The Sleepwalking Man
Sleepwalker, Tony Matelli, 2014
Last week I came across a man sleepwalking across Regents Park in his underpants.
It was only after a double, then a triple take, that I realised he was a leftover from the Frieze Art Fair, a sculpture by Tony Matelli.
There was a small plaque at the man’s feet explaining that ‘Sleepwalker … represents a common duality: being present and absent at the same time.’
And being present - in the context of creativity - is one of the things I’ve been thinking about a lot recently.
It's hard to have an idea when you’re worrying about the future or fretting about the past. But if you’re alert and aware - if you’re here, now - you begin to notice those things that no one else sees.
The artist and musician Brian Eno talks about deliberately getting lost. Because when we’re lost our senses are jolted into action; we become much more attentive to our environment as we try and find our way.
So if you’re struggling for inspiration at the moment maybe give up on chasing ideas. Focus instead on ways to be more present.
You could try Rob Walker’s lovely little book 'The Art of Noticing'.
Or you could follow Eno’s example; literally, by getting physically lost, or figuratively, by exploring a new genre or artist or simply going to a place in your work you’ve never been before.
You could even try walking across Regent’s Park in your underpants.
At least you’d have company.