How to Find Flow and Feel Alive Again
The Sleeping Muse
Within each of us lies a muse—a force of pure creativity, divine, untamed. But like me after daylight savings, it prefers to sleep. When we stare at a blank page or avoid our canvas, it’s often a sign our muse has slipped into hibernation, drowned out by distractions, fear, and the voice of our inner judge.
The Judge and the Creative Famine
A harsh inner judge leads to creative famine. In this state, every idea is dismissed before it can grow. The novelist deletes every new sentence because “they’re not good enough.” The songwriter avoids their guitar, fearing their songs won’t measure up. Self-doubt and perfectionism stifle our instincts, leaving us burnt out and afraid to dive in.
The Judge and the Creative Flood
But the judge is fickle, and sometimes we swing to the other extreme—a flood of half-formed ideas with no direction. The poet starts twelve new poems, but never finishes one. The producer jumps between projects, leaving a trail of incomplete beats. Fear shifts from self-doubt to exposure. Our work is never “finished enough” to be seen.
The Magic of Creative Flow
Between these extremes lies the sweet spot: flow. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes this as the state where time dissolves, and we become fully immersed in our work. Here, our inner judge guides takes a back seat while our Muse whispers directions to us. We listen and commit, nurturing ideas to completion without stifling them with perfectionism or abandoning them for novelty.
Flow arises when we set clear goals, cultivate focus, and trust the process. Think of John Coltrane ripping an out of this world solo or Jackson Pollock painting with chaotic discipline. They were masters of flow and listening to their Muse. Fear—whether of failure or imperfection—keeps us stuck. Trust, in ourselves and in our Muse, is what moves us forward.
The Path to Transformation
Just as avoidance keeps us stuck in cycles of fear and inaction, preventing us from fully engaging with life, creative famine and flood trap us in patterns that block true creative expression. When we run from discomfort, we reinforce habits that stifle growth—whether in life or in art. The path forward in both cases is the same: turning toward the challenge, listening deeply, and stepping into the flow where creation and transformation begin.
Your One Thing: Reawakening the Muse
This week, invite your muse back with these specific actions:
Commit to One Idea – Choose a single creative project to nurture - keep it small, like a writing lyrics, making a sketch, or taking one picture.
Set a Timer for 10 Minutes – Engage fully, free from distractions or judgment.
Listen for the Whisper – Follow curiosity. A photographer might explore shadows instead of color. A musician might experiment with tempo.
Complete and Share – However imperfect, bring something to completion. The act of finishing and sharing is what gives us the confidence to do it again, learning from the process.
Remember: Each time we show up for our muse, we build trust. The key to feeling alive and unlocking our full creative potential isn’t waiting for the perfect idea—it’s choosing to create, again and again.
Here is a quick digital creation I made in 10 minutes. I was curious about shapes and colors.