How Do You Begin A Project? AKA Staring At A Blank Page
Every time I sit down to write you a letter, do a first draft, or write a social media post, I confront the blank page. Every time you start a report, or a brief, or an exam etc., you’re staring at a blank page or screen too. How do you fill that page with words/ideas/images etc. that you love? Or at least feel good about.
For me I have to clear my head and float in the nothingness. The Nothingness used to scare the crap out of me. I imagined it as a cold, dark, and quiet place. Like space, but unlike space, devoid of meaning. That was until I spent some quality time there.
I was getting ready to front a band for the first time in my life and I was scared shitless. A friend suggested I try Neurofeedback peak performance training to both calm my nerves and amp up my connection to my creativity and the audience’s energy.
Quick digression: Neurofeedback consists of putting a couple of electrodes on your head, which monitor your brain waves. (Non-invasive and doesn’t hurt.) The feedback part comes in when you hear different types of water sounds. (At least in my training.) A running stream was Alpha waves, and the ocean was my beloved Theta waves.
My goal every session was to spend as much time in Theta as I could. That’s because it’s where our muse hangs out the most. It’s also the most fleeting of brain waves. We typically spend only minutes a day in Theta—when we’re not quite awake. Either falling asleep or waking up.( Meditation can increase our time in Theta too.)
It was in Theta where I first experienced the nothingness. Instead of a cold, dead place, it was warm, peaceful and nurturing like floating in a warm pool or the Dead Sea. I felt supported and safe. And most importantly the inner critic, whose constant chatter triggered my fears and doubts, was silenced.
My best work, whether it was onstage or writing to you now, always happens when I get into the Theta zone. We create/perform at our best when we’re not watching and beating ourselves up! When I’ve no idea what I’ve written until I read it. When I’ve sung a song and have no idea if I cried or laughed during it. It’s like my mind goes off to Hawaii and lets my muse flow through me to do its thing.
Creatives are just starting to realize the full potential of neurofeedback. Athletes like Tiger Woods have been using it for years.( I imagine he just lets his body play while his mind goes to the clubhouse to relax.) And I bet it could help lawyers, surgeons and anyone who has to perform at a high level in a demanding situation.
Full Disclosure: Even though I love the nothingness, sometimes my brain takes something to slow it down so I can dive in. Here are some of my tricks on how to get into the Theta Zone:
Pray or meditate, whichever floats your boat.
Do some Neurofeedback (You can even do this at home now.)
Take a bubble bath
Listen to mood music or nature sounds (Usually without lyrics)
For those of you without allergies, go into nature to either get into the zone, or actually create in nature
Stare at a candle flame, lava lamp or some sort of soothing visual
Read People.com
Okay that last one may only work for me. But it does help me clear my brain so I can let the nothingness take over and fill the blank page.
How do you send your mind off on a holiday so you can do your job/create/perform better
YouTube Vid of the week courtesy of Fear Fi Fo Fum: Water-Whisking Away Fear One Drop at a Time
Weekly Rad Resource From The Library: I'm learning how to play Dungeons and Dragons this week, courtesy of one of my fellow librarians who does regular sessions for kids. Libraries offer a wide range of fun programs for all ages.
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