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I am scared about having to start from scratch

Stream Stepping

All Tools
STREAM STEPPING@2x

The Context

Emerson knew a thing or two about faith. Not from a religious sense, as most transcendentalists protested against the general state of spirituality and organized religion. But he trusted that the flow of creativity was always present, and that the onus was on the individual to step into the stream and make something happen. Listen to these words, written two centuries ago. We must trust the perfection of the creation so far, as to believe that whatever curiosity the order of things has awakened in our minds, the order of things can satisfy. Nature is already, in its forms and tendencies, describing its own design. Let us interrogate the great apparition, that shines so peacefully around us.

The Tool

two color

Stream Stepping

STREAM STEPPING — Faithfully partnering with the existing flow of innovative energy to carry your vision forward

The creative process, which so many artists find to be overwhelming and terrifying, is far more accessible than they realize. We just need the right system. But believing that no matter how original we are, we’re never completely making something out of nothing, that’s not the normal way our primitive brain thinks about the process. We want to believe that we’re big and strong and can whip up new ideas out of thin air. When it reality, it’s more like making something out of something. Because the stream is already there. It’s always been there. Waiting for us to reach out our hands and make contact. That’s faith. And if you ask someone you know who creates things on a daily basis, they will almost certainly tell you that some part of their work is reconnecting with that faith every time they sit down to do their thing.

Scott's Take

Scott's Take

Exodus tells the story of steam stepping vividly. Moses comes upon this bush, wherein the divine speaks to him through the blaze. God tells him to lead his people out of slavery and into the promised land of milk and honey. Now, did this encounter with the burning bush actually happened? Doesn’t matter. The lesson is still very real and profound. And it’s a lesson that every creative person can embrace, whether they believe in god or not. To quote my favorite military chaplain turned novelist, the burning bush is a symbol of everything that surrounds the ready soul, it is ablaze with the presence of god. Meaning, the burning bush never stopped burning. It’s been on fire and available to warm our creative hands and hearts the whole time. We just needed faith to believe in that. How might your work feel different if you approached it with that kind of trust? Might you feel less overwhelmed and more confident? My mentor stressed this to me all the time. He would say, trust your ability to sit down and respond to something.

The Rest

Whether it’s a thought, feeling, experience, memory or dream, have faith that you’re living a life worth writing about, and you might just create something worth talking about. Tap into that stream. Go make something out of something. Are you creatively paralyzed by the weight of fear, or by a lack of faith?

The Benefits

Access an infinite flow of inspiration
Deepen your faith in your own artistic abilities
Make the overwhelming or scary creative process more accessible
Hone your ability to sit down, anytime, anywhere, and make something out nothing

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