How many times have you simply given up on a story or an inspired thought because you just cannot get past what has been commonly termed “writer’s block”? Well, you are not the alone in your frustration with this but what if I told you that this simple phenomenon is merely an illusion of the mind? Would you possibly find a few “perfect words” to break free from your creative chains and express your opinion of my bold statement both eloquently and succinctly? Well before you begin to berate my lack of compassion let me elaborate and share with you the concept of setting your stage.

I will start by posing another question. When you write or create something, where are your inspired thoughts coming from? Some of you may answer this question as, the brain, while others may say, the mind and I would I agree in part with both these answers. I say “in part” because of course you need your brain and your mind to process your thoughts but I do not believe this is the inspirational thoughts originate from.

To explain, if you write or create using only your brain then you are limited in what you produce by that which has already been programmed into your brain. That is, by the things you have been taught or experienced in the past and while this can be useful it does not leave a lot of scope for anything totally original.

Similarly, the mind is also busy processing all that you have learned. If you watch the mind for a few minutes you will become aware of the endless chatter it indulges in, like an endless recital of your mental to-do-list, the problems you need to solve, the events of the past and the potential of the future. If you find the “off switch” and quieten your mind (refer to the exercise, “Giving your imagination room to move”) you will certainly create some space to allow fresh thinking but again where do these new thoughts come from?

Scientifically, based on Quantum Physics, thoughts are just another form of energy, like light or sound. And they travel through space in much the same way. It is the subconscious mind which tunes into these waves of energy much like selecting a radio station by using the dial on your radio to find a clear frequency amongst the static.

Now I can hear many of you closing your minds with comments like, “I’m no good at science so this can’t be for me” or “This is sounding a little freaky for my liking” but bear with me because I am going to explain how you tap into original thoughts without having to really know or understand any of this (but I thought it was worth giving a little bit of scientific background to the concepts none-the-less).

So let’s get down to business and look at how to avoid/clear this misnomer known as “writer’s block”.

Setting your stage is about clearing the mind and by-passing the brain (momentarily) to allow you to tap into the energy of creativity using the subconscious mind as a gateway. The process only takes a few minutes and the basis of the concept is not so much in the words you use (although they are important as to their meaning) but in the feeling you put behind them.

Different words evoke different impressions and feelings which is why in the thesaurus you can find many words which technically mean the same thing however the specific word you choose will often depend on the subtle differences in the feeling it suggests. For example when a person is being sarcastic they often use the same words as someone who is expressing enthusiasm but the sentiment behind the words is very different in both cases. To illustrate this point a little further, imagine the scenario where you have just been told that you have lost your job (or failed your maths test). You could look at your boss (teacher) and say “Well that’s just terrific!” and based on the emotion used with your words he/she would know if your use of the word “terrific” meant that you were very unhappy or very happy with the news.

Okay, enough background let’s get down to the nuts and bolts. Here are the steps for setting your stage.

Step 1. Before you start any creative process be it writing, paintings, singing and so on, take a few minutes to sit down and quieten your mind. This process has been explained in more detail in the exercise “Giving your imagination room to move” but in essence this means to become the observer of all the mind chatter that runs in the background of your thoughts. To show you what I mean, close your eyes for a moment and watch the thoughts which come into your head. Try not to grab any of them or run along with them, just let them “talk amongst themselves” and notice them as an observer. Every now and then you will notice a pause in the chatter. Like the mind is drawing breath before babbling on again. It is when you notice this gap that you have the opportunity to set your stage. This moment may be less than a second but it is enough for your purposes.
Step 2. When you seize this moment set your stage by making a simple and direct statement declaring how you would like to experience your creative moments in your day today. Remembering to put the desired feeling behind the words you use because this is where the key to your success lies. Your stage setting statement may be something like, “Today my creativity flows through me onto the page in a continuous stream of inspiration.” or “I allow all creative and original thoughts to come to me easily today.” Use the words which feel right for you when you say them.
Step 3. Once you have made your statement let it go. Don’t hold onto it or try to polish it, reword it or improve it. Treat it like you were posting a letter. Once you put a letter into the post box, you forget about it and allow the postal service to get it to its destination. You don’t hang around the post box waiting for the postal van to collect your letter then follow it to the mail sorting room to make sure it gets to its destination. Nor do you try to snatch it back to re-write the letter while the post van waits for you to perfect it. It is the same with your stage setting statement. Once you have made it you can relax and allow the performance to begin.

It is that simple. But don’t take my word for it, give it a go and see how inspired you feel throughout your day.

I use this technique every morning just after I wake up. I find those few minutes at the beginning of the day a perfect time to set the stage not only for my creativity but for all the other aspects of my day.

So, if you suffer from “writer’s block” try setting your stage before you begin writing and allow your imagination to flow onto your blank page (or into your Dictaphone for those whose fingers cannot keep up with the new pace of great ideas pouring in!)

Bang!

I wake up suddenly with a fright. This has been happening for the past two nights, down in the basement. I know what’s down there and even thinking about it sends shivers down my spine. But this has gone on too long, I have to go down there, I have to face my fears.

