Row a Metaphoric Boat > Page 2 of 2

 

Row a Metaphoric Boat

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I'll name this inner dialogue:

"How Rowing a Boat is Like Commanding a Creative Project"

Wow, this boat is just like a container for a creative project! A blank canvas waiting for an experience. A vehicle ready to be driven towards a destination.

The oars are its steering mechanism, tools which thrust it into action, push it forward and backward, and act with directional movement. Without oars I will drift along and lose control of where I'm going.

With the oars resting inside the boat and no anchor in place, the waves carried it along hither and tither turning it sideways, pushing it towards the shore.

This calm, wind-pushed water is the medium for which I journey through. It could be easy sailing or choppy waters! And the unknown of what’s below the surface... should I be afraid of the unseen, or embrace it as simply unmanifested to my consciousness?

And the weather… it's beautiful today, but the uncontrollable environmental elements of the heat, cold, sun, wind, and rain (or lack of) will impact the quality and duration of my ride. What are some of the uncontrollable elements that unexpectedly surface in my creative life? How can I manage them and protect myself from their chaotic forces?

Just then I looked up at the sky at the white puffy clouds and felt the hot sun razing on my bare shoulders. I forgot to bring my sunscreen to the beach. My wonderings continued.

Even though I can swim, this life jacket, a symbol of safety, can literally save my life should I become disabled or too fatigued to swim. It will buoy me [time] and act as a resting place should I need it — much like the support I derive from others when I'm feeling burned-out or need encouragement; the safety I feel when I'm invested in community and connected to others I trust will help me.

And what about me, the captain of this creative vessel? With my intention and energy, this thing takes off and moves with my power. And whether I am a conduit for some higher force or alone in this deal, I still bring my own expertise and experience and without my active participation, this thing stands still. It's on me to move the oars with purpose towards a destination or drift along, pulled by the waves and pushed by the wind. Which will it be?

For the next half-hour I cycled between rowing and resting, keeping my eye on the clock and thinking about how useful a pair of leather work-out gloves would be to protect my hands. Somewhere in between creative contemplation and physical exertion I ate my brown-bag beach lunch: a peanut butter sandwich and banana. The end of the hour came fast and was just long enough to tire me out.

So my curiosity was satisfied: My adventure included getting creatively inspired, a good upper-body workout, sunburned shoulders, and tender blisters on my hands. The next day my lat's were also sore, but the newly-made neural connections in my brain made it all worthwhile.

Yes, those connections led me to playing with Mind Mapping and metaphors in incubation for this article, and now I know that lurking below the water’s dark surface was not only seaweed and fish, but an unmanifested idea, now fully birthed into creation as #18 in this series: Row a Metaphoric Boat...in the water, by yourself. Not too bad for a relaxing day at the beach!

• • • Take Action Now • • •

How might you relate a recent experience into a metaphor that nurtures your creative life? A day at the zoo, a trip to the grocery store, a ride in the car. A family reunion, a travel experience, an unsettling emotional phase. Are you open to using brainstorming, Mind Mapping, or some other idea-generating form to help you explore creative possibilities? •

© 2010 Chris Dunmire, CoachingYourCreativity.com. All rights reserved. (8/14/10)

About the Author | More by Chris Dunmire
Creativity Portal® founder and coach Chris Dunmire works with individuals through deep listening, good humor, and compassionate guidance to excavate, process, and share their rich experiences of living and reach more meaningful levels of creativity, artistic expression, and everyday being. Contact Chris to discuss possibilities in working together.