Oohh this title sounds so ‘self-help’!
I like to empty my mind and set to a task that re-connect my hands with my brain in the quest for the flow.
According to Wikipedia, the Flow is this;
“In positive psychology, flow, also known as the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does. Named by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the concept has been widely referenced across a variety of fields (and has an especially big recognition in occupational therapy), though has existed for thousands of years under other guises, notably in some Eastern religions.<1> Achieving flow is often colloquially referred to as being in the zone.
According to Csikszentmihályi, flow is completely focused motivation. It is a single-minded immersion and represents perhaps the ultimate experience in harnessing the emotions in the service of performing and learning. In flow, the emotions are not just contained and channeled, but positive, energized, and aligned with the task at hand. The hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous joy, even rapture, while performing a task, although flow is also described as a deep focus on nothing but the activity – not even oneself or one’s emotions.”
This week I’ve been building polyhedrons out of card while watching repeats of Mrs Marple. It takes a lot of mental preparation to build up to surrendering hours and hours to something like this. The dog is normally well walked and the house spotless and fridge re-ordered before I settle down.
I love everything about the simple geometry and turning a piece of card into an object. I love using the tools I have acquired over the years, when I am in the flow it feels as if they are extensions of me. I panic when I can’t find that green kidney or those scissors. Paper and glue are my best friends.
When I finished I thought I might then practice some faux marbling and wood graining.
But then I decided to do something much more terrifying and feel the fear.
