Knit, Count, Breathe - Protecting Your Creative Mood

My mother used to knit like there was no tomorrow. There was always something peaceful and harmonious about watching her click the pins through the wool.

In this post, I wanted to share with you a great little gadget that is making a big difference in my creative strides. It's a cheap, even magical digital counter - a knitting counter - a ring that I place on one of my fingers. In baby language, it's a simple counter.

When I write, I usually forget to breathe deeply. When I forget to take a deep breath on a regular basis during my writing, my body becomes acidic (or anybody for that matter) - resulting in stiff shoulders and stomach aches. The technique of breathing is nothing new, but it seems to be a widely forgotten contributor to sustained creative thinking and mental health.

Counting my deep breaths during writing is something I've done for years as a precautionary step against losing writing momentum. I'd write down the numbers, one, two, three and so on a notepad to have an overview of how many deep breaths I was doing during a writing session.

Recently I discovered that when I would reach for my notepad to write down a number, upon return to my writing, I felt like I'd lost an important fraction of momentum.

Therefore, I have been looking for a counting device that doesn't have any "distance" required for it - and I found it in this nifty digital row counter. I strap it on a finger, and when I write I don't have to look at my hand, I simply push the counter-button and avoid shifting between logical levels of thinking by physically reaching for my notebook.

When we change/shift logical levels of thinking, that is where a lot of anti-creative debris enters. I can click the counter on my finger without looking at it and by that avoid the 'debris.' It also helps that the literal physical distance to the counter is immediate. It's like right there, on my finger.

For example, if I'm doing a writing session of, say 30 minutes, I'm very happy If I'm able to count at least 10 deep breaths. This simple element, of counting breaths - continues to protect me from unnecessary agony both in my creative work and mental state on the day.

It's all about closing the gap on all levels to 'incubate' creativity. Close the door, shut the phone, and count your breaths.