I can’t pinpoint exactly where I heard "what one feels in the moment is irrelevant against the backdrop of what needs to be done."
Why it has been among the most persistent thoughts that has stayed with me is it captures almost perfectly the fleeting aspect of emotions.
So far, the best description I’ve found is that they rise and fall like weather patterns across an interior landscape. This one mindset serves as an anchor.
Almost because, in the moment, one’s ability to act can also be dictated by tapping into said emotions as a boost to get done what needs to be done. Passion, after all, is just an emotion harnessed for momentum.
On a higher time frame, I obviously don’t distinctly remember what I generally felt like six months ago. Like a flowing river, the experiences have passed and what remains is the terrain they’ve carved, not the water itself.
This understanding has been a guidance of sorts for me on navigating through much of the noise that comes with the subtle and not-so-subtle fluctuations of mood and motivation.
Just do it.
Keep calm and carry on.
Never give up.
Discipline eats motivation for breakfast.
etc.
All of these are more or less biased towards action irrespective of what one feels in the present moment or rather, especially when feeling stands as the primary obstacle.
But still, I’ve recently noticed myself testing the limits of this approach.
There’s a difference between transcending temporary resistance and bulldozing through genuine depletion. The latter could just be denial with better branding, given that burnout often masquerades as a lack of discipline.
As of late, I’ve fallen a bit into a slump and my creative brain has entered a hibernation mode of sorts. I can’t tell whether it’s the external season of winter or just passing clouds in the internal realm of consciousness.
I think creativity needs structure if it is to reach its full potential, in terms of both consistency and depth. But structure without energy is just scaffolding around emptiness.
I’m not trying to be rigid about it and adopt this attitude of productivity at all costs. I know better than to mistake motion for progress; however, I also don’t think I’d just let it be and focus solely on the non-creative aspects of my brain.
That part is purely logical, which at the present moment for me doesn’t quite speak to whatever it is that's asking to be heard beneath the surface.
I am searching for the space where I can honor the silence of a fallow season without letting the soil turn to stone.
I need to find a way to maintain the scaffolding of my creative habits without punishing myself for the fact that the interior is currently undergoing renovations.
The trick is knowing which is which, and I’m still learning to tell the difference.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.
