In my office, my drawing desk is right in front of a big window. Depending on the season, throughout the day ducks, rabbits, robins, cats, butterflies, and the occasional hummingbird will sometimes come and say “hello” by tapping a nose on my window or just stare at the strange creature on the inside of the window, holding a pencil staring back; this scene helps feed my creativity, my own little “sanctuary“. As I have said before, I grew up at a lakeshore cabin and spent literal hours and even days drawing, surrounded by the sounds of waves on the shore, the smell of fresh-cut-grass and the wind through the trees, communing with nature. I count this view as one of the best things about our home.
My office is in the basement and my eyes look out onto ground level of the backyard; I can literally shut the door and disappear. It has not always been this way, my home office used to be in a room with French doors, but no way of looking outside. This created two problems first, I had no concept of the passage of time. I could sit in the office all day long and think I’ve only been there for two hours when I had been there for 10 and second, I had no connection to the outside world. Once I remembered what motivated me, then feeding that motivation, did I notice a change in my work habits and peace of mind.
I am not one of those guys who goes out into the woods to hunt or track, hops in a boat to fish or try to conquer nature in other ways. I just like to go out and sit, watch, listen, carve a block of wood and learn, and I can do it all day. I don’t need sports or going out to many different places or being surrounded by lots of people, I just need a comfortable chair, a big window, pen and paper … and maybe Shannon. I just sit and let it affect me.
Do you have a place like this? What do you have? The television doesn’t count. Slipping into somebody else’s world is pointless here. Do you have someplace to inspire you and motivate you? No? Why? Why haven’t you found out what makes you tick? What inspires you? Where can you go that you can just … be … you? Still don’t have one? That’s OK, sometimes it’s just good enough that you’re thinking about it. Trying. Ask any good reader, hunter or even video gamer and they will tell you it’s not the boss battle at the end that made the game good, it is the trek through the story. Try to feed your imagination, try to feed your soul. There will be those that say you are being selfish or maybe even withdrawn; tell them you’re being mindful and self-sufficient.
Take care of you like you would take care of a child or a pet, lovingly handle with care.
Go find your sanctuary!
