While we were on holiday in the Bahamas recently, myself and boyfriend number 2 make use of the spa facilities at the hotel we're staying at. When we arrive at the spa reception on our first visit, the receptionist asks us to fill out a form which asks us lots of questions about ourselves.
"Hmmm, they want me to rate my stress level out of 10," I say to boyfriend number 2, trying to assess what the answer should be.
"You're only a 2," replies boyfriend number 2, "definitely!!"
Briefly, I feel surprised. I work in a high stress industry, I have a 'complicated' personal life, and I rarely have time to relax in the conventional sense. But on reflection, I think boyfriend number 2 is probably correct. I'm usually not very stressed at all.
Since then, I've been thinking a bit about stress and turmoil, which reminded me of the famous Cuckoo Clock Speech in the film classic The Third Man. It's delivered by Orson Welles towards the end of the film, and goes something like:
In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock!
It's a very perceptive observation, and as wikipedia points out, the concept bites even more when one is told that the cuckoo clock is actually a German invention. When people feel contented and safe, there's little incentive to achieve anything, or to make things better in any way. Creativity is far more likely when a person is in a state of turmoil.
I actually think I'm a good example of this idea because in terms of my own situation, I reckon that I've been quite creative over the last year or two. Apart from this blog, I've done quite a lot of original work in my professional life at the Bank, and my boss seems pleased with the results. In addition to that, I've also acquired a hobby devising gambling schemes. So over the last couple of years, as my personal life has become more chaotic, I've definitely being doing a lot more creative stuff.
The mystery is why I'm not stressed. Perhaps I'm somehow able to channel the energy created by the turmoil into creativity rather than stress? I'm not sure, but one thing I am certain about is that I enjoy trying to be creative. So if I'm going to be successful at it, I guess that means that I can't afford to let my personal life settle down!
No comments:
Post a Comment