Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
Henrik Karlssonhenrikkarlsson.xyzSaved by Keely Adler and
Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
In order to create something, Bergman had to go sub-Bergman, to the place in the mind where no name exists, where nothing is as yet nailed down, where one thing can morph into another, where boundlessness prevails. The workbook is this place—in it, Bergman could put anything he wanted, the entries he made there could be completely inane, cringingly... See more
Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
As Paul Graham observes:
People show much more originality in solving problems than in deciding which problems to solve. Even the smartest can be surprisingly conservative when deciding what to work on. People who’d never dream of being fashionable in any other way get sucked into working on fashionable problems.
Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
Pablo Picasso: “Without great solitude, no serious work is possible.” James Baldwin: “Perhaps the primary distinction of the artist is that he must actively cultivate that state which most men, necessarily, must avoid: the state of being alone.” Bob Dylan: “To be creative you’ve got to be unsociable and tight-assed.”
Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
There is a difference between knowing what you need to do (be independent and true to the potential in your ideas) and something else entirely to know how to embody that. Orienting in the right way to your thoughts is a skill. Like all skills, it takes practice. You also need to have a rich mental representation of how it is supposed to feel to emb... See more
Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
To state it in slightly different terms: in those critical years I learned how to be alone.... See more
[. . .] these three years of work in isolation, when I was thrown onto my own resources, following guidelines which I myself had spontaneously invented, instilled in me a strong degree of confidence, unassuming yet enduring, in my ability to do mathematics,
Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
The Knight: As you know, I am afraid of emptiness, desolation and stillness. I cannot bear the silence and isolation.
Death: Emptiness is a mirror turned to your own face.
Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
The zone is a place at the margin of society.
Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
not sure where to write this, but this piece made me think of how in my first year of isolation, I achieved “neutrality” towards my work (unaffected by feedback) and confident in whatever is was (not judging it as good or bad but just necessary), partly because of this state of isolation. I was in the mental state described here, and I think this is partly what I chase his isolation –freedom from norms and conventions, safety for my larval ideas, immunity from perception. The return to perception was a shock that broke me out of this rhythm completely.
Working with talented and open-minded collaborators, if you have the chance, can be a way to enter the zone. Nick Cave, when asked how he’s been able to reinvent himself so many times as a musician, says that his bandmates, especially Warren Ellis, simply will not play anything that sounds like what he’s done before. He has surrounded himself with
... See moreHenrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
What solitude gives you is an opportunity to study what personal curiosity feels like in its undiluted form, free from the interference of other considerations. Being familiar with the character of this feeling makes it easier to recognize if you are reacting to the potential in the work you are doing in a genuinely personal way, or if you are givi... See more