From nothing, there is space for something

Something and nothing

Where does creativity come from? How does an idea begin life and take form? How does something come from nothing?

I don’t have the answers to these questions but I do like to ponder. Ideas seem to come from nowhere and it intrigues me.

It seems like trying to force answers or ideas actually tends to hinder them. They appear more freely when there is less going on in the mind.

Maybe doing nothing is actually doing something

Perhaps having more space in the mind creates the room that ideas need to surface. Space for doing nothing, space that isn’t filled with distractions, space without stresses, space that holds possibilities for exploration. The kind of space that requires peace of mind.

It’s hard to find space; before you know it your entire day is filled with meetings, jobs that need doing, places to go, people to see. There is no space left in-between and ideas try to squeeze through clouded busy minds.

We need space to do nothing in order to make something.

A peaceful mind is where fresh thinking and new insights happen. It’s where transformation becomes possible and where change appears. Looking for creativity in the same place that is distracting you isn’t useful.

Design time for doing nothing

It sounds counterintuitive but when I make time for doing nothing, I get more energised, more creative and end up doing something more meaningful.

Doing nothing doesn’t mean watching tv, reading a book, escaping yourself. It can be as simple as sitting for 5 minutes and breathing, slowing down and doing nothing, but still being. When was the last time you did that?

Move your phone away, sit without distraction. I’d love to know what happens for you? Where does your thinking go? What experience are you having? Does anxiety seep in or can you find peace and explore new ideas? What comes out of doing nothing? There’s always something.

This post is part of a series of atomic essays on Twitter for #Ship30for30