Tools for Creative Solitude
“There is no art without contemplation.” ― Robert Henri
I've been feeling a hunger for solitude these days. not the kind in the studio where I'm still plugged into a hundred different ways to say hello, but the kind that allows shy thoughts and ideas buried deep in the unconscious, to bubble to the surface.
Do you ever feel like you can hardly hear yourself think these days? That our quiet moments have been shoved aside so as to never feel bored?
I've been seeing a similar cry echoing throughout my creative community for awhile now and it sparked a curiosity to understand what's really happening. It's no surprise that constant connectivity and digital distractions are a real problem for just about anyone these days. The popular answer to the problem is often, unplug-which isn't always ideal.
What's less discussed however, is this: what's really at stake?
And it's not what we think.
The biggest problem with digital connection isn't that it's distracting us from making more art, or even that it's causing us to compare and doubt our artistic abilities.
The real problem, what's truly at stake-is that artists and creative souls are losing their ability to think and feel deeply.
We're so inundated with fleeting imagery and social media courtesy we can barely hear ourselves think, or feel. And so we're left with dangling threads of unfinished thoughts. Open loops. Languished ideas like under-watered sprouts. Under-developed, timid art.
Like a marriage slowly unraveling when two partners stop sharing their thoughts and dreams, we've stopped talking to ourselves.
The wise woman within knows it. She fights by craving depth. Contemplation. Focus. And when she doesn't have it, she feels restless. We have inner stirrings that the status quo no longer works for us but we don't quite know what to do with ourselves when we disconnect. The silence can indeed be uncomfortably deafening.
And so my inner wise woman continues to warn me.
It's why I often feel a need to disappear from social media for weeks at a time (even though that's not the solution, more on this in another post). Why I fiercely protect my ability to cocoon every few months. Why my best work is done in frenzied, hyper-focused, trance-like states where reality melts away. Why wonder walks and creative adventures rejuvenate my soul like nothing else.
You see, these quiet moments create an enveloping, immersive, creative solitude in which I can finally hear my own voice.
In it, I let myself feel things long enough to understand them. I catch intuitive whispers from my rich unconscious otherwise drowned out by the din of everyday. I have conversations with my soul. I follow long, winding thought processes that lead to deep, meaningful, magical work. I sink into art-making in a way that's hypnotic, mesmerizing and nourishing. Hands covered in paint. Splatters on my clothes. Soul overflowing.
It made me realize that what's at stake is so much bigger than just feeling better about ourselves. It's not just our sanity at risk, it's our ability as creatives to solve complex problems, create soulful, breath-stealing work, shake things up in the world.
Big stuff. Stuff that matters.
Without boredom, without daydreams, without unplugged space, there will be no Creative Solitude. Without Creative Solitude, there will be no deep, meaningful art.
I'm already looking for ways to be enchanted daily. And happily, there appears to be an obvious overlap. But for reasons above, long interludes of uninterrupted Creative Solitude is something I need to make more time for. And so a Beautiful Inquiry began to emerge :
How can I find more ways for Creative Solitude?
Here are some Labyrinthine ideas I'm experimenting with that might help you find Creative Solitude in your own everyday:
Wonder Walks & Creative Adventures
What tangible/physical activity can you do every single day that enchants you and engages your spirit? Choose something that invites you to linger in that moment long enough to finish thoughts. Wonder Walks? (download a Wonder Walk pocket guide here.) Waking up early in the mornings do a little bit of gardening? Peaceful evening swims to be alone with your thoughts and get some daily exercise in?
If you have a bit more time to spare- say, a weekend or a week, try Creative Adventures (download a Creative Adventure Kit here). Train rides, solo road trips and camping under the stars are wonderful opportunities for Creative Solitude.
Some things to experiment with:
Leave your phone/device at home or in the car when running errands, going on walks or adventures. It's tempting to bring them along to snap photos, post on social media, Google a fun fact, etc, but try leaving it behind. I've found that my thoughts actually have room to grow in interesting directions when I have a chance to finish them!
The Big, The Bold and the Brave
What can you be creating (with or without your hands) that is so challenging, interesting and exciting that it easily consumes entire chunks of uninterrupted creative time?
Take on a Big, Brave, Bold creative project. The kind that has time-warp qualities and leaves you a little scared, nervous, but excited. For example, try a large painting instead of small ones. Commit to knitting a bedspread instead of socks. Throw yourself into this project a few hours on a daily basis and observe your creative problem-solver get to work and inner calmness return.
Old-Fashioned Day-Dreaming
What are some truth-finding activities that not only amplify your inner voice, but encourage you to linger in Creative Solitude?
Carve some day-dreaming into your studio time! Collect some prompts that make Day-Dreaming fun and immersive : Day-dream your Future Home. Your Next Big Vacation. Your Perfect Studio. Your First Solo Gallery Show. Create a Day-Dream Corner in your studio just for this.
If you want to get creatively messy, turn your Day Dreams into a tangible inspiration board which I call a Myth Tapestry, or Personal Book of Myths (we explore these concepts in my Walk the Labyrinth Creative Expedition.) But in essence, it's a process of re-defining what you enchants you as a part of your personal mythology-a practice that's immersive and nourishing and thus, perfect for your Creative Solitude time.
For other soul-spirit explorations, try meditative painting/making, Soul-Collage, and tarot practice books like 21 Ways to read a Tarot.
Playing Pretend
Do you have a favorite artist, book or movie character whose Creative Solitude moments you'd like to model? Perhaps you're Anne of Green Gables dreaming up fantastic stories and names for her everyday encounters? Or are you Georgia O' Keefe taking solitary walks in the woods? Perhaps you're Walt Disney tinkering and jumping into his toy-train rides as he dreams up his Disney Land?
Pick someone to model and walk in their solitary shoes for the day. Observe and record if anything interesting comes up from playing pretend.
Whichever Labyrinth Realm you choose for exploring your Creative Solitude, observe and then record what comes up during these quiet moments, in your Explorer Notebooks. You might surprise yourself with some new projects and ideas!
P/s : Did you know you can peek into my personal Creative Solitude time by following me at @LabyrinthofEnchantment? I share the quiet, poetic moments that stir my art spirit and inspire my work. To see the pieces that emerge from these magic times, hop on to @amytwon, my main artist feed. I'd love to see you there but don't forget that even if you're following me, make time to embark on your own Creative Solitude adventures! (Share what you're doing in your quiet moments by tagging it with #creativesolitudemagic.)