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Monday, November 19, 2012

Writing and Drawing "In The Zone"

I'm nearing the end of my first course in drawing. Yesterday, I did something I hadn't done before except in a sketch book. I did a drawing en plein aire. I took my easel, flimsy as it is, and my large drawing pad and other supplies to a cemetery and drew a picture of the trees and tombstones and vases of flowers. Being the first time, it was enchanting indeed. In fact, after a while, I realized I was in a zone, a drawing zone. I was so wrapped up in drawing, time was not a factor. The goings on around me were not a factor. I was one with my craft.

That got me to thinking about writing. Do you ever get in a zone? Do you ever become so at-one with your writing that you zone out on everything else? The writing flows, writes itself, and you're just a medium for putting words on paper.

This is a quality of all creative work, I think--zoning out. The idea of being in a zone is not original with me. I've read a book on writing that talks about getting in a zone, the way basketball players get in a zone and they hit every shot. I did a Google search for writing in a zone and found a couple of websites incorporating the word: readwritezone and buffys write zone. I'm sure musicians and potters and painters and computer program designers and, well, almost anyone in any type of work can get into a zone.

And what occurs to me is that it is almost a spiritual experience. What do you think about all of this?

4 comments:

  1. I love it when I get like this! Especially with homework, it makes it so much easier!! My theory is that your interests/hobbies override your interest in time but it could be anything! Or maybe it's your muse getting worked up!

    Congrats on the drawing course!

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  2. I sometimes get like this when writing. I'll look up at the time and hours have passed yet it feels like I just sat down to write. Love this feeling too.

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  3. Hi Richard - it's always great when we are just being with our work at that time ... I get like that occasionally - but hope that this will occur more often in the months ahead ..

    Cheers Hilary

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  4. It's a scary and exhilarating type of experience.

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