Ploughing the Field

Well hello there friend!  So by the time you are reading this I would assume you are somewhat familiar with me and what I do.  That's awesome because as of the time I am writing this entry, it means you know more about me than I currently do.  Now you're probably narrating in your head as such "Well that is easy ‘cause I am in the future opposed to you."  Now, if you did actually think that before you read that, kudos!  I'd say your way of thinking (or thought path as I like to call it) is heading in the right direction.  Okay enough of this tangent and on with the show.  Alright, so, saying you know more than I do is kinda true and not so much.  I say it's true because you are most likely reading this because you are a fan of my work, or well, I would like to think that, but for whatever reason it may be you have found my work and it has lead you here.  That being said this is my first entry where I plan to develop The Garden of The Mind: An exploration into the experiences that shape our creativity.  While this is my first entry and that title sounds intriguing and all, it is simply that-a title.  I have yet to actually figure out where this is going to go and what it will actually be focused on.  In turn giving you the reader an advantage over me the writer (in my current time not yours) as you already have walked through my garden and seen what it has produced.

“Gardening is not outcome-oriented. A successful harvest is not the end of a gardener's existence, but only a phase of it. As any gardener knows, the vitality of a garden does not end with a harvest. It simply takes another form. Gardens do not ‘die’ in the winter but quietly prepare for another season.” -James P. Carse

Now, I would like to expand upon that idea.  If you are asking yourself why I have decided to just start writing this without any direction to sail in, or having no seeds to sow the soil with after the plough is completed, then your thought path has taken a detour.  I will bring you back by pointing out that many great things never happened because the vehicle in which they would have made their way into the mass consciousness was never started.  The engine was checked, oiled, gas filled, tires aired, ignition tested, yet, the driver became paralyzed every time they sat behind the wheel.   To this I ask, “What good is the nice shining vehicle (for this thought experiment; let’s say it is a Jeep) doing sitting in your driveway?”  In turn that is why I have begun to “just write!” so that my Jeep eventually rolls up onto that path that leads me to the right seeds to sow into the field that I am currently ploughing.  However, without taking the time to properly amend the soil how do you think the seeds that you plant will take root?  Granted most of them would in fact take root, the problem comes when they start to mature and do not have the necessary nutrients to thrive and produce the healthiest of flowers.  As every seasoned farmer knows, you do not wait until the conditions are nice to start preparing your field for next year’s harvest.  No, the intelligent farmer know that that process begins as soon (or even before) you cut down this year’s harvest. 

                As you can tell by now I enjoy expanding upon a good metaphor, however, what does all this mean practically?  Well basically this is a skill that I am currently attempting to master.  That being, not letting the overwhelming feeling of where to start with a new idea that you completely freeze and never produce anything other than a good name for your idea.  Which, unfortunately, has been an issue I have faced my entire life.  I seem to be a great idea generator, but lack the skills necessary to make the idea a reality.  I have attempted to “become” many things in this life that I have been blessed with.  Some of those things being, a skater, an herbalist, an animator, a carpenter, a freelance graphic artist, a husband, a farmer and traveler; just to name a few.  As you can tell I was all over the board in my younger years. I was looking for anything that would distract me from bringing the unconscious habits I would cling to, into consciousness.  Looking back I can say this was due to some very turbulent years during my upbringing that left me questioning a lot of things that I had thought were true but reality showed me otherwise.  As well as being blessed with an ability to learn anything, I set my mind to learning.  I would speculate is in part my mother’s doing for actually teaching me at a very young age, the process of learning.  She didn’t just teach what I needed to know in that moment, but rather how to figure it out on my own.  A basic skill that could be taught to anyone, yet most education systems are broken in that regard.  They do not teach individuals how to learn, as learning itself is a skill, and they simply teach you how to memorize and repeat.  Then the information we memorized is no longer relevant we forget about it, but this is not the place to get into politics, so I will move on.  To circle back, this may be a bit confusing, as the ability to learn doesn’t exactly sound like a skill that would hold you back, however, it did for me.  By having too many options I was like a kid in a candy shop, and I wanted all the candies, which in turn gave way to the dog and squirrel syndrome.  What I mean by that is, every time I saw something new and intriguing, I would stop any progress I was making on my current goals and then essentially start over, but this time learning a different skill-set.  Now don’t get me wrong, this is not inherently a “bad thing.”  It is simply a thing and furthermore it could have served me well and will serve me well in the future.  The trick is to channel that into something that will move all my goals forward and having multiple skill-sets is definitely a beneficial thing when it comes to creativity.  It gives you the ability to build from nothing as well as the confidence for when you have to step in and do other people’s jobs in their absence. 

To sum all this up and at least give way to the direction I would like to head into, I have chosen writing (about all of my interests) as the compass to find that direction.  Which is what helped me to solidify the lesson to, just, start, creating and also why I have started here.  This is how I will begin to plough my field and give way to The Garden of The Mind-my mind for now.  Hopefully it will help to inspire others that feel the same way, the same traps and repeating the same detours in their own thought paths; to just start creating wherever they currently may be in their journey.  We ultimately have to put the work into our lives, to be able to get the most out of them.  If you would like a beautiful thriving garden, where should one start?  As any plant enthusiast would tell you; you begin with a properly amended soil.  It is for this reason I choose to start to plough my field with these writings, to give the soil the proper nutrients it needs to sprout the most eye capturing, breath thieving, luscious garden of my mind, and if a few of my seeds end up spilling over into your garden, well, then I am thankful for those bonus points.  For those of you that have joined me on this journey from it’s genesis, I hope you are as excited as I am to see what will bloom from the tilling of this soil.  To those of you who have found me in the future and made it all the way back here, thank you for your loyalty and I hope my struggles have provided much value to your lives.

-Solykos

PS. Please feel free to leave a comment below, I would love to hear your thoughts.  Also, if you feel like you know someone else who would enjoy this make sure to share it with them.  

Oridinally Published 9/20/18 ||