Creative Solutions and Inspirations from the Modern Day Muses

Romancing the Lull: Creativity’s Pause Button

By Jill Badonsky, M.Ed.

PLUS: Meet the Muse Lull

So remember the article I wrote last month? Yeah. Me neither. I forgot to write one. I missed my deadline. A Muse held me hostage. Well then, you might think — “A Muse is a goddess of creative inspiration. If she held you hostage did she not deliver creative motivation? Shift you into gear? Activate the mysterious workings of the idea translation system? Shift subconscious wind drifts to concrete manifestations?” Not this Muse. Since I upgraded the nine Greek Muses (who were laid off due to outdated modalities that failed to meet modern day mortal creative needs), there have been some unexpected stirrings, or in this case, lack there of, in the Muse world. The Muse who held me hostage is called Lull, the Muse of Pause and Diversion.

“To do great work a man must be very idle as well as very industrious.” — Samuel Butler

Creativity is a cycle. There is a part of that cycle that requires no activity and sometimes is not voluntary. It is that phase of the creative process that Rollo May terms “data collection.” It appears that nothing is happening because nothing visible IS happening. But the subconscious is sweeping the floor, restocking the idea inventory, plugging in the connectors, associators, divergers and convergers. Electricity is getting recharged — creativity simply does not run nonstop without periods to refill. Or during certain times of our life, trauma, sadness, loss or stress can both put creativity on hold and be a conduit for expression.

As a creativity coach I frequently encounter people who need to let the process go in order for the process to come back. Some of them think they are stuck or procrastinating when in fact they simply need to take a break, divert their attention, fill with new sensations, experiment in a venue or read about a subject they are not saturated, hang in a hammock, stop beating themselves up! Sometimes the break calls for 15 minutes and sometimes the break wants three or more months. During the break however, we may find we are capable of a different style of creativity — one that feels less natural but still meets the moment’s needs.

Luckily for me the lead Muse of Creativity Portal let my deadline error slide without public flogging. In fields where deadlines are not negotiable, unpredictable Lull-visits need contingent plans. Extra creative output can be prepared ahead of time during the flowing part of the cycle. This, of course, can be unrealistic to those of us who thrive on last minute energy — so another modern day Muse, Albert, inspires mortals to manipulate existing ideas with twists, perspectives, and associations that led to new ideas through creative modification when creativity isn’t on the tip of your cortex. And sometimes, simply taking a walk, field trip or even a nap can revitalize creative zest. But what is certain is the creative process does benefit from breaks and rests. If it is over months, patient acceptance along with participation in refueling activities brings the process back faster than forcing and harsh self-criticism.

Take a moment and think or list what activities might be or have been refueling to you. Take a moment and consider that your procrastination may be incubation time in disguise and relax. Take one small moment and imagine letting go of the intensity of whatever project you are in. Take a walk.

After an intense month of travel, family drama, planning and executing a huge workshop, meeting all sorts of deadlines — my creative resources were depleted. It may have been Lull that convinced me that my deadline was three days later than it actually was so I could not in fact write an article. But conveniently, I also have a Muse named Spills — she is the Muse of mistakes and imperfection. •

“It takes a lot of time to be a genius,
you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing.” — Gertrude Stein

Copyright © Jill Badonsky, 2006. All rights reserved.

About the Author | More by Jill Badonsky
Jill Badonsky, M.Ed. is a nationally recognized workshop leader, artist, performer, humorist, and author of the book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard): 10 Guides to Creative Inspiration for Artists, Poets, Lovers and Other Mortals Wanting to Live a Dazzling Existence. She teaches creativity lovers to facilitate classes and workshops based on her book and along with UCLA psychologist, Robert Maurer, she trains people to be Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaches. She can be found lurking at www.themuseisin.com.

10/14/06