“Meraki”
This is a view of the ancient Greek metropolis of Aizanoi. Image by Yusef Dündar.
While my previous posts discuss flow, creativity, and mental agility, meraki (pronounced may-rah-key) simply relates to putting something of ourselves into our work.
A Greek word, “meraki” involves sharing our love for our creative work to such an extent that we open a window into our centers of consciousness, living essences, or souls.
Okay, that seemed pretty wild the first time I heard about this, too! But read on. This concept can help you make the most out of every activity in your life!
When you love a pursuit so much that you put something of yourself into it, you’re “working with meraki.” I know you’ve sensed this. Just recall the time you cooked something excellent or created something with special skill and energy. Don’t you remember that sudden sense of contentment? You didn’t need someone’s praise. By quietly investing something dwelling within your whole self, you’d already found that internal kick of fulfillment.
In the last few months, I’ve experienced this while training puppies, gathering images and data in my observatory, and while writing a novel. As meraki does not rely on prayer, meditation, or psychedelic compounds, it reminds me of something Joseph Campbell said about following your bliss.
“If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”
Of course, it may take time to discover your true passion and gather the wherewithal needed to push your creative energies in the right direction!
Tired of Endless Task Lists?
As each day opens, wouldn’t it be great if our sense of intention and internal awareness automatically discovered the day’s wealth of creative possibilities? Instead, without understanding why, have you ever found yourself seeming to lack happiness or fulfillment? Do some of your goals appear unreachable? Or does your creative muse seem to be hiding that last bit of inspiration you’ve been needing? How often do other “pop-up” activities block the way or steal your productive time?
The good news is that human beings are naturally creative. Damn right, we are! And we each feel most at peace when focused commitment lets us stretch our creative muscles. So, how might an understanding of meraki improve our lives? Well, it’s time to learn how to reach out and snatch motivation and inspiration right out of the air!
Productivity & Extending Your Workflow Breakpoint.
Like any creative person, artists and authors face a wealth of internal tension. For example, as each day dawns, I often doubt I can START or even complete my self-assigned work set. I feel “icky” and the ickiness does not lift until the day’s writing chunk is well underway. By then, I’ve usually found meaning in the work and the fading anxiety was worth it.
So how do I get started? When faced with a story problem or other artistic decision, it helps to create a distant mental image as if watching TV or a theatrical play. I isolate what my senses might tell me if I was right there, living in that image or setting. A dose of imagined personal drama or internal conflict can get the ball rolling.
I have to remind myself that every scene in a book is a power grab and that I need to invite my reader to sense both image and motion. If that doesn’t work, I just imagine how to make each new situation worse for the scene’s pivotal character. How can I make things more difficult for them to reach their goal? I love some of my characters. Yet, I definitely like pushing them to their limits!
Some mornings it helps if I review a few helpful writer’s quotes I keep on hand. Here are two that help me envision and describe new settings:
“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader. Not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.”
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
And — lucky me — for storytelling, there may actually be a “recipe” of sorts to follow.
David JP Phillips once had a TEDx talk called “The Magical Science of Storytelling” where he described the “angel’s cocktail” a writer might want to evoke in a reader’s bloodstream. Just mix, in whatever measure, A + B + C.
A: for dopamine: build suspense, launch a cliffhanger, and use cycles of waiting and expecting (all aiding focus, motivation, & memory).
B. for endorphin: make people laugh, or cause emotional stress.
C. for oxytocin: create empathy for characters. Show acts of generosity, trust, and bonding.
Whether you are a composer or carpenter, art director or architect, glassblower or graphic designer, film editor or photographer — whatever — letting wonder take hold can help personalize and cultivate your craft.
Never FORCE your work!
While working efficiently with plenty of meraki can feel great, the process can have a downside. Forcing work — especially creative work — can bring on a stretch of toxic productivity. Yuck! Never FORCE yourself to work. It can lead to anxiety, depression, and burnout. So, choose some of these guidelines to focus on, but don’t overdo it!
Here are Some Important Guidelines
Know which part of the day best suits your energy and focus, and schedule tasks accordingly.
Compete with yourself. Treat tasks as a game and cultivate a sense of “flow” to keep things moving.
Pretend someone is watching you with positive interest.
Commit to hard work while remembering to enjoy each moment and small unit of success.
Stick with a consistent schedule. Time is your most valuable resource. I help narrate every morning, and then add new chapter work each afternoon. Correspondence comes next, if I am not already walking the dogs or working in our honeybee sanctuary.
Avoid social media. My editors insist that I maintain Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest accounts. While I enjoy interacting with friends and fans, I try not to overdo it.
Always try to push beyond your comfort zone. Enjoy the process, not the prize.
Maintain a steady pace forward. Don’t switch tasks unless you must, and press ahead while other people take breaks. On the other hand, if a task becomes a bother, don’t hesitate to switch to something else that needs doing.
Take care of your future self by preparing for approaching milestones in advance.
Never attend a meeting you can avoid. If you’re the one scheduling meetings, please STOP. I’ve seldom been to a general meeting of any value, and most of those involved SAFETY briefings for Navy live-firing exercises and/or securing nuclear weapons.
