Technology makes the world move faster which instils the feeling in many people, that success should arrive more quickly as well. The idea that the end result is the most fulfilling part often takes precedence over the creative process. There are many ways to tune into one’s natural rhythm. But Julia Cameron, author of Vein of Gold, A Journey to Your Creative Heart teaches the art of patience.
Growth Requires Patience
Cameron believes that germinating the seed of an idea to allow a steady, healthy growth requires care and nourishment from the creator. It is through the process of development that the seed of an idea can eventually blossom into a fruitful and completed creative work. It is this kind of creative work that has depth, integrity and richness.
“There is something hollow, mechanistic, even flavourless in work that lacks the succulence of full germination,” believes Julia Cameron.
According to this school of thought, work created speedily and only through the need for recognition has a more two dimensional ‘quality’ than three dimensional work that reflects the care and dedication given to it. Patience can grow from inner stillness. From patience, humans can once more tune into the natural rhythm of their own creative lives.
Tasting the Difference through Patience and Love
Creative projects for artists are like their babies. With patience, love and devotion, babies grow into grounded, compassionate adults. It is easy to recognise the difference between healthy, happy children who have received love over time and neglected children who have not.
The same can be said for novels, films, albums, paintings, businesses and even meals created with love and patience. With food, one can literally taste the difference in comparison to a machine made microwave meal.
Rediscovering Natural Rhythm with Stillness and Silence
To come to a place of patience, it can be necessary to arrive at inner stillness through silence first. Silence in the self is the equivalent of standing in the middle of a field alone, or on a mountain-top. There is a sense of space in one's immediate surroundings. That space can also be created within. From this space and with patience, it is possible to begin to feel a natural rhythm to the workings of life because excess mental activity has fallen away.
“Creative lives that are too rushed and jam-packed stifle or even kill the deeper creative dreams,” writes Julia Cameron.
Natural Time and Rhythm in the Creative Process
Keeping focused on the end result or achievement may actually prevent a natural flow occurring. By relaxing and letting go of desired outcomes and expectations, more space is created for feeling and understanding individual natural rhythms.
There is a natural time for each of the creative processes. A time to flow with ideas, a time to nurture and cultivate, a time to polish, titivate and assemble and possibly, a time to present to the world. With patience, the individuals’ natural rhythm will tell him/her when the right time comes.
Sources:
Cameron, Julia, Vein of Gold, A Journey to Your Creative Heart, p194, Pan 1996.
Jane Alexandra Cormack - Jane currently works as a director and facilitator of her own company, Rhythm In Colour. These workshops connect women through creativity ...
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