Killers Of Inspiration. Part 3: Control

If we reach the state of flow, it may be exhilarating that we don't want to let it go, and we try to control it, to make it stay on the same level. This is counter-intuitive to let go of the consistency in order to preserve your inspiration, but sometimes it's the only way to save it.

Transcript

Welcome to this talk about killers of inspiration we are approaching or maybe I have already approached the peak of spookiness this autumn and this depends on when the podcast is released by inside timer today I am recording from a different place so if the audio quality is not at the same level I apologize but I wanted to to be in time actually for the Halloween to get as many monsters out of the way as possible today we are facing the monster of control this is one of the most sophisticated threats to our inspiration we think that when we reach the state of flow the most important task is now to stay in it to get the most of it and that's true the state of flow is exhilarating and you need to ride that wave as much as possible but what can occur further when you really get fixated on getting the maximum out of your creativity you can actually strangle it and kill it with that control with wanting to shape it to the form and the rhythm that suits your needs and normally this rhythm in our linear society would be a flat line and you know flat line is not very alive flat line is what we get when we try to control things leveling them out because living systems are too complex to be controlled they're living breathing they're like like oceanic waves and imagine if you were in the ocean on a boat and you wanted to level it out and keep the boat on the same altitude all the times that would mean that sometimes you would need to be below the level of the waves that are rising high and sometimes you would really need to fly when the water is dropping which is impossible at the normal course of events in a normal boat so just you can use this metaphor why the metaphor of the sea well your flow that you have achieved with your inspired action is like a river it is fast dynamic quite narrow focused and it is driving you as it runs into this bigger sea of more complex landscape of life where your creation arrives it is no longer just you and your creation it is your creation you and the world around it just like a parent to their child you can be protective towards your creation sometimes be that art business or even a valuable relationship that you have created you wanted to go as planned and this is that control that kills the flow in it because when flow is down the water is down we think that oh no I'm losing the flow but actually when you are trying to artificially make it always flowing at the same level you are exactly killing that natural rhythm because it is normal that the inspiration rises and falls it cannot just arrive on schedule every morning I don't know how those creators do that that have this firm fixed routine maybe you can share in the comment section your your view on that because consistency is of course important when sticking to your creativity but I would put consistency to the previous stage when you are an aspiring beginning creator and you need to get yourself into the flow you just need to take yourself by the hand and bring yourself to the computer to the yoga mat to that microphone to whatever creative tool you're using and just get that flow out of yourself but that is when you are battling with insecurities and all those chains that are weighing you down but once you break free from them for good and you really believe in yourself and in your creation you don't need to be so strict towards yourself anymore you would benefit rather from learning to navigate your natural flow and its ups and downs because then you wouldn't tire yourself so much it would be more sustainable to not control the flow as much and that would lead to you lowering the risk of burnout which is that death of inspiration in that case so just like that preventing the monster of control from growing to some enormous size because control in good small quantities is very much needed but like every medicine it becomes a poison when it's too much so watch out for inspiration so that you don't strangle it with your control and I wish you an inspired autumn season be well