Use your phone’s note-taking and voice notes applications.
Announce your goals in a monthly newsletter. I doubt anyone out there cares about holding me accountable, but pinning something on a public calendar helps.
Learn to say no. If I can help, I always help. But I do not enjoy doing someone else’s work.
Maintain a notebook for fresh ideas. Example: while waiting for someone to finish a doctor’s appointment, I watched a patient study a hunting magazine. This later became a nice way to introduce a character.
If the thought of taking on a task is overwhelming, break it into small “granular” chunks and select a teeny-tiny part to tackle.
Human beings thrive on variety, so why not have several tasks cooking at the same time? And test yourself. You’re a natural juggler. How many balls can you keep in the air?
Never pretend that you’re enjoying something if you’re not. Look for a way to delegate such tasks. Some people have talents you lack. What doesn’t work for you, might be a thrilling challenge for them.
If you’re a writer, count words not hours. Each time I hit 1,000 passable words in a first draft, I am done for the day.
Only put high-impact items on your to-do list. You’ll automatically fill the gaps with lesser tasks as time permits. Some people say you should identify your most important task and do it first. I find it more useful to narrow my focus. On most days, I select my most difficult or disgusting task and get it out of the way first.
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
More Benefits of Meraki
Once we learn to ease our minds toward meraki, our consciousnesses can reach out and obtain images and information. This goes beyond ordinary reality. If you can silence your brain’s “default mode network” and let your sense of identity fade, your consciousness may shift toward new, non-ordinary realities.
As your sense of separateness and isolation ebbs and fades, you may even feel as if your mind is touching someone else’s consciousness. Or perhaps you’ve connected with one of your alternate selves in a parallel reality. (I sometimes wonder if that’s what happens when we dream.) Some of my characters learn to make this sort of contact under duress, and some have even accessed ancient wisdom passed down through generations or discovered groundbreaking ideas that have yet to be conceived.
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”
Imagine being able to connect with artists, scientists, philosophers, or any individual who has poured their heart and soul into their work. With meraki as our guide, we can delve into their creative processes, understand their motivations on a deeper level, and gain insight into the profound impact they had on the world.
But meraki is not limited to accessing information from external sources. It also enables us to explore depths within ourselves that were previously uncharted. By channeling our own consciousness inward with complete devotion and passion towards a particular endeavor, we unlock hidden reservoirs of creativity and understanding.
Could these moments of deep connection be where true fulfillment resides?
“When you feel that you have reached the end and that you cannot go one step further, when life seems to be drained of all purpose: What a wonderful opportunity to start all over again, to turn over a new page.”
If you’re being creative, there is no reason to paint, compose music, sculpt, write … or whatever in the style of anyone else. If you work with meraki, your style will shine. Maintain a silent sense of reverence for your creation. You don’t have to love yesterday’s work, but at least it’s there to springboard off of. You’ll need to maintain that understanding if/when your expected reviews don’t appear or your family turns an indifferent eye. Hey, it happens. And some writers and artists even drift into “imposter syndrome” where they doubt their ability.
But you know you are creative, confident, intelligent, and resourceful! Immersed in this way, your abilities will keep evolving. When we tap into our inner meraki, we discover a boundless flow of ideas and inspiration that seem to emerge effortlessly. It is as if we become vessels for the universe’s creative energy, allowing it to manifest through us in unique and meaningful ways. The process begins with a spark, an initial fascination or curiosity that ignites our imagination. We may find ourselves drawn toward certain subjects, art forms, or issues that resonate deeply within us. This magnetic pull becomes the driving force behind every endeavor.
“The worst enemy to creativity is self doubt.”
As we delve deeper into our chosen path, we immerse ourselves in the work at hand. Time disappears as hours blend seamlessly into one another. Every step is accompanied by an unwavering focus and dedication that propels us forward even when faced with challenges or setbacks. In these moments of complete absorption, we experience a profound sense of connection not only with the task itself but also with something greater than ourselves — a collective consciousness that unites all creators throughout time.
In this state of flow, there is a harmonious dance between creativity and the universal energy that flows through everything. Ideas pour effortlessly from our minds, like rivers cascading down mountains, as we tap into the limitless wellspring of inspiration.
Time ceases to exist in its traditional linear form. It becomes malleable, stretching and compressing to accommodate the depths of our exploration. We lose ourselves in each brushstroke on a canvas or every word meticulously crafted on paper. The outside world fades away, leaving us fully present in the NOW.
“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”
There is no room for doubt during these moments of elevated existence. We are attuned to an invisible force guiding us forward with unwavering confidence. Obstacles dissolve like mist under the radiant sun as we navigate uncharted territories with grace and poise. It is within this heightened state that we realize we are mere vessels channeling something far more profound than our own limited abilities could fathom.
The process itself becomes intoxicating — a dance between control and surrender. In one moment, we meticulously arrange words in a sentence or colors on a canvas ... but then, suddenly, the work takes a life of its own — flowing freely as if guided by an invisible hand.
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.”
