entering into flow

six figs i painted this morning in ten minutes

what if creative flow was not some esoteric, magic place that we have to strive and push towards — as if by sheer willpower or constipated force — but simply a cool river, a gentle stream — where we can dip our toes in, anytime? what if flow is a place that is always present within us — accessible at all times?

that is the question that’s been lingering on my mind since I arrived in this languid italian summer, where some days it’s too hot to focus for more than twenty, thirty minutes at a time. but is length of time necessary a direct proportion to creation? certainly not. I’m more interested now in what I can create in 8 minutes, 12 minutes, 35 minutes. what can emerge from me — with the least amount of effort? what is most ripe?

so how can flow be a place that I visit, at will, rather than a state that I must induce (with drugs, alcohol, or adamant internal persuasion)? what does it take for me to identify flow, to let go into flow?

it is a muscle you can build, strengthen, tone — over time and practice. it is a sensation of falling inwards and deeper into yourself. it requires the intensity of focus, in which everything else falls away. the willingness to let go of all other distractions — internal and external — and to meet your subject alone in a room.

what can we create in 3, 8, 12 minutes? answering this question requires that you trust in yourself enough to feel that you have everything within you, already half-created. entering into flow is to believe in the ripeness of your psyche. all ideas, all art, all creation — is simply waiting to be touched, given voice to, and heard.