The Luxury of Letting Go

The ability to ‘Let Go’ characterizes mindfulness.

Neither rejecting nor holding on to any thoughts that may arise.

Observing and mindfully recognizing that things are as they are

 in that moment, without reaction.

I moved to Bali temporarily. To dip my feet in it’s cool waters and taste the kind of life I dreamt of. I wanted to slow down, escape my full time job and take time out. I didn't know what I was going to do, but it didn't matter because the rent was cheap, the food delicious, people friendly and sunshine uplifting.

Then I landed in Ubud and wondered how I came to be in such an overwhelmingly busy town. Ubud was not how I’d pictured it and I feared I’d mistakenly moved from a concrete jungle to a jungle with concrete. I found myself twiddling my thumbs, wanting to work and shroud myself in the buzz. I came to Hubud to be physically close to the energy of this creative and entrepreneurial spirit. My first visit wigged me out. I had been in Bali less than a week. And I began to experience an existentialist melt down. Within 24 hours I was trying to develop a business plan, downloading ‘the $100 startup’ on my Kindle and smashing out emails. There was too much frenergy and I felt my ritualized habits were attempting to recreate the exact same office environment I had left behind. 

So I turned my mobile off. I turned my laptop WIFI off. And I packed away my kindle. Why was I here? What did I want to achieve by leaving my full time job in Singapore?

I reassessed my values. And reminded myself that I didn't move here to become an entrepreneurial wizard. I didn’t choose Bali over returning to Australia for better job prospects. I moved to Bali as a gesture of respect to myself, to reassure myself that I deserved more from my life than feeling unfulfilled, bored and restless. I came with the inherent belief and self trust that once I let go I could start living a life I was proud of. I may not become a commercial success. But that's okay. I am creative, I am intellectual, I am caring and I am spiritual. My strengths cannot be judged beside others. I just am who I am. And for now, I am here.

Letting go sometimes feels like giving up parts of you. When you move to a new country you have nothing tangible to identify with. No friends, no family, no job, no social groups, no industry links. The real reason I moved to Bali was to get some headspace and finish my MA in Cross-Disciplinary Art and Design. It's mid-semester break and my online coursework doesn't resume until late July. So you know what. I'm letting go. And reveling in the luxury that I have time to allow my ego and sense of self worth take some time out by symbolically leaving my shoes at the door.

The Motivational Holy Trinity

Peering through the Jungle, 2014

“Each artist expresses through art his unique way of experiencing life.
This is the essence of creation.
Through our art we bring into existence something that did not previously exist.
The creative process fulfills our need to express our experience.
And if the expression has been true, we will feel a sense of completion and satisfaction.”

(Loori, 2004, p.84)

Madder Moon exhibition, Singapore 2013

"We do things because they're interesting. 
We do things because we like them, because they're inherently gratifying. 
We do things because we get better at them, because they're the right thing to do, 
or because they're part of a larger purpose."

(Pink, 2010)

Loori and Pink artfully surmise why we engage in the creative process, why we decided to become artists, designers, writers, performers. I am motivated to be creative because creativity is challenging by nature, I feel stimulated and excited when approaching a new task or learning new things. There is said to be a holy trinity of motivation, outlined by three key points. Are you unmotivated by your creative pursuits because you overlooked one? Apparently it’s not all about you.

Autonomy . I did this myself...!

Mastery . I’m getting really good at this...!

Purpose . I did this for a cause greater than myself...!

Loori, J.D (2004) The Zen of Creativity; Cultivating your Artistic Life. Ballantine Books: New York, USA
Pink, D. (2010) Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us. RSA Animation [Online] Accessed 09/06/2014 from, http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=SG&hl=en-GB&v=u6XAPnuFjJc
Wills. E. (2013) Peering through the Jungle. [Online] Accessed 23/06/2014 from, http://www.surface122.blogspot.com/

Personal Creativity Manifesto

“...without a manifesto, we cannot conceive the future.” (Kyes, 2008)

The artists’ manifesto can be defined as a “document of an ideology, crafted to convince and convert.” (Caws, 2000) On a more personal level, the artist manifesto is an individual document written to inspire, challenge and motivate. It can help the author to articulate the parameters of their creative practice and what philosophies the process is built upon. 

I haven’t written a personal creativity manifesto as yet. But I have identified that having an engaging narrative supporting creative ideas is at the core of my creative practice. Seth Godin's (2009) tribe building theory is underpinned by the central aim to tell a story that connects with its audience and creates a sense of community.

Daniel Pink says that storytelling is important because as “facts become so widely available and instantly accessible, each one becomes less valuable. What begins to matter is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact.” (Pink, 2009) Narrative therefore helps to generate interest in ideas, and provides people with a story with which they can subscribe to.

Godin says that we are searching for meaning and a tribe to ascribe to, articulating that we "are living through and are right at the key moment of a change in the ways ideas are created, and spread, and implemented." He calls this the ‘time of Tribes' – which is defined by storytelling, ‘connecting people and ideas.’ (Godin, 2009) The objectives for my creative projects are underpinned by Seth Godin’s leadership theory of building a tribe, described by his four steps; Telling a Story, Connecting like minded people, Leading the movement to Make Change. 

Telling a Story

For my projects to be successful they must connect or resonate with their audience. 
Godin and Pink see a future defined by shared storytelling, a way to connect like-minded 
people and ideas.

Connect Like-minded people

Projects are interactive and experiential, helping to cultivate a wide audience.

Collaboration is key. Projects share visions, and contributors bring a variety of skills from 
different disciplinary backgrounds.

Leading the Movement

Be exemplary and step into the unknown as a role model, mentor and guide.

Make Change

Ensure the projects have longevity and new ideas can keep being adapted from previous ideas.

Challenge creative thinking processes in order to find new connections and propose 
new cross-disciplinary relationships. 

Caws, M.A. (2000) Manifesto: A Century of Isms. University of Nebraska Press: USA.
Godin, S. (2009) The Tribes we Lead. TED Talks [Online] Accessed 20/06/2014, from http://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead 
Kyes, Z. (2008) Manifesto’s of the Future. e-flux [Online] Accessed 20/06/2014 from, http://www.e-flux.com/journal/manifestos-for-the-future/#_ftn5 
Pink, D. (2005) A Whole New Mind; Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. Riverhead, Penguin Books: USA.