What's something in your life that's becoming more real over time?
The something might happen pretty fast (like making dinner) or slower (like painting a painting) or even slower (like building a house). There may very well not be a clear end point (like raising a child).
Whatever the thing is that you're making more real moment by moment, there is often a huge amount of time and energy devoted to the thing before it's even a thing.
When it's ideas rolling around in your mind, body and heart. When it's bits of conversations here and there with your friends, colleagues or family. When it's a bookmark folder on your web browser. When it's a vision board. When it's scribbled notes in your one-of-many notebooks. When it's a feedback session with your collaborators.
You– we– I– can easily write all this off by putting a "just" in front of it.
Just ideas.
Just scribbled notes.
Just a conversation.
Just a dream.
In some ways that's the easier way.
But I gotta say, right now there's this one idea seed in my pocket that is not letting me shove a "just" in with it. It's like the idea seed is taking on a life of its own. It won't let me minimize its desired impact.
The idea seed is the cocreation publication I've been sharing about here and there.
I am privileged to have the support of some awesome people. They are helping tend to this idea seed. Whether it's supporting me and my creativity or its supporting the idea seed itself (and likely both), each person is encouraging the process onward.
I've been wondering about the importance of witnessing the process of an idea seed becoming more real day by day.
Would more of us be more supportive of ourselves and one another – and our creativity – if we were more familiar with the actual process of the idea seed slowly blooming?
The process of being in relationship with the urge to put a "just" in front of your idea...
Being unaware of this "just" pattern... to noticing how you throw a "just" on everything... to fighting the urge with all your might... to giving yourself compassion about it all...
The process of feeling a slew of emotions when you share about it.
The process of building trust in your idea – and yourself.
I wonder if acknowledging the realness of the idea seed before it even takes root would help?
I wonder if witnessing our own processes and others' would help us just simply be with the discomfort of emergence?
If this has you wondering something too, reply to this note and we can wonder together.
I'll be over here tending to my idea seeds... happy to share some dirt, fertilizer, and cups of tea with you.
Til next time,
Cassandra