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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Soul Fire

I thought of the title of this post last night while sitting outside and staring intently into the flame of a candle. I had a terrible sinus headache that came on suddenly in the evening and lasted the entire night. I had hoped that sitting outside in the cool air would help, but while it did stimulate some interesting ideas, I found it impossible to write under those conditions.

Which got me thinking that all creativity, productivity, the ability to contemplate big ideas and to translate these ideas into words, depends on your health. If I were in poor health I don't think I would be able to have a blog. So health is an essential ingredient, but it's not the only ingredient. In order to regularly blog day in and day out, and to actually create something from thin air, requires yet another ingredient, something I call Soul Fire.

I got the idea for soul fire, while thinking about this blog, what I write about here, and the reasons for doing this. No, this is not another Why am I Blogging? post. It's too soon for that. But I was thinking about what really motivates a person to blog? And where does the energy come from to write here? Not only do I not make any money at this, it's largely a thankless endeavor. And so, given those circumstances of zero recognition and minimal feedback, what keeps a person doing this day in and day out?

You know, sometimes I read over my blog and see so many imperfectly written posts, rushed posts, posts that were unclear and didn't express everything I needed to say, that really should have been rewritten, and are somewhat of an embarrassment to read. And other times, I'm pleasantly surprised to find that some of the posts are pretty good. Either way, whether good or bad, it's come to my realization that the fact that I consistently publish anything here at all is an accomplishment in itself. Not many people are able to do this.

The problem is that when you are able to do something with ease, seemingly effortlessly, it's easy to take it for granted, to undervalue your skills; that sometimes you don't know what you had, until you lost it. Having a sinus headache that prevented me from being able to write (despite having ideas to write about) or to even bare the sight of a screen, showed me a whole new appreciation for this.

So I was thinking about this, about this creative impulse underlying blogging, which is more than just an idea, it's a motivating force that propels an idea into action, that translates unspoken thoughts into written words. And the name I came up with for this creative impulse was "Soul Fire". It came to me as an epiphany while staring into the flame of a candle, and thinking about my blog, about my health, and about what motivates me to write here.

The ability to have a blog is not just about having the right hardware and software, you also have to have the right combination of motivation and creative energy; or soul fire. Having ideas to write about and the energy to translate those ideas into words, and the ability to do so day in and day out for absolutely no reward; no money, no recognition, and minimal feedback; you have to admit that's pretty remarkable. I've been called selfish before, but I think this is actually an instance of selflessness; either that or stupidity.

It becomes ever so apparent to me during those times when I am unable to put my ideas into words, that the ability to create requires more than just having ideas and talent, the essential ingredient is soul fire. Soul Fire is the fuel that powers this blog. Without it this blog would not exist. It is not only responsible for the creation of each post, but is the energy that is responsible for keeping the entire blog going.

Soul Fire, a type of applied inspiration, that enables you to create something from nothing. It's not really something you own, it's more like something that you borrow, like a gift from the gods; you don't call it, it calls you, but in order to hear it your health must be crystal clear, or else the reception will be too fuzzy to translate into words.

Nothing can be created without soul fire; and without health the soul fire burns out.

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