Flow, that joyous state of complete immersion in a creative act, might happen by accident but it always happens for a reason. In other words, there are certain criteria or circumstances that influence a flow state. Sometimes we hit the mark on those criteria without intending to. But if Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is right about flow being key to a happy life, why wouldn't we want to be intentional about it?
Flow arrives with the right balance of skill and challenge. The graph below shows how low or high levels of skills and challenges result in different feelings and emotions.
The goal is not to rid ourselves of all feelings other than flow. That's not practical, not possible, not necessary, and not fun. There are benefits to boredom (check out Austin Kleon's post). And who doesn't like to feel relaxed and in control? That's an opportunity to teach others our skills so they can overcome their challenges. Worry and anxiety aren't wonderful emotions but they're common and very human.
What I get from Csikszentmihalyi's graph is that we have choices. For example, If I'm feeling anxious about reaching out to a client to pitch my pattern designs, I can lower the challenge by pitching to someone non-threatening, like maybe my mom. Or, I can practice and improve the skills I need to move from anxiety to arousal (interest) and then to flow. I might take a course about portfolio design or self-marketing. I might purchase some templates that make it easier to craft an email pitch. I might role-play a phone call with Bob or the doggies (Stella and Cash are really good listeners and when I talk to them they look at me like I am the most interesting person in the world. Perfect for a little confidence boost.) The point is, we never have to be stuck.
Remember that flow can happen in many contexts like business and personal interactions and sports and art. The suggestions below were presented as intentional practices to help us as creatives—artists, crafters, designers, writers—find flow more often and have more of the ultimate emotions of happiness and joy.
Eight Practices to Channel Flow
Choose to work on something worth your creative energy. Focus on projects or ideas that truly excite and inspire you. Aspiring to flow as you're cleaning up your email inbox or doing your taxes seems wasteful.
Know your why. Understand the purpose behind your creative work. Clarify your intentions, whether it's to express yourself, solve a problem, or connect with others.
Choose your best time. If possible, carve out time during your day when you feel most alert, focused, and energized. If you have too much going on during your natural high-energy time, your best time might just have to be when you can make it so. (Hello, Five A.M.)
Work in focused time blocks. Most of us don't have the luxury of letting flow states go on indefinitely but try to stay focused for a chunk of time, say 30-60 minutes. Some people use the Pomodoro technique, working for 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks in between.
Make a nice space. Design a workspace that promotes a sense of calm and inspiration. Organize your supplies and materials, eliminate clutter, and surround yourself with things that inspire you like artwork, plants, or meaningful tokens. Light a candle, pour yourself a cup of tea, or adjust the lighting. Whatever makes you feel like you are in a creative environment.
Minimize distractions. Recognize what might interrupt your flow and take steps to manage those things before you get started working. Silence your phone, close social media tabs on your computer, occupy the dog with a chew toy so he doesn't go nuts when the Amazon truck drives past the house. Kindly let the humans in your life know that you need alone time. Put a do not disturb sign on the door.
Don't multitask. You, or more accurately, your brain is unable to hold attention on more than one thing at a time. Trying to do more than one thing means less focus and therefore less flow. Just choose one thing you're excited about working on and stick with it.
Keep going. As with any skill, it takes practice to be able to achieve flow at will. And remember, flow does not mean easy. It means doing hard things to meet a tough challenge. The joy is in the work, not the outcome. Stay positive, and keep trying.
Go use your creative superpower. Let me know how it works out.
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