Feed the Right Side of Your Brain

I am recently influenced by Daniel Pink's bestseller "A Whole New Mind:  Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future." Pink writes about the difference between the left and the right sides of our brain and explains why we need to be paying more attention to the more creative and emotionally attuned right side.  In Pink's view, it is not simply a matter of becoming well-rounded individuals - it's a matter of surviving the new Conceptual Age, in which jobs in engineering, computer programming, accounting, and even the legal profession, which until recently seemed to be fool-proof in terms of earning potential, are becoming increasingly less so because of technology, outsourcing, and growing material abundance. 

This past Sunday I was reminded of how rarely we allow ourselves to break away from whatever is occupying us at the moment and engage in a right-brain activity - and experienced with a new awareness what a palpable difference it can make in our lives. 

On Sunday I took a break from an unexpectedly hectic day to see a concert matinee with a friend at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, VA.  We both thought that we were going to see a dance performance, but it turned out to be more than that.  We found ourselves at a concert that was part of Alexandria Symphony Orchestra's Joy of Music and Motion series with such inspiring concert titles as Exhilaration, Exuberance, Rapture, and Bliss.  This Sunday's performance was called Euphoria, and it consisted of several classical pieces, followed by an inspired performance by Bosma Ballet Company, dancing the live orchestral music. The audience was mostly children and their parents.

From the moment I walked into the theater, I began to feel the craziness of the day recede into the background.  And as we settled in and the music started, a feeling I can only describe as grateful wonder descended over me.  I was suddenly absolutely amazed that in the middle of the day, which, to me, felt more like a week day than a Sunday, these people had come together to play music for me.  They were playing as if nothing else existed in the world, as if they themselves had no worries or concerns of their own, as if the most important thing right then and there was to play that music and to pour their hearts and souls into it.

As the musicians finished the first piece, Johann Strauss's Pizzicato Polka, the conductor turned to the audience and addressed its youngest members, referring to them as aspiring musicians, composers, and choreographers.  He explained, speaking with excitement and exuberance, how the movement of a violinist's bow over her instrument was so similar to a dancer's movements, and as he spoke, I was struck once again with the feeling that I suddenly was granted entry into a different world - a world where everything was possible, where everyone could dream big, and a world whose denizens only did things that brought them fun and joy.

(A less cheerful thought followed that one, as I wondered just how long it was going to be before the parents of these very children would tell them that being a musician, a composer, or a choreographer was all well and good but it wasn't going to put food on the table... but I quickly banished it.  This belonged in a world that for those two hours did not exist.)

And then I thought about how many lessons we, adults, have to learn from children.  At what point in our growth and development do we lose that sense of playfulness and joy that children have?  When do we learn to take it as conventional wisdom that life is all about responsibilities, and work is about tediousness and anxiety?  When did joy stop being a required part of our daily activities?

After Bach's Double Violin Concerto, played with passion and dedication by two female musicians, the director turned to the audience and asked:  "Do we have any new aspiring violinists in the audience?  Remember, age is not a factor!"  And it was beautiful to suddenly be exposed to the completely mind-blowing idea that, at 38, I really could sign up for violin lessons and learn to play - well, maybe not necessarily as well, but certainly with the same abandonment and joy.

I walked out of the concert recharged and inspired, and I wondered why I don't do these things more often.  In just two hours, the chatter in my mind quieted down and I reconnected with my creative side, the side that we so often push aside when faced with mountains of our daily chores.  It reminded me that there is beauty in the world and that, as various spiritual traditions have always maintained, we actually don't need to do anything or get anywhere - because everything is already perfect just the way it is.

Of course, we still go on doing all the things we need to do.  But the moment of pause and recollection can do wonders in helping us reconnect with our spirits and regenerate our energy. 

So here's my coaching theme for this week.  Set yourself an intention to take a break from your work and spend an hour doing something creative and completely frivolous - something that you would normally not allow yourself to do.  What is that one thing that regenerates your spirit - and the one thing that you have consistently denied yourself?  Be bold and do it in the middle of your craziest, nuttiest day.  You'll see what amazing new perspective you'll gain - and you'll see what amazing new energy you'll bring back to work.

