The ‘Magical’ Gremlin
BEING AWAKE TO THE MAGIC OF LIFE
When you look for magic, magic will find you. When I carry my notebook, the ideas come. When I use the brush, the images flow, and when I have a camera in my pocket, the moment arrives. So, what comes first? Inspiration or preparation?
Being prepared doesn't just start at the desk, in front of the canvas or at the beginning of the conversation. Being prepared means being attuned to the whispers of the universe with a mindset open to awe and wonder. Follow the magic. In the words of Roald Dahl, "Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."
The takeaway here is that creativity is an active process. As William Faulkner once said, ‘I only write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes at nine every morning.’ The point is that the only way to be properly creative is to show up and do the work.
If creativity is an active process and the way to become more creative is to stop waiting for inspiration and take action… WELL, how do we systematise magic in our lives? Personally, it’s about intentionally creating opportunities for magic to enter by letting go of control.
Whether it’s carving out pockets of time for exploration, collaborating in a way that makes me uncomfortable, reciting at an open mic, going to a new coffee shop, complimenting a stranger, etc, the goal is to invite serendipity and spontaneity into life.
Maybe systemising magic is as simple as carrying a camera, a notebook, or anything else that tells your subconscious something worthy of documenting may happen. Perhaps what works for you is keeping a list of thought-provoking questions on your phone for chance encounters, curating a playlist to play at a party you stumble into, or even having a portfolio album of your work ready so that even if you don’t have the internet, you can share your work. By being prepared for magic, magic can find you because you are humble enough to embrace the unexpected.
This gets to be fun.
Some shots from the Eid Supper Club I hosted at Koko last week - food, music, spoken word goodness. Yum.
Musings
“A reliable way to make people believe in falsehoods is frequent repetition, because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth. Authoritarian institutions and marketers have always known this fact.”
― Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow
“You must not ever stop being whimsical. And you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.”
― Mary Oliver, Wild Geese
Things get to work out better than you can imagine.
Prepare to be amazed.
P.S. ‘A little magic can take you a long way.’ From James & The Giant Peach
