Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona
DESERTing Work for Succulent Inspiration  Posted Nov-15-2006
Filling the Well, Stocking the Pond
Before this
month, the last time I boarded an airplane was in 1995 for a fun-filled week
AND my first trip ever to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Last week I boarded
an airplane again, but this time my destination was to experience an 1800s time
warp, the historical Old West, the infamous Tombstone, Arizona.
My trip to Arizona had a three-fold purpose: to visit with family members
who live in Tombstone, to completely unplug from work and enjoy some playtime
(see my The
Nature of Work piece), and to fill my well with creative inspiration.
More about my Tombstone trip later. For now, I'll just focus on that third
one: filling my well.
Filling the Well
 If
you've read Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way, you'll be familiar
with her discussion on "Filling the Well, Stocking the Pond" that
begins on page 20. If you're unfamiliar with this concept, it's
all about the artistic reservoir or "inner well" artists (of all kinds)
draw upon for creative inspiration. The author likens it to a "well-stocked
trout pond" filled with all sizes of fish — and an "artistic
ecosystem we must maintain in order for our well not to become depleted or
stagnant."
The process of restocking the pond, or filling the well, requires us to be
self-nourishing and in "active pursuit of images to refresh our artistic
reservoirs." We do this by feeding it new images from anything or anywhere
that captivates our attention and imagination. Images can come from nature,
museums, shopping malls, or pool halls. We only need to follow our inner knowing
in this active pursuit, because each of us knows
what inspires us more than anyone else.
Sometimes, filling the well requires more than just a few hours of soaking
in new sights and experiences. It requires an extended break or vacation from
the work that constantly draws upon our inner reservoirs. This is especially
true for creatives who are inclined to work extra hard and long on their projects
without resting or recharging enough in between to maintain balance in their
lives between work and play. This pattern often leads to allowing little or
no time to replenish the wells of inspiration, and soon creative ideas
dry up.
For
some, a vacation from work is often difficult to take
because there is just "too
much to do," but
at the same time, it is THE best thing they can do. It is
the rare creative who doesn't appreciate their renewed state of being after
taking a well-deserved break from work that includes opportunities to feed
on new inspiration.
Feeding on Succulent Inspiration
Over the last year I've become more conscious of the balance that exists
between my work life and play life and have made necessary adjustments to
keep that balance in check. I am one of those creatives who is well-endowed
with conscientious-ness and can easily slip into working extra long and hard
without taking vacations or significant breaks from my work. Knowing this
is an area I need to pay attention to, I decided in late October to book
a trip to the Arizona desert and literally DESERT my work for a week to enjoy
quality time with family and breathe in new creative inspiration from the
magnificent wonders of the Southwest.
I've been home for four days now and am still enjoying my refreshed state
of being. My head is just swimming with all kinds of new images and experiences
that didn't exist before. My trout pond has been stocked with new fish. Oh,
and my
work was still here when I got back, so
I just picked up where I left off. It was that easy.
More about my trip to Arizona is coming
soon. •
© 2006 Chris Dunmire www.chrisdunmire.com.
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