Here are some suggestions for what you could do.  But, of course, these are my ideas and, as such, they are limited by my own imagination. I'm sure you'll know what creates magic for you.  The trick is that the activity you pick should have no practical value whatsoever - except to let you reconnect with a sense of joy and fun.  It should not be an excuse for running errands - unless, of course, these errands are particularly fulfilling for your creative side. (If so, please share them - I'd love to have a couple errands of that sort on my list!)

With that, here are my suggestions.  What are you adding to this list?

Wander through an art gallery.  What's showing at a museum near you?  Is there, perhaps, a show by aspiring artists at a school nearby?  Is an art gallery around the corner introducing a new artist?  Find a place where the left side of your brain can get a rest and the right side can get inspired.  It's doesn't need to be masterpieces - just art that appeals to you, makes you look at something from a different perspective, or makes you marvel at the genius of the person who created something you'd have never thought about.

Check out that music shop around the corner.  When is the last time you picked up your guitar?  Do you feel pulled into that music store on your way home from work but keep rushing by, telling yourself that you had too many things to take care of?  This time, walk in and spend an hour trying out different instruments, getting a feel for their individual voices, chatting with the guy behind the counter and other fellow music lovers. Get lost in remembering the magic of making music.

Go to a park.  Nature has a way of slowing us down easily and, well, naturally.  If you are in an urban environment, go to a nearby park.  Notice the trees, the bushes, the fallen leaves.   Notice the birds chirping, the sparrows hopping around, and the squirrels chasing one another.  If there is a playground nearby, pause there and watch the children running around, bumping into each other, falling, getting up, laughing. Remember what it's like to be a kid, with no obligations or responsibilities, with no "shoulds" or "musts" hanging over your head.  Reconnect with that playful spirit of childhood.

Wander into your favorite arts and crafts store.  How long has it been since you've done an arts and crafts project just because you wanted to (and not because your kid needed help with a school project)?  Have you picked up your painting brush or made a collage lately?  Why not walk through a local Art Plaza or Hobby Lobby or Paper Source and reconnect with that creative urge?

Drop by a local church or temple.  Walk into the quiet space, say a prayer or meditate.  Sitting quietly for a short time will remind you that there is more to life than the craziness that's going on in your office or your personal life.  It will remind you that deep inside there is a reservoir of strength that will help you get through the day, the week, or the month and that the feeling of anxiety and confusion you may be experiencing right now will pass just like everything else.

Make a promise to yourself that you'll allow yourself to do something like this at least once this week. Then give yourself permission to go on these outings to feed your soul as often as your soul calls for you to do that. Your quality of life will improve immensely.  And here's a little secret:  once you've cleared your mind of all the clutter and obligations, even for that short period of time, you are bound to come up with some great new idea that you can use back at work and in the rest of your life.

I can so say it with so much confidence because I have this very post to prove it.  This afternoon, I decided to take my own medicine and take a long walk.  I stopped by at a local Barnes & Noble to have a cup of tea and, while there, ended up in their magazine section.  I pulled a couple of graphic design magazines off the rack that I'd never looked at before and in one of them discovered an ad for two royalty-free image websites where I could buy great images for as little as $1.  Hallelujah!  I got my creative relaxation - plus, from now on, my blog is going to get much more visual!

Comments

[Steve]

For a terrific book offering exercises that open up the right brain, check out Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain by Dr. Betty Edwards. 30 years old, plowed new ground, well-designed exercises to stimulate the right lobe.

[Izabella]

It's interesting you're bringing it up. This book keeps coming up for me lately in various contexts (including in Pink's book). I heard about it before, but never thought much about it until I saw the two self-portraits Pink included in A Whole New Mind. He drew one before and the other after he took one of Betty Edwards's 5-day right-brain-drawing seminars. The difference is unbelievable. I think it's my sign that I finally need to get the book. Maybe I'll finally learn how to draw :)

[Mark McClure]

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor tapped into some profound right brain perception when she experienced her stroke.

That TED speech was incredible.
Some critics thought she was over the top (almost evangelical) but then they probably didn't have that stroke and sense what she sensed.

http://mystrokeofinsight.com/index.html

[Izabella Tabarovsky]

Hey Mark, thank you for bringing this up. I've been meaning to blog about her for some time now, especially after she did a long interview on Oprah's Soul Series. Yeah, her revelations were a whole other side of the right brain that I haven't even touched upon... And yeah, I bet there were critics, but, as you say, until you've had that experience yourself, you hardly have any credibility in criticizing it.