My biggest challenge, as a writer, is making the time and finding the space in which to actually write. With two small children, the only quiet place left for me is my office at work. But the office is, of course, where I work. I can shut the door. I can drown out nearby voices with the air conditioner in summer. But in winter, quiet solitude does not come easily or predictably. But it does come.
And when it does, I struggle to find the discipline to disconnect from email and Facebook and the constant stream of news, politics, and entertainment. I'd blog more about this, but I'm trying to break away today (without much luck). So, quickly, I want to share this link, which came to me via the wonderful Oklahoma performance poet and activist Lauren Zuniga. From What Happened to Down Time?:
And when it does, I struggle to find the discipline to disconnect from email and Facebook and the constant stream of news, politics, and entertainment. I'd blog more about this, but I'm trying to break away today (without much luck). So, quickly, I want to share this link, which came to me via the wonderful Oklahoma performance poet and activist Lauren Zuniga. From What Happened to Down Time?:
There has been much discussion about the value of the “creative pause” – a state described as “the shift from being fully engaged in a creative activity to being passively engaged, or the shift to being disengaged altogether.” This phenomenon is the seed of the break-through “a-ha!” moments that people so frequently report having in the shower. In these moments, you are completely isolated, and your mind is able to wander and churn big questions without interruption.
However, despite the incredible power and potential of sacred spaces, they are quickly becoming extinct. We are depriving ourselves of every opportunity for disconnection. And our imaginations suffer the consequences.Read the rest here.
