Judgement, Awareness, and Highways.
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Today I learned (or realized I already knew) that the monkey mind’s consistent chatter is neither wrong or right. It just is. Your awareness, your 'you' is the listener of the chatter. It observes and can make meaning from the nonsense, or ignore it.
This 10 minute video from Eva-Lotta Lamm is a tutorial on how to practice drawing. It's about the mental process not which pen, paper, or app to use.
I'd argue this mindset works for any creative endeavor.
Here's a screencap of the video:
- On the left is the Judge, aka the inner critic, aka the monkey mind. The monkey mind consistently makes value statements. They are conflicting, and informed by fear. It wants you to stop, so that you can't possibly get hurt.
- On the right is the Awareness, the one who notices, and asks questions. It asks about options and wants you to keep going, so that you may grow.
The Highway
My therapist once told me that our minds are like the busiest and fastest highway ever. Thoughts fly by at a million miles an hour. They switch lanes without using their turn signals. They crash into each other, and somehow keep going at breakneck speeds.
The goal isn't to stop the cars. You can't stop your monkey mind from moving so fast.
The goal is to get out of the way of traffic. To grab a lawn chair and sit on the side of the highway and observe the traffic flying by.
How might we observe more and keep going versus reacting from fear and stopping ourselves?
Upcoming comedy shows
Hey Party People! will be performing in Portland, Maine on November 20th. We may have another show around that time as well. I'll be writing for the show, and performing in some sketches too. Hope to see you there!
Stay tuned for more info.
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