Death And The Creative Process
Death and the creative process explored in this red hot Mildura sunset.
Climate change and the insanely hot weather being experienced throughout much of Australia has given me pause to think on the importance of death and the creative process in art.
Australia Heat Wave
Australia is well and truly experiencing a heat wave with much of the country experiencing extreme weather conditions.
The weather is certainly changing here in Melbourne, Australia. After a brief hot spell in late November the weather in December has been relatively mild.
There’s been very little rain to speak of and, in typical Melbourne fashion, we’ve experienced a range of maximum temperatures over recent weeks.
But Tuesday was hot, reaching 40 degrees Celsius in the city with higher temperatures recorded in some of the outer suburbs.
In fact Tuesday was the day Australia experienced it’s hottest day on record.
The nation’s average temperature reached 40.9 degrees Celsius and temperatures throughout much of the nation’s interior were well above 45 C.
But wait, there’s more.
That record national average temperature of 40.9 degrees Celsius was surpassed, by one degree, the very next day.
Extreme Weather Devastates The Environment
What’s more bushfires continue to range in NSW and Queensland.
One particular fire approaching the outskirts of Sydney currently spans around 4,000 square kilometers.
Some of these fires have been burning for over a month. I can’t even imagine the loss of trees and wildlife that’s occurred.
Given that much of Australia is gripped by an ongoing drought Koala populations have been under stress for some time.
I’d read recently that there was debate over the status of the Koala population throughout the country and whether one of our favourite national symbols should be listed as threatened.
There’s no doubt that these massive and prolonged bushfires will further impact Koala populations around the country.
As I say, thus far Melbourne has been spared much of the prolonged heat wave that’s affected large areas of the country.
After a very hot day on Wednesday Melbourne’s temperature on Thursday reached a very pleasant 24 degrees Celsius.
But the respite has been temporary with today’s maximum temperature forecast to reach a scorching 44 degrees Celsius in Melbourne.
It feels like a good day to head for a shopping centre and check out the latest Star Wars film.
I’d be thankful to be able to watch the film while sitting in air-conditioned comfort and enjoying a movie ice-cream.
Whether or not I can find the time to head to the movies my heart goes out to the many people throughout Australia who will have a much, much harder time of it today than I.
Mask, once used by Melbourne fire fighters, illustrating record temperatures for Victoria.
Record Temperature For Victoria
My home state of Victoria could record its hottest December day today with regional centers like Mildura and Swan Hill expecting a forecast maximum temperature of a whopping 47 degrees Celsius.
I’ve just checked and rechecked that temperature. It converts to 116 degrees Fahrenheit which, frankly, barely computes with my little brain.
Good Health and the Creative Process
Can you believe it, in the middle of this insane weather I'm just starting off on the next stage of my journey towards improved fitness and a healthier lifestyle.
From experience I can say that such major changes in one’s life are more likely to be achieved through a series of baby steps.
No, diets and extreme exercise regimes are not for me. But a decent walk (i.e., 30-60 minutes) on most days is what works for me.
I had a lovely 45 minute walk last night with the ambient temperature being a lovely 18C.
Once these regular walks are, once again, built into my lifestyle experience tells me that eating habits and sleep patterns will change for the better.
Here’s where regular exercise and better eating brings me.
Weight is reduced
Energy is increased
More active pursuits become possible
Creative thinking comes to the fore
I make more photos
I’m feel happier
The secret to maintaining these lifestyle changes, at least for me, comes about by ensuring the exercise I undertake can’t be too physically taxing.
Exercise needs to be fun and it has to contain a decent measure of beauty.
That's why walking, outside in the green, works for me. It has in the past and it will again over coming months.
Creativity and Fun
I really hate being tied down by unnecessary tasks, particularly those that involve paperwork and bureaucracy. I've decided that I'm no longer going to let it get in the way of life, as I want to experience it.
To achieve this goal, and still ensure I'm on top of what has to be done, I've determined to do the following:
Take care with the new projects I take on board. They have to serve my creative needs.
Improve my workflow so that greater focus is placed on the most important (i.e., 20 percent) tasks that will help me achieve my dreams.
Ignore and ensure I don't get sucked into the 80 percent of largely unimportant tasks that do nothing to enhance my lifestyle and, if anything, negate creativity.
Do you know that old joke
"How do you eat an elephant."
"One bite at a time."
Such significant changes take time to successfully integrate into one's daily life.
But I'm a creature of habit and everything is dependent upon the habits I create for myself.
I’ve been moving down the minimalist road for some time now and I realize that being in control of your life means keeping it free of clutter.
The idea is to surround yourself with what you need and stay free of annoyances or banal, meaningless tasks.
This approach will leave plenty of time for creative and meaningful pursuits and ensure that the tasks you do need to do are done with purpose and with precision.
Best of all you’ll be able to direct your attention to living a more purpose driven life.
The notion that we create our own reality is central to my own, personal belief system.
That means I have more control over what happens now than I once believed was possible.
It also means that, as a consequence of this realization, I'm responsible for what happens next.
And the same is most certainly true for you.
To be reborn you have to die a little. Burnt tree stump.
To Be Reborn You Have To Die A Little
Over recent years I've spent the summer months here in Australia quite differently to most folks.
You see my year really begins on February 1.
January, and in fact most of December, is the time I use to complete all those large, unfinished tasks and projects I'd planned to do during the previous year.
Rather than a holiday I begin the month of January with a mission critical mentality during which time I work my way through one or more major projects.
Of course there’s still time for positive experiences like private teaching gigs. But January in Melbourne is a pretty quiet time of the year when many folks are away on their annual leave.
