind of non-gratitude.
Not good enough.
Send it back.
I deserve better.
Aha.
Equanimity, in the context of the creative process, is more like bowing my head and humbly accepting what is offered to me.
Wow, thank you!
It’s a fascinating approach to creative work. I notice that as I’ve developed the ability to welcome thoughts in meditation, it’s become easier to welcome them while writing.
Writing fiction remains a challenge, but I rarely get stuck when writing other things.
I just sit down and the words come right out.
I guess when we’re grateful to the Muse it can reach us more easily.