The Good Part of Distraction

“Time is short, my strength is limited, the office is a horror, the apartment is noisy, and if a pleasant, straightforward life is not possible, then one must try to wriggle through by subtle manoeuvres.”
― Franz Kafka

When it comes to creative endeavours, I work best when my conscious mind is distracted. As a young man, I would write my best poetry either in bars or around campfires with people playing music, talking and singing. Now I find I make my best art when I have a movie or television show playing in a corner of my computer screen. When I tell people this they tend to be somewhat incredulous.
“How do you do that? I would never be able to focus?” I have heard from a few people.
Yet when I focus completely on making art, I tend to overthink things and second-guess myself. My conscious mind interferes with the process. When I have something to keep my monkey mind occupied, the good stuff tends to flow easier from whatever creative well I draw from. Oh I make decisions as I go along but they tend to be on the aesthetics and I do relatively little judgement or guessing other than decide whether or not it feels right. I guess the monkey-mind just likes to be entertained.
Blessings, G

Click on images to see full-sized:

Conversation in the Jewelled Fountain by G A Rosenberg

Star Compass by G A Rosenberg