The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

PART ONE | THE INNER WORLD OF THE PSYCHE
EXERCISE
Find a place where you can walk without being interrupted. This could
be inside your home or in a park or on the street where you live. Start by
standing still for a moment and let your gaze fall on a distant object–this
may be a wall 30 feet away or the mailbox on the corner. Now begin to
walk at a relaxed pace toward the object, but as you approach the object
become aware of your desire to get there. There is no need to worry, you
will get there if for no other reason then you are walking in that direction,
but the high level of inner verbal traffic, planning, and preparations
that arises in your mind may surprise you. Let your gaze rests on the
object you are approaching and just quietly remind yourself to let go of
the desire to comment on the inevitable. We all carry a tremendous
energy called desire. To get somewhere is to accomplish something. To
reach a goal is fundamental and necessary and woven very deeply into
our existence. However during this experiment when your mind begins
racing toward the object, just return to the sensation of being with your
body and the sensation of walking. This exercise offers a brief glimpse of
how our desire to get something or get somewhere often comes at the
expense of being present. Creativity is an experience that happens naturally
when we are living in the present, not busy planning the future or
worrying about the past.
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