I creep down the staircase and light up a candle. Bang! There it goes again. I take a deep breath and keep going. Taking each step slowly one after the other. I can see the door at the bottom. The door which leads to the basement.

It is slightly open. I pause, I was sure I locked it.

Bang! There is goes again. My feet freeze on the spot and my back flattens against the wall. My breath is coming in short puffs and it is hard to catch. My heart is beating fast, I need to keep going but my feet are weighted to the floor.

Bang, bang, bang! I’m sure it knows I’m coming. It’s waiting for me in the dark. Waiting for me to open the door. I want to run back, back to my bedroom and hide. Instead, I force myself to move down another step.

The door creaks as it opens a little more. I check for a draft, anything to explain this, anything to make sense. The air is still.

My candle flickers, threatening to go out as I hold my hand around it. I am at the bottom of the stairs now. All is quiet except for my breath which is heavy as I try to calm myself. Bang! Bang!

“Come in it almost says, I’m down here, I’m ready for you.”

I tell myself not to be afraid. I am braver than that. I step into the basement and my candle hardly lights up the space in front of me but I can see the shadow of the large chest in the middle of the room. I feel for the key on the chain around my neck …      

So, here it is:

Step One, grab a pen and paper and find a place to sit and write. You don’t have to be in a quiet place, anywhere is fine as long as you won’t be interrupted. I often find a good time for this is when I’m riding the bus to work, or when I’m waiting for the kids to get out of school.

Step Two, focus your attention on your thoughts. Notice how busy the mind is with its incessant chatter. Notice those nagging thoughts which hum away in the background reminding you about the unpaid bills, assignments due, the day’s appointments, the list of jobs on your plate and so on. Just be aware of this chatter, don’t get sucked into it and start ‘thinking’ about it.

Step Three, give your mind your full attention for the next five minutes. In this time don’t interact with your thoughts simply become the observer of them and write down everything that comes into your head as a continuous stream of words onto your paper.

Don’t think about what you are writing, don’t filter or judge it, just write. After a few minutes you will notice how the chatter slows down and eventually goes quiet. Suddenly you will be aware of free space within your mind.

The final step, is to seize the moment, the mind is bored with itself and therefore open to allowing all those original and imaginative thoughts to flow in. Even if you don’t have time right now to be creative you will have drained your mind of its clutter and you’ll find during the day you will feel more inspired.

Go on, give it a try, give your mind some room to move!

          But whilst we felt compelled to give money, food and clothing I believe we also felt a connection to these people’s plight. These were Australian’s like us and but for the geography their situation could easily have been ours. It was like we had been spared their pain but we understood and felt a sadness as if we knew these people personally.

After seeing in the paper the faces of children who had died in the fires, I felt enormously fortunate as I put my own children to bed that night. I noted on my Facebook page that I gave my kids an extra long hug as I counted my blessings that they were safe. Sentimental, I know, but I’m a mum – I’m allowed to be, aren’t I?

Expecting to see similar comments added to my Facebook page I was instead served a blunt reality check from one of my friends the next day who added some sobering statistics of his own. He wrote:

“Over one 1000 palestinian men women and children killed and maimed. All bombs deliberately lit, zimbabwe cholera 3,000, chinese earthquake 2008 70,000 killed, darfur 400,000+, Iraq 650,000, congo 3.4 million in 4 years, 99.99% of these will have no social system support. Next time you give your children that long hug. Think hard and make it extra long.”

           Bearing in mind that 97.6% of all statistics are made up on the spot the numbers quoted may not be 100% accurate but the statement itself is none the less compelling in the truth it is driving home. So was my friend saying I was unjustified in feeling sad about a few hundred Australian’s losing their lives when this figure pales into insignificance compared to the enormity of loss of life happening everyday around the world? Perhaps, but I don’t think this was the intention. After all there is no scale on pain, what I feel cannot be compared to what another feels in terms of depth. The scale exists, however on the severity and magnitude of the circumstances which cause us pain and this is what hit me hard with this comment.

          It made me stop and think – was I so disconnected from the world that I couldn’t feel the same depth of emotion reading these staggering large numbers on human suffering worldwide as I felt seeing the faces of two children, lost to bushfire, in the local paper?

Can we push our feelings aside so readily because we don’t believe this will ever happen to us and therefore it is easy to pretend it is not really happening? Or are we simply saving our energy and passion for a worthier cause – like when something happens close to our own backyard? Is this really human nature or have we just missed something?

          I don’t believe I am the only person struggling with this. If I was, then I would standing alone surrounded by people rallying, with the same enthusiastic response as we saw in Victoria to help people, all around the world for all sorts of things like famine, war, child abuse and human rights.

But I don’t see this. Sure, there are a lot of valuable charities working hard to claw our cash from us to support their worthy causes but this is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the general feeling of “us and them” that exists in the world and when it’s “us” we are awakened from our sleep with a fire in our belly to overcome our crisis and we feel it we feel a real empathy for those in need. If it is “them” there is an attitude of “we’ll help out but at the end of the day it’s not really our problem”.

