“In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone.” ~ Rollo May

Be silent so that life can speak to you. Silence can be delightful and extremely powerful if you just give it a chance. All artists spend a great deal of time in their own company working in isolation. Solitary time is fundamental to being creative. If you want to unlock your creative self you will need to get used to spending time with yourself. Many people feel that they must be surrounded by others twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They feel they aren’t alive unless they are surrounded by noise and constant activity.

But spending time alone is one of the best ways of giving your unconscious mind access to your conscious mind. Creativity thrives in solitude because here you can listen to your thoughts, go deep inside yourself and focus on the here and now. But don’t confuse “being alone” with “being lonely.” They are two very different states and provoke different emotions. In solitude you begin to connect with whatever it is you need to achieve. You can become one hundred per cent absorbed in what you are doing, lost in your element. Time alone allows you to experiment, to fail and to succeed. You are not on view; that comes later, so in your quiet time you can peacefully organise your thoughts and make sense of experiences. For many artists it is the time when they feel totally alive.

A word of warning. Beware of too much isolation. It’s important to balance being alone and being in company since too much time alone is not healthy either. It can make you vulnerable to self-doubts, anxiety, even depression, and leads to a lack of knowledge about what is happening in the world around. Workaholics often come from the ranks of those who spend too much time alone. Balance is everything.

A successful creative life depends on spending time by yourself and so if you can’t stand the idea of being alone, you will need to build up the time you spend in solitary activity. You will also need to find a suitable place. Then start with five minutes alone. Most people can manage that! Sit and do nothing. Let your mind go where it wants to and then start to focus on the thoughts and ideas that come into your conscious. Try to work up to a more realistic amount of solo time and begin to take note of the interesting thoughts, words and pictures that start to pass through into your conscious mind in these tranquil moments.

Once you understand the beauty of silence and solitary time, you will seek it out. If you take a solitary walk you get a chance to look at colours, watch birds and animals, observe how a leaf spirals on its way from tree to ground.