It just is

Today I learned (or realized I already knew) that the monkey mind’s consistent chatter is neither wrong or right. It just is. The I, the listener of the chatter, observes and makes meaning from the nonsense.

Sometimes healthy meaning, sometimes not.

The 10 minute video from Eva-Lotta Lamm is a tutorial on how to practice drawing. It’s about the mental process not which pen, paper, or app to use.

I’d argue this mindset works for any creative endeavor.

Here’s a screencap of the video.

Image by Eva-Lotta Lamm.

• On the left is the Judge, aka the inner critic, aka the monkey mind. The monkey mind makes value statements. They are conflicting, and informed by fear. It wants you to stop, so that you can’t possibly get hurt.
• On the right is the Observer, the one who notices, and asks questions. It asks about options and wants you to keep going, so that you may grow.

How might we observe more and keep going versus react from fear and stop?