In a gentle way, you can shake the universe. — Mahatma Gandhi
Without energy we can do nothing, but with enough of it we can change ourselves and thereby change the world. And all good art contains an energy that does that, igniting our passions, our memories and our imaginations. For me, great painters like Van Gogh, Matisse, Pollack, and Rembrandt all shift the needle of their craft’s barometer for excellence. Similarly, do great musicians like Beethoven, John Coltrane, Dave Brubeck or Leonard Cohen. Writers like George Orwell, Henry Miller and John Steinbeck always excites my soul while great thinkers like Albert Camus, David Bohm and Krishnamurti never cease to trigger my vitality to see more clearly, learn more deeply, and live more fully. Good art humbles the mind and generously opens the heart.
But none of that happens without first the energy required for creating. Each of these individuals, and many more throughout history, found the energy they needed to proceed. Battling the need for physical/financial survival and sometimes even fighting the obstacles of a society unwilling to accept their propositions or artistry, creative people did whatever it took to make their art happen. This means — at least when they were creating — that they discovered or manufactured ways to build, restore and retain their energy levels. For without energy, there is no clarity. When there’s no clarity, the artist cannot see and then all that’s left is blind ambition and a prejudiced mind incapable of realizing the truth.
Our Difficulty Today
We live in times of excess. We have the choice of a multitude of comforts and problems, either of which can deplete us of the energy required to create. We have too much stuff and too little time or energy. It’s no wonder we’re plagued with issues of anxiety and depression. Something can and must be done about it. Here are some things to consider when we feel we don’t have, or have lost, the energy to be creative:
Watch Your Diet
You are what you eat. — Ludwig Feuerbach, Philosopher
To have energy, one must first build the reserves. A wise and healthy physical diet is paramount. Eating poor quality foods not only damages the body but actually damages our thinking. A diet that excites or sags the body drains our brain’s ability to operate at higher levels. If we’re needing or mindlessly using sugar, drugs, caffeine or alcohol to make it thru the day, we’ve gotten weak and dependent on the external. That’s called addiction. Please stop. Food is designed to build the body, not to keep it afloat. Short term measures for success almost always come with long term consequences. Also, eating less (and sleeping less but with quality) saves energy, for the digestive process tires the body (just as over-sleeping does).
Move Your Body
The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will involve the patient in the proper use of food, fresh air, and exercise. — Thomas Edison, Scientist
To exercise — to move — the body is obvious yet obesity worldwide is climbing to near unsustainable levels. And should this continue, even socialized healthcare systems will collapse just as privatized ones will further magnify the suffering and poverty that already exists. Our bodies are designed to move, they get sick when they don’t. Also, exercise actually creates more energy. Muscles need to be broken down to grow larger and stronger. Modern technology and convenience has made almost all of us more stagnant and stationary. The body that stops moving, stops its metabolism. That’s right, sitting at the computer all day burns nearly zero calories and your metabolism, which is responsible for burning fat — actually decreases. Exercise can also shake loose bad feelings. I used to tell my students that if they feel down and depressed or excessively worrisome about life, that they should just drop to the floor and do a hundred pushups. I can guarantee whatever emotions they felt beforehand will have dissipated after they’ve worn themselves out physically. Our body language is directed correlated to our mental state of mind and this is something visual artists, especially animators, should already know. But seriously, find some regular routine of moving the body — yoga, sports, dance, walking — whatever it is doesn’t matter.
Empty the Mind
When people will not weed their own minds, they are apt to be overrun by nettles.― Horace Walpole, Writer
Not enough can be said about clearing the accumulated excesses of the mind. Meditative practices and walks in the park do wonders for resting and emptying our overactive brains. But what’s also important is what we put into it. Constant consumption of news, internet/social media nonsense and even excessive entertainment drains the crap out of our mental emotional spirit. It’s not easy in this busy world with the gadgets we carry but all these things are attention stealers. We need our attention for things that actually matter. Personally, I can spare little time or energy for these insincere thieves of my life. Our minds, both in the short term and long term, have limited capacities. Society’s obsession with accumulation, whether of information, experience or material wealth, is like a plague we refuse to see, the elephant in the room that goes unacknowledged.
Adapt a more progressive mindset
“When you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection.” ― A.W. Tozer
No, I’m not talking politics here. Rather, what is of concern is our obsessions with the past and the future. Clinging to the old, fearing the future, whining about this is or that, gets us no where. Worst of all, it sucks our energy dry. Spending the day worrying, justifying, criticizing and condemning others is almost a guarantee we won’t do any good. Complaining is so over-rated. Once we catch ourselves, we need to stop as we would if we were bleeding from our foreheads. Patch the injury, punch down that ego and move on. We’re artists and we’ve got work to do.
