How To Know You Have Submitted to Romanticised Powerlessness

Earlier today, a friend of mine, an outspoken designer, shared a quote on her Facebook. You’ve read it before, but for context, here it is:

It got me thinking: Have we all come to accept romanticised narratives of powerlessness?

If you find your self waiting, for ‘inspiration’ you might be romanticising your acceptance of powerlessness, too.

The fact is, there is no such thing as inspiration in the creative process.

The fact is, that the ancient mystics, painters, artists, dancers, poets did not really get connected to a ‘higher power’ of ‘inspiration’ by waiting around all day to have it come ‘down’ to them.

Instead, it hit them as they worked and they worked, and they lost their selves in doing their craft.

Pay attention to that: Lost their selves, in doing their craft.

This conversation (from 1:26) from Black Swan, when Thomas urges Nina that though she might be perfect for the role of the white swan she is not capable of the role of the black swan, oozes truth.

He explains to her that she has each of the rules, the techniques, methods down to the letter. She has perfected them through years of dedication.

But she does not have the faith in herself to let go of the practice, the technique and the control of her craft.

She does not have the faith to forget, that she knows that which she knows, and let the craft be done through her, as opposed to have her do the craft.

She is too busy controlling her self. And so, she does not transcend.

The thought that it takes one who has perfected his/her craft, to have the faith in themselves to let their need of control, go.

And that transcendence, occurs when the letting go, does.

But the hours and hours in order to perfect the craft, must be put in first.

In neuroscience, they have shown that when a rapper freestyles, different centres in his brain; responsible for creativity, direction and control, are activated, as opposed to when he raps from memory. The centres that are simultaneously deactivated are the centres responsible for ‘self-regulation’

The part of your brain that tells you, “Shut up, you’re doing it all wrong”

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explores this in his idea of ‘Flow’.

This is also the shutting up of the ‘ego’ so that the self, may create.

You have heard athletes refer to this as being “in the zone” — the point when their years of practice is forgotten, and only acting in the moment remains.

Rumi explores this in his poetry, and mystics in their dance and song.

These are all, the same truth.

Same truth, different words. Be it the words of neuroscience, psychotherapy, psychology, poetry, or mysticism.

This is a truth that has resonated time and time again.

The truth of the moment we finally let go of the years of constant dedication in perfecting our craft, so that  the craft may do itself through us, in a moment where the doer has disappeared, and only the doing remains.

These stories remind me that we are all infinitely powerful.

Something that I have time and time again, reminded my self. For though I know it, I forget being it, too.

But we all are infinitely powerful.

And when we are at that point of having forgotten our selves, put our egos aside to create from a place of infinite capacity and truth, we all recognise our own infinite capacity, too. And that we are in truth, unstoppable.

So why is that that you would rather believe in the romanticised ideas of ‘inspiration’, as opposed to knowing that you can create anyway?

It can only be that at some level, you have accepted that you are powerless.

You have accepted that if you must create something worthy, it ,must come to you from a place that is worthy. A place ‘above’ your self.

But that’s bullshit.

The most worthy place is within  yourself. You just have to allow it to reveal its self, by doing the work.

So stop reading this.

Because this is just me doing my craft.

Go do your work, instead.

But what is that work you should be doing?

What is the work that you are willing to put your hours, and years into? Only to then forget about it so it may do itself, through you?

Ah! As always, who would know that, but you?

—

These posts are rooted in deep learnings from my own journal, which you can read at: https://www.instagram.com/birth.journal/

Alternatively you could follow me on Medium, where I post 5 times a week: https://medium.com/@vishalkthacker