Friends and Enemies

Sometimes you are in Flow, and sometimes you are not. Sometimes you are following your story’s effortless natural path, and sometimes you are forcing it down a road of your own design. And sometimes new ideas are coming to you, and sometimes you listen for inspiration and hear only the boundless quiet of waiting.

I have probably spent more time out of Flow than in it during my life. It was not until I understood there was a Flow to be in or out of that I became as curious about the uninspired, effortful hours as those times I felt caught in the pull of some happy current. Being a storyteller, it has been my inclination to view my life in dark and light, good and bad, conflict and resolution. Those dead quiet hours, those hard roads – they were my enemy, the dreaded antagonist in my endless personal drama.

There was nothing or no one to fight, however. That battle had already been lost without my knowing it ever started. Such was the incurious conclusion I consistently drew, and the unhappiness that followed only confirmed its accuracy. It was anathema to me to become interested in that uninspired darkness. My curiosity was a thing reserved for what brought me pleasure. To point it elsewhere would be to give to my enemy the only thing I valued.

It’s hard to live in such a world. It’s a dangerous place, and you never know when you’ll turn some corner in your mind and find yourself in creative a dead end, face to face with the shadow. You can spend your life running and hoping the next turn will be a friendly one, or understand your curiosity is light. There is no darkness it cannot penetrate, and within what you avoided, beyond what you feared, is often the next most interesting story. It means making friends with the enemy, but I have never regretted that choice, providing as it always does the happy endings I most desire.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence.
You can find William at: williamkenower.com