The Art of Finding Your Flow
Have you ever seen Pixar’s Movie “Soul”? I believe it is one of the most brilliant and unique movies of the Pixar franchise. Here is a quick synopsis.
Joe is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn't quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz -- and he's good. But when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have soul.
There is a particular scene in the movie that explains what it means when a person with a particular passion for something finds themselves to be in a “flow state”.
“You know how when you humans are really into something and it feels like you’re in another place? It feels like you’re in the zone right? This is the zone. It’s the space between the physical and the spiritual.”
The characters enter into an abyss where artists, actors, musicians, creators, etc.. are found deep into their flow. The character Joe realizes this is where he was on an audition he had earlier that morning. This scene below depicts the “flow state”.
This scene instantly resonated with me. Since I was a little girl, I always found myself in random states of flow. I didn’t necessarily have the language for it at the time or the wisdom to know that I should lean into it, but it has always been there.
I think I have always been a storyteller. I know this because when I am creating and telling stories, I find my flow. The outlet for my stories has just continually transformed over the years.
It started with dance. I have been a dancer since I was 5 years old. I’ve been trained in everything from Ballet to tap to African dance. I longed for my summer breaks where I would spend weeks at dance camp. It came natural to me. I got lost in it. I could dance all day. I grew up choreographing dances for every talent show I could sign up for. I lived for the art form. I was somewhat of a quiet kid, but when I danced I came out of my shell. I loved the music, the lights, the emotion and being able to leave it all on the stage. I would lay in bed dreaming up choreo. I hear music and can choreograph a dance instantly in my mind. There have been times I have stayed up at night making something up after feeling inspired by a song.
After one of my dance performances at Spelman College Children’s Dance Theater program.
In high school, I was introduced to a new flow; video. I went to a Communications Magnet High School and my emphasis or “major” was broadcast journalism. I worked for our school show. This is when I first learned how to use a camera and edit. I remember the first segment I produced. I told a story about our Orchestra program and profiled the Instructor and the achievements the program was earning. I came in on a SATURDAY morning to work on editing the piece. That is how much I loved it. I loved curating the different elements all together to create a story. Editing and creating allowed me to zone out. I can sit and edit something for HOURS, to the point where sometimes I won’t even eat. That is a deep flow.
In college, I learned more about my gift for writing. I was a Journalism major. Although hard news did not interest me, I found a knack for expressing myself through the written word. I generally believe I am a much better communicator via my writing. I learned a well written piece can generate empathy and relatedness with readers. I continued writing throughout my early career as well.
When I started traveling, I found another state of flow…Documenting. Sharing my experiences, the stories of people I meet, the landscapes of countries I visit and the wisdom I gain from each trip has brought me so much joy. It has also allowed for my video background to come into play as I visually share the different places and curate pieces to share the story of the place I am visiting.
One of the common threads through all my states of flow is music.
I think music is the spark.
I can hear an amazing song and it instantly gives me the urge to go into a flow state - whether it’s dancing, curating, editing or writing.
I think music is one of the most powerful mediums we have on this earth. In 2019, I started creating playlists to reflect my year. As the year progressed, I would add in the songs I felt inspired by. It is cathartic to go back at the end of the year and see everything I was listening to and to revisit playlists again even years later. My playlists often remind me of the mental state I was in or particular emotions I might have been feeling at the time.
My one challenge I have run into on my journey, is how to utilize all my gifts and states of flow. It has often made me feel scattered knowing I have so many passions and outlets. I’ve had to learn to challenge my line of thinking that I am only allowed to focus on one thing or that I need to fit perfectly in this mold the world tells us we have to be shaped into.
In a world that wants to tell you who you are or how to be, it can be disheartening when you feel you have many interests and want to live outside of that box. I have made it my goal to figure out how to make my gifts work for me and thrive in them. There is a quote by Erma Bombeck that I often reference for how I hope to live my life.
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.
This is the path I hope to take. To use my gifts to inspire, to help and be a good steward of what God has placed in me.
My goal is to stay in my flow.
At the core, storytelling is a gift and I hope to continue to utilize this gift to express myself, inspire and keep telling stories - in whatever outlet they present themself as.
The journey of figuring this out has not and probably never will be easy, but it will always be worth it.
What gets you in your flow?
