Cultivating stillness

I was speaking to a client the other day, and they spoke about being surprised that by experiencing a moment of “boredom” ignited in them a spark to create something.

“Boredom” has such a negative connotation in our society. A primal panic sets in if one is bored. One shouldn’t ever be bored, if one is bored, there is something wrong. We immediately try to fill this panicky space with tasks on our list.

What happens when we sit through the panic of experiencing boredom? What is on the other side of it? I have come to find that boredom is an important moment of stillness where creativity ignites.

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin explores the idea that we are all creatives. What was your reaction when you read that? “I’m not creative!” “I don’t know what to create!” “I don’t know how to create!”

What would happen if you “created” a moment of stillness? What would happen if you pushed through the inevitable panic and overwhelming lists of things to do and self-doubt? I’m not talking about a formal meditation. I’m talking about doing nothing.

What comes up?

I love this passage from the “Look Inward” chapter:
The sound of water churning in the distance is audible.
I feel a breeze of what might be warm air, though it’s difficult to tell, since my arm hair senses the movement as cooling.
Two birds are singing and, with my eyes closed, I’m placing them approximately fifty paces behind me and to my right.

And this…