Think Less and Do More
/This post is a part of a series; if you want to start at the beginning, read this first.
There are two sides to the brain: the logical, rational side and the intuitive, creative, irrational side.
Our culture tends to emphasize the logical side. We see this in education with great value on STEM departments and less on the arts. We also tend to associate logic with the feminine and creativity and intuition with the feminine. (Do I need to tell you which one gets more value in our culture?)
Here's the thing: The voice of the Inner Critic is the voice of the logical brain. It wants to help keep you safe and create things that it knows will work. If there's doubt, it wants you to leave it out.
But in writing our first thoughts, we've got to learn to turn down the voice of the inner critic, the voice of the logical mind. If Picasso wanted to stay safe would he ever have revolutionized abstract art? If John Cage only wanted to do what he knew would work, would he have created his avant-garde approach to music? If Beyoncé wanted to stay safe, would she have released Lemonade and be the Queen Bee we all know and love?
Not that I suggest comparing yourself to Picasso or Join Cage or Beyoncé, but the point is that to be creative, to put yourself out there, to do something new in the world, you've got to put logic to the side.
This is why Natalie Goldberg tells us: Don't think, don't get logical.
When you put your pen to the page (or your fingers to the keyboard) you need to turn off the part of our brain that thinks and just allow whatever to come through. All of the previous strategies have been preparing you for this. Each strategy is it's own way of saying, "Let's turn down the volume of this logical voice so we can just write what's on our minds without editing, second-guessing, or holding back."
If fear arises, it's totally normal. Your brain has been designed by evolution to avoid uncertainty. That's why anything remotely creative is difficult for all of us. (Yes, even people who identify as creatives have a hard time with this).
But sometimes, relying too heavily on the logical voice inside means only connecting with half of who you are. This process is about allowing your whole self to come forth.
Your turn:
When you read, "Don't think, don't get logical" what does that trigger within you? What objections does your brain conjure up to keep you from going there?
What are other areas of your life where you feel that this advice might actually be helpful?