Perhaps this is all okay and we are designed by nature to look after our own first and foremost. Perhaps this is how the world is supposed to work and I’m making a fuss over nothing but somehow I don’t think so.

          So, here is my question – if we are “all in this together” why do we feel so separated?     

In fact I can still remember the feel of the rain stinging my face like I was being flicked with the wet kitchen tea towel, my clothes clinging to me, drenched through and my shoes squelching with each step. Then, after what seemed like hours facing the elements (although it was probably only a half hour walk) there we would all be, banging on the front door like bedraggled street urchins calling out to be let in before we all perished. Finally the latch would click and my mother would hold the door open against the wind just enough to let us squeeze through. Inside, there was that unmistakable smell of kerosene heaters which filled every corner of the house. Warmth at last!

I haven’t seen winters like I experienced as a kid for decades and recently I wondered – could this be evidence of climate change or was this simply a memory of the weather?

Well, delving into this a little further, this is what I found to be the common consensus on the difference between climate and weather. When we talk about climate change, we are talking about changes in long-term averages of daily weather. Weather, however, is short term. That is, weather can change from day to day without necessarily affecting the climate. To put this more simply – climate is what you expect, like a very hot summer, and weather is what you get, like a week of thunderstorms in January.

So, with this in mind, the only question remaining is – were winters really so bleak all those years ago or was this just the childhood impression I was left with as a result of perhaps a few inconvenient weeks of inclement weather?

I loved the one we had sitting by the dining room window and for some reason those plants outlived every other plant I tried to grow back then. To be honest, I believe the reason they survived for so long was because that large cork in the top stopped me from interfering with the balance of nature inside the glass.

The sunlight from the window encouraged photosynthesis in the leaves. The roots drank in the water from the soil and it transpired back into the air condensing on the glass surface before running back into the soil. Oxygen recycled the carbon-dioxide back into oxygen again. It was perfect.

So, what happened to my Terrarium? Tragically, I took the cork out to plant some extra greenery and didn’t replace it properly – like a hole in the ozone layer the balance was destroyed and before I knew it my plants had withered from lack of water.

The thing is, even though the actions which destroyed my Terrarium were unintentional the result was the same as if I had left the cork off on purpose. And even when I discovered what I had done and tried to fix it, it was too late to reverse the damage and I ended up losing something I loved.

And so, the splash of nature on my window sill was lost and all I was left with was a glass bowl with an unusually large cork.

Then, to make us feel better about ourselves, we are told that really we can’t help not being good at maths because your are Right Brained or you can’t be good at art because you are Left Brained. And from that point onwards we start to plot the course of our lives hand in hand with the half of our brain which we have been told is “in working order” and avoiding all things which require the use of that “other half”.

I was a “science/maths” girl at school. How did I know this? Well I was told that I was by people who should know these things – my teachers and parents. And how did they know this? Well they referred back to that oracle “the report card” and all those As, Bs and Cs. And you can’t argue with that, can you? Or can you?

Just suppose for a minute that you were to give your brain a holiday? Now because you considered only half of your brain to be “working” you could safely say that you only needed to take that half on holidays (reward the good) and leave the “lazy” half at home to do some work for a change.

So, while your overworked side of your brain lazed about and thought about nothing what would that other half be doing?

Mmmm, home alone with no-one telling it how useless it is – wow it could get up to all sorts of things. All those Right Brains could finally express themselves by getting out the paints and canvas, they could scribble down those long awaited musings, bang some notes out on the piano, guitar or do whatever the things they always dreamed about doing. And all those Left Brains could revel in nutting out the Sudoku or dusting off the kids chemistry set or even pulling out that brain teaser book and giving it a run for its money.

Now the holidaying half of the brain would probably be worrying that you couldn’t get on without it and would be itching to return to work. But if you made it holiday a little longer well maybe you could get to know your estranged brain a whole lot better. You could see how with a little practice you really could paint a landscape, write a story, finish a long division under five seconds, add up numbers in your head again. Maybe, just maybe you’re not so bad at these things after all and in fact you actually enjoy the challenge of them.

Who knows, when you had both halves of your brain back together you could start sharing the load between them. You could give yourself a mental holiday any time you wanted just by switching from one half to the other. You could talk to more people at parties because you have more to talk about. The possibilities are endless.

So why not give it a go? Give the other side of your brain a work out – after all, you deserve a holiday don’t you?

Imagine if the profits for this company were measured in how much it contributed to the conservation of the planet. And the dividends it paid to its share holders were paid in commodities like clean air, water, food production and arable land.

If we were shareholders of this company would we insist the Board of Directors made decisions which made company Planet Earth a very profitable one by preserving the environment? Would we expect that the business strategies employed in running this company were centred on replacing and replenishing the resources we used? Would we make sure the Board of Directors were reputable people who put the best interests of the share holders first? Would we ensure, at all costs, that the company never showed a negative return on our investment because we would understand that this meant ramifications like global warming, drought, poverty, hunger and disease.

If we could monitor our future on planet earth like we do our shares on the stock exchange would we see the market crash coming?