Tensing while relaxing, the key to creativity

Or how to avoid stress and anxiety

In the Tao Te Ching, this great Chinese philosophy book, you can find:

The Tao does nothing,

yet leaves nothing undone.

This paradoxical statement is hardly understood by the mind, but can be grasped in the present moment. When in a creative flow state, this is what happens: you are not trying to achieve anything, yet the right thing happens. Let me explain.

A mystery and an intention

Most of my articles are the fruit of that process, which I forget, then remember suddenly one morning.

My attention gets grabbed by something, usually something I read or listen to. Intrigued, I follow the thread, drop what I’m doing and dive into that liminal state where I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m just excited: I have something to figure out.

There is a tension and an in-tention: what has this thing impressed on me? why has it triggered me?

I usually wait. Energy builds up. Concepts, ideas, images, come to mind. Some im-press me more than others.

Following the unconscious suggestions and the track of the most salient impressions, I start drawing, writing some words, then sentences.

I’m trying to make sense. I’m trying to crack the mystery.

Creation

This whole process is one of creation. You dive into the unknown and try to make manifest what seems to be lurking here and has grabbed your attention.

This post is to make the argument that a good life is a succession of such moments. By following the threads and not getting attached to the outcome, you end up doing whatever is best from you, and for you. You’re un-covering your genius and making it manifest, to you, and others!

As such, creation is just flow. It feels amazing, and it’s hard to believe it’s not meant to be, and that as such, it is not deeply significant (and thus you should maximise it!)

I want to add that while this process can be creative externally (like it is right now), it will also, and potentially mainly be, internal. This process creates new connections in your self, your mind, your brain. It is effectively creating new connections, new knowledge, new beliefs. It changes you.

It’s like alchemy: from void, dark matter, chaos you create matter, energy, light. And the process is both internal, and external.

Stress and anxiety

While I was dis-covering this topic this morning in my alchemical practice (aha!), I had the experience that this state was not too far from stress or anxiety.

I could feel moments when I was becoming too attached to an idea, to an outcome, and getting anxious as a result. I was diverging from the truest path. I wasn’t dedicated 100% attention to the flow and was getting distracted.

The flow, the Tao, is a tensed, but it is deeply relaxed too. You inquire the void, but you let magic happen, while not interfering with ego, so it is deeply relaxing.

Stress on the other hand, would paradoxically be a lack of intention to solving a problem, a situation. Stress is the alarm, that you are not looking into a situation you should be. You are not attentive.

The trap of trying to avoid tension

Now, I’ve had a tendency to try and avoid stress and anxiety, and I thought well, let’s meditate and calm myself. So I avoided being tensed. And that was, and still is often, my mistake: tension is necessary to avoid stress and anxiety.

Actually, pure, good tension is the remedy. In the way of the Tao.

Last words

I’ve had a great time writing this piece and I hope this will resonate with you :)

Concluding, I’m tempted to look at my initial notes to make sure I haven’t forgotten something… but anxiety spikes: I am trying to control, to be perfect, to make sure. This isn’t the process, this isn’t the way, I drop the notes and trust the completion 🙏

Have a great rest of your day and as always, let me know what your thoughts are!

Cheers