It’s the perfect time for me to put my head down and work in a very focused manner, with plenty of breaks for walks in the sunlight or on a particularly balmy summer’s evening.
As in so many other things, the fun comes through the work and it's a great feeling knocking off those tasks, one at a time.
This allows me to start my year, from February 1, in an incredibly positive manner.
Without a list of things to do I'm able to empty my mind and allow a more creative state to emerge. To nurture this state I make a point of undertaking the following:
Long walks
Country drives
Watching visually beautiful and inspirational movies
Listen to mind-expanding music
Frequently look up at the clouds and the night sky
Use my camera to rediscover the world in which I live
While my eyes and brain are processing all this beauty my mind is filling with positivity while, at the same time, discarding negativity, pettiness and other life-defeating dross.
It’s a great way to reignite the creative process and those warm, sunny days are the perfect time to start doing just that.
It’s that time of year when it’s easier to believe that you can do anything you set my mind to. The next thing then is to start and, one bite at a time, work your way through that elephant.
Just remember that the fun comes through the work. If not, then we’re missing the point of work.
Family watching the demise of an iceberg at Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, Iceland.
Creativity Is A State Of Mind
December can be tough but, as I progress through the tasks I’ve set myself in January I begin to open myself up to new ideas and projects for the year ahead.
Through a disciplined and hard working approach to what needs to be done I've prepared myself for a free-thinking and creative year to come.
Creative projects and photography adventures follow.
The lesson is that creativity is a state of mind that needs to be cherished and cultivated.
Here’s Where It Can All Go Wrong
The problem with this approach is that by spending most of the summer months, day and night, working through dross so that you can get to the stuff you really want to do you may have missed the point.
Whoever said we have to wait to be creative? It's a bit like holding off on that so called once in a lifetime holiday until you’ve retired. It's bonkers!
Clearly, what needs to be done is to achieve a state of control over your daily life and work balance so that there's plenty of time for creative pursuits, exercise, dreaming and beauty.
I think you’ll agree that's a rather obvious realization.
The challenge then is to decide what's important and do all you can to avoid, ignore and separate yourself from much of the non-creative, non-helpful and negative rubbish that can penetrate daily existance.
Wherever possible focus on the 20 percent because that's where creativity, purpose, meaning and freedom exists.
But that’s only possible when we make a concerted and ongoing effort to avoid being sucked in by the 80 percent of tasks and (negative) thoughts which are, ultimately, energy sapping and soul destroying.
It's a simple choice that so many of us avoid making.
Prioritize a Creative Life
Here's an example of where the mind moves to when you’re free and in control of what happens next.
You want to go for a walk, but you have dishes to wash.
There’s no need for an internal discussion. Just get yourself off the couch, out the door and into the light.
It’s true you can't avoid doing the dishes forever.
However, in the greater scheme of things, it's far more important to be out and about breathing the air, exercising and engaging with what the world brings your way.
“Life is what happens between the choices we make.”
In my case I’d quite enjoy doing those dishes, later in the evening. After all that’s the perfect time to listen to a favorite podcast.
Procrastination Saps Creativity
Are you prone to procrastination? It can be the death of creativity and it’s important to find a way past the barrier procrastination creates for the creative soul.
Actually, once I fix my mind on a task, even a big one, I just motor along until I get it done.
Starting can be tough, which is why it's important to be in the right state of mind to do so.
Likewise, finishing a project can be hard because, after pouring everything you can into it, it can be difficult to let it go and send it out into the world.
But all the work in-between starting and finishing a project is, for me, meat and potatoes.
And I don't mean to denigrate the process by referring to it as such.
It's an incredibly creative and inspirational time which is why, despite all the long hours invested, it's something I very much look forward to.
It's not easy but, when you’re actively engaged in your life's true purpose, it's a very meaningful and spiritually rewarding process to be involved in these kinds of major, purpose driven projects.
After all, that's how we're supposed to be living.
Find your calling by exploring beautiful travel locations like Vik in Iceland.
The Creative Process - Find Your Calling
I do wish it would rain more often in this part of the world. But not those stormy, damaging rain showers.
I like the more gentle, pitter patter kind of rain that’s good for our parks and gardens.
That’s exactly the kind of weather I experienced in the town of Vik in Southern Iceland when I made this panoramic image of the famous Vik Luthern Church perched above the town.
I have a great raincoat and I used to love walking in the rain, back when rain fell more frequently in this part of the world.
These days rain comes far less often, but with greater force. And, except where there’s a fire that needs putting out, there’s little good in that.
Naturally, it's going to take a little while for me to adapt to my new, healthier lifestyle. But, one thing I know for sure, I always feel good when I'm out and about in the light.
Earlier this year I shed 15 kilos through this very same approach. I’d love a similar result this time around.
However, as I’m all about a baby steps approach to achieving long term health and fitness goals, it could take another year to reach the weight I feel I need to.
But even a moderate level of success will be beneficial and one thing I know is that feeling good is a great place from which creativity can flow.
I see these changes as an example of the notion of dying a little so as to be reborn. I believe that notion is very much at the heart of the creative process.
I encourage you to use what time you have, over the upcoming holiday period, to think on your own life as a way of focusing upon and actively pursuing what it is you're actually supposed to be doing?
What’s your true calling, your purpose in life?
What can you do to better manage your life so that you can find the balance you need to go about living the life you're supposed to be living?
If the changes you undertake involve a creative pursuit like photography then I congratulate you and hope that we can work together one day soon.
Feel free to reach out if I can help.
Good luck my friend.
