Practicing patience as we explore different ways to reignite creativity

Self-doubt is part of the process. The creative spark is always there.

A few weeks ago, I read about the eternal flame nestled behind a waterfall in New York’s Chestnut Ridge Park. Before realizing that there are numerous eternal flames worldwide, I thought it was just another bad metaphor captured in a nostalgic song by The Bangles.

Personally, I think we should all be negotiating the unexpected wonders of life right now. Rather than trying to escape or numb out, we should trust our creative strength and open our eyes to the inspiration that lives wherever we are.

“Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.” —Charlie Parker

Living and exploring, after all, are what makes the work worthwhile. We do not have to be productive all the time. But we do have to trust that every part of the process matters.

I was only a little disheartened to realize that even eternal flames go out from time to time. A passerby will throw a lit match in the area, or the wind will blow an ember just right to reignite. Then again, this felt right. There are times that we are simply not productive. Even if we force ourselves to sit to write or work on our project, what comes seems to have less meaning and impact.

I just returned from a writing residency where I got about 10,000 words down. Coming back to my routines and over-scheduled days after a week of doing nothing but writing reminded me of how creativity can feel like a luxury, how it can go dormant when we’re caught up in the whirlwind.

But let’s return to the metaphor, shall we?

Eternal flames are always ready to reignite, no matter the conditions around them.

This reminds me about the drive behind what we create—how it’s always there waiting to swell and expand. We just have to pay attention and live our lives. To paraphrase Parker, let’s live our own lives, so we can play our own horns.

We have to respect where we are in the process.

A close-up of the gas-lit flame below Eternal Flame Falls in Chestnut Ridge Park, Orchard Park, NY.

This means patience. We all have different ways to reignite, and I believe the more mundane, the more magical. I’ve found great benefit in exploring the world to find those tiny sparks.

To get my creative spark and touch that greater something, I made a list of what is igniting my creativity right now. This list is always changing and reflects where I am in a particular project. This is the latest iteration.

• Thresholds

• Silence

• Windchimes

• Honest disagreements

• Underreported histories

• Inconsistencies

• Long walks with no tech

• Sentence analysis

• The man who drives 20 mph for miles on a single-lane 50 mph road

• Those brief instances when I forget self

• Those brief instances when I remember self

• Tough questions

• Contradictions, polarities, multiplicities

• A drastic and sudden change in sensation

• A curtain of clouds hangs heavy in the sky

• A string of words that make no sense but contain rhythm

• Anger that turns to laughter

• An unexpected show of compassion

• The flickering light in another’s eyes

• Leaning in during a conversation

As a creative life prompt, I encourage you to create your list and make it as long as possible. We are always creating, whether we feel like it or not, but what are your signs and symbols? What reignites your eternal flame?

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