Too Soon

A painting that had started off with so much energy has been sitting in the background, gathering dust these last few weeks.

It has felt… stagnant, forced, a bit boring.

Then, I realized the issue: I started it with the notion that I already knew exactly how I was going to execute it and exactly how it was going to turn out.

I tried to figure it all out TOO SOON.

Art, I’ve learned, is a lot like humans. It hates to be predicted. It hates to be told what to do. It hates to be put in a box.

Rather, it likes to be played with. It likes a bit of an adventure into the unknown. It likes to discover new things.

So, instead of following my initial plan, I changed it up. I started trying a variety of paths. I opened up to an experimental process.

While making a mess today, I contemplated our tendency as a society to be very results-oriented. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy an exciting outcome! However, without a process-oriented approach, we skip the play, the experimentation, the curiosity - the ingredients that lead us to that dynamic, satisfying outcome. We also skip the part that makes us WANT to do what it takes to achieve our goals.

Those ingredients require a little DIVERGENCE! As we spark ideas, brainstorm the possibilities, and try solutions with a mindset of learning from failures, eventually, we begin to feel pulled in a direction. Naturally, CONVERGENCE gathers steam bringing us to the desired outcome with fun surprises along the way.

I have a bit more diverging to go on this piece, but I’m starting to sense where it is taking me. As I follow the flow of diverging and converging, I wonder what it looks like to allow time and space for more divergence in our creative work, in our relationships, and in our workplaces.

What if we stop trying to figure it out too soon?! What if we lean into opening the can of worms, finding a way to enjoy the slippery ride, trusting that it will bring us towards the beautiful vision we hold?

★ CREATIVE CHALLENGE ★ What is an area of your life that feels a bit stagnant. Is it your relationship with your team? A project? Doodle as you contemplate how you might introduce some DIVERGENCE into that space and see where it takes you!