Keep it Blank

This past week I was reviewing the 17th suggestion from Bruce Mau's "Incomplete Manifesto for Growth" which reads "____________________.
Intentionally left blank. Allow space for the ideas you haven’t had yet, and for the ideas of others."

At first, I didn't know what to think of this recommendation or how to incorporate it into my creative life, or life in general for that matter. I was looking for a specific suggestion. Then, I thought that I had to find a new suggestion to fill in the blank. I wasn't in the mood to come up with a new recommendation. Plus, it seemed counter to the feeling of the manifesto in general. So, I put it aside like I often do and come back to it later.

I didn't think about it that much in the sense of coming up with a new recommendation. My thoughts kept circling around the idea of being open to new things, ideas, situations, people, etc. Several times I caught myself in a creative brainstorming session, imagining new styles, the techniques that they would require and as well as new methods for getting my name out there and selling my work. The analogy that I began to use was this. My mind was a blank chalk board, completely clean. I would get distracted and focus on something else. Then, when I came back, it would be covered with writing, in my handwriting. Yet, I don't recall writing any of it. I would take in all the new concepts and ideas and erase the board. Something would then distract me again. When I came back, again, more handwriting. The process would continue. It even began to leech into my dreams. Ideas and new approaches were coming at me left and right 24 hours a day as long as I kept and open mind and didn't force it.

So, for me, I'm keeping this recommendation blank. The more blank I am, the more content seems to develop.

This week, I will look at the 18th recommendation, namely, "Stay up late. Strange things happen when you’ve gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you're separated from the rest of the world."