Rumi writes: “…there’s only one search: wandering this world is wandering that, both inside a transparent sky.”
Maybe it's supposed to feel untidy in the messy and non-linear space of figuring out what is most important. Our work is deciding what can't get left undone—and it is work, deep work. Most of my mental energy goes into this deliberating and deciding.
Inside a creative wander, we can let things stay stuck in their web after buzzing in. Their uses often reveal themselves later—during a walk, while cooking, in those in-between moments. Unexpected connections are the heart of creativity. Like a vintage telephone operator, we can plug THIS into THERE after it's been sitting a bit, letting signals cross and connections crackle to life in their own time.
This patient approach to creativity reminds me of Sari Azout's observation in her recent Every article:
In a world where we can outsource productivity to technology, the people who reap the biggest rewards aren’t those who work the fastest.
They’re the people who make things that are wonderful, original, weird, emotionally resonant, and authentic. As our feeds become flooded with instant, AI-generated content, the most dangerous thing you can do is play it safe.
The real work is the human work.
Azout continues:
In his book Keep Going, author and artist Austin Kleon juxtaposes this messy, networked approach with organization and neatness. “Creativity is about connections, and connections are not made by siloing everything off into its own space. New ideas are formed by interesting juxtapositions, and interesting juxtapositions happen when things are out of place.”
So, that leads me to another question... what's been left out of place? Can it stay there a bit longer, wandering in its transparent sky?
