Most people don't think of mowing the lawn as a creative encounter. However, I've noticed a meditative quality to the time spent with my mower. For example, there is no hard thinking involved, I can do the work by habit. We live on an acre, so it takes more than a few minutes to finish the job. The loud motor dulls all other sounds. Very few people bother me while I'm mowing. For entertainment, I'm forced to chew thoughts from my own brain. That's almost always a good thing.
Several times I've come in from mowing with ideas bursting to get on paper. That's fun! A couple of times, I've come in knowing how I'm going to handle a specific situation or challenge. Sometimes I even figure out what we are going to have for supper.
There are times I forget to shut off the noise and activity in my life. In the case of mowing, I'm simply drowning out everything else. Add to that a healthy helping of sunshine and fresh air and I have good recipe for stewing creative thoughts.
Anything bubbling or brewing in your head? Can you do something mundane and repetitive to help it ferment more?
Posts
1 Other Creative Souls are Saying:
Walking does this for me. Once I hit the twenty minute mark or so I can count on plot problems that I didn't even know were plot problems resolving themselves spontaneously.
I feel reluctant to walk alone often, but once I get going I almost always find it was exactly what I needed to do.
What a beautiful, inspiring blog!
What Other Creative Souls Are Saying