Underestimating the power of having an infinite canvas

When we foster an environment where we feel free to express creative ideas and solutions, it’s astounding just how many innovations naturally arise.

That’s the personal aspect of free speech that we must remember. Forget about societal norms, legal frameworks, and ethical considerations. When it’s just you communicating with yourself, the absence of constraints allows for the full exploration of ideas.

Which only improves your wellbeing and fulfillment. The odds of cognitive constipation are dramatically lowered.

As an example, prior to the pandemic, I was writing much shorter essays than I do today. Say, five to seven hundred words apiece. Which wasn’t insignificant. I am still proud of the work I did. B

ut once the quarantine hit and remote work became the norm, my daily schedule changed. My average amount of morning writing time increased. Without a commute, there was at least one additional hour a day to explore my thoughts more deeply. Sometimes two or three.

As a result, my daily meditations got noticeably longer, more complex and had greater nuance. Now my average essay was one thousand or fifteen hundred words a piece. I started experimenting with different kinds of expression with my newfound freedom of speech, so to speak.

Thanks to this temporal and cognitive expansion, now my true colors were exposed. My insights got deeper, better and more interesting. I delved into feelings, thoughts and subjects that never would have had the time or space to develop previously.

Prior to covid, my constraints weren’t allowing for the full exploration of ideas.

Funny thing is, I’m typically a huge fan of constraints. Restructuring everything in my projects around limits catapults my work towards novel solutions. Constraints are critical for turning off the red pen inside of my mind and executing work simply, swiftly and successfully.

My point is, never underestimate the power of having an infinite canvas. It’s so calming and liberating. Where you know that you’ve got all the time and space in the world to dive deep and do your thing, and nobody to stand in your way, it’s amazing what kinds of ideas will float up to the surface.

How much freedom of speech do you permit yourself? What if you longformed on purpose to uncover more substantive answers?

It’s funny, I get a lot of questions from creative people who struggle to sustain flow. They’re so distracted and fragmented in their concentration, that they can only do creative work in small, disconnected increments.

Which is certainly better than making nothing, but it’s also more difficult to build a coherent structure, established a narrative flow and sustain momentum when you’re constantly starting and stopping.

Knowing you’re only going create a small amount each day leads to procrastination and a lack of urgency. You’ll be tempted to delay more substantial efforts until later, and as we all know, later is not a time, it’s a lie.

Ultimately, every creator has to find a way to use their brain every day for real stretches of time. It’s a sustainable source of existential nourishment that can’t be denied. Without longform work, intellectual fulfillment will continue to remain elusive.

It’s not even a time management thing. You have to figure out what constraints are restricting your ability to explore things fully. You have to reflect on where you’re holding back your thoughts or opinions due to fear of judgment and social pressure.

And then get those ideas down on paper.

Are you underestimating the power of having an infinite canvas?