(UN)STUCK: Birds and Shit
From a very early age on, I can remember myself sitting in the tall grass listening to birds chirp (accompanied by grasshoppers doing their thing). I would now describe it as a meditative experience. No matter what was happening in my young life at that point, I could sink myself into being right there and now, leaving all thoughts and worries behind. Somewhere in the transition from that early age to adulthood, I had lost the ability to reconnect to that state. Being a creative in a fast paced industry of design and animation didn’t leave enough time to stop and breathe – especially for a young adult that was taught to base all of his perceptions of personal success on comparisons to others.
…chirp, chirp…
In pursuit of quantity, creative flow and imagination are often times redirected – from personal experience onto seeking inspiration from another individual’s artistic endeavors. Which is fine and perfectly normal. We all do it and we all grow up – who has time to listen to birds chirping or watch the waves roll when the bills are due? I can remember getting stuck creatively several times, especially in the design process. I even started to depend heavily on what other artists were creating, so I could then make my own artistic explorations and re-interpretations, mish-mashed from the gathered inspiration. Until a bit over three years ago…
…CHIRP, CHIRP…
It wasn’t until I started practicing meditation, that I slowly started perceiving my surroundings once more. I could hear the birds chirp again. Experiences and perceived imagery were offering themselves to be soaked in to fuel any creative process I sank my teeth into. And just a few days ago while I was having my morning coffee, I refocused my attention to the beautiful morning cacophony of birds waking up. As I was enjoying the chaotic harmony of chirping, I noticed a big pile of bird poo on my balcony. Naturally, there’d be no birds singing without their poo lying somewhere. And that reminded me: we can’t have the good without the bad. And we certainly can’t find a good creative process, without first going through a bad one.
Nowadays, I still like to see what other artists are up to. But the fuel for creativity now comes from being mindful and present. Even if it’s just to notice some bird poo.