Leonardo Da Vinci

"A painter should be solitary.  Solitude is essential to his art.  Alone you belong to yourself only; with even one other person you are only half yourself, and you will be less and less yourself in proportion to the number of companions."

— Leonardo Da Vinci

Italian Artist / Creative Leader

1452 - 1519

Our society is filled with noise and distractions.  Some days it is difficult to think because there is so much activity.  A creative leader must have solitude if he is to create.  People can block the flow of creative juices.  But we also need people for stimulus and inspiration.  So it becomes a balancing act between too many people and too few people.  If we have too many people in our lives, we stop creating.  If we have too few people, we fail to incorporate new ideas into our work and become stagnant.  What is the balance in your life?

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Adlai E. Stevenson II

"In quiet places, reason abounds."

— Adlai E. Stevenson II

American Politician

1900 - 1965

Silence is a valuable quality for writers and artists to find.  Silence allows us to process the tons of information that enter our brains.  Silence allows creativity to take root and grow beautiful flowers.  Silence allows for reason to prevail over ignorance.

Unfortunately, our society today is filled with too much noise — too much chaos.  So if we are to maintain our sanity we must find places that give us moments of silence.  Where do you go to find that silence?  To restore your spirit?  To maintain your sanity?  Maybe it is a walk at 5 am.  Or kayaking down a river?  Or taking a bubble bath?

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George Sand

"The ease (of writing) increases with age, and thus I do not allow myself to work at this more than two or three months of each year. . . . Indeed I only write two or three hours per day, and the interior work is done while I scribble away at my watercolors."

— George Sand

French Novelist

1804 - 1876

Some writers struggle to write after early success.  The second and third novel are difficult to write.  Other writers are prolific.  They adopt a pseudonym so they can publish more.  Some writers face writer's block and struggle to write.

Like Sand, I have found it easier to write the older I become.  When I was young, everything had to be perfect.  So I struggled to find the right word, the right metaphor.  Perfection is not my goal today.  I just want to get the story down on paper.  I can sit anywhere and I write — even in a noisy mall or a quiet art museum.

What about you?  Is writing easy?  Or do you struggle to put words on paper?  Do artists struggle to paint?  I have come to art later in life so I am not trying for the perfect painting.  I enjoy the process of creating a painting or a sculpture.  And I don't worry about others because I am not looking to sell the piece.  I am painting to relax my spirit — to make me feel good.

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Marcel Marceau

"Do not the most moving moments of our lives find us all without words?"

— Marcel Marceau

French Actor and Mime

1923 - 2007

Words can not always communicate what we feel.  Sometimes silence is the best response to what happens.  Marcel Marceau was a master of silent communication.  He spoke volumes with movement and facial expressions.  I had the privilege of seeing Marceau perform live in concert in Canada in the late 1960's.  Words cannot describe the power of his performance.

As writers we live and breathe by the word.  In the beginning was the word and we felt whole.  But I have also learned that there is power in silence.  Too many words can confuse the communication.  We need to allow time for silence.  We need to enjoy the silence.  Painters understand silence.  They live in a world of color and shape.  They don't speak.  They breathe silence.

Take a few minutes today and enjoy the silence.  Turn off the TV, the I-Pod and the cell phone. Listen to the wind in the  trees.  Listen to your own breathing.  Listen to the silence.

Here is a video of Marcel Marceau performing.

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Ansel Adams

"When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs.  When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence."

— Ansel Adams

American Photographer

1