the creative brain

In quarantine, @la_adorna adorned me with the creative brain, the only state where several of the brain's regions work together. There is nothing more intimidating than the blank page, the blank canvas, the silence as you pick up an instrument with no music open in front of you, standing still as you begin to dance.
Art is inner space converging with empty space as something concrete. And that is terrifying. To sit with yourself and to see if you are capable of capturing the beauty that passes through your imagination is deeply confronting. Perfectionism barely gives the fledgling of an idea space to spread its wings before clipping them with criticism or premature editing. Inner censorship, the knee jerk to vulnerability, says that this delicate and tender part of yourself will be tarnished or rebuffed and that that will be painful in an exquisitely intimate way.
Inspiration taps your shoulder while you're busy with other things only to hide when you sit to capture it. Luckily, there are tricks:
💌Take notes and return when you have time to explore. A few words, a loose outline, the first notes of a rhythm, anything you can capture quickly.
🏖Beginning in a non-confrontational way is allowed. Ease in by sitting down with something accomplishable or easy as if creativity was a hot bath.
💌As a writer, emailing a close friend my thoughts feels gentle and safe, where committing to a new document can be intimidating. Write in gmail. Who cares?
🎷Play outside of your form. Pull out the watercolors. Dance. Sing along with a song you've never heard. If you are me, memorize rap.
🎭There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Use prompts. Copy an artist you admire, verbatim or in emulation. Find some flow and see where it leads you once it takes hold.
🏆Give yourself permission to be terrible. Operating in realms of competency or proficiency indicates existence within the known. Discomfort is what growth feels like. Become familiar with your learning curve. Fail boldly and practice humility. Please laugh out loud.
🧘‍♀️Finally, take this time to be bored. Hold yourself still until your mind throws a temper tantrum. When it departs in a huff, then it's time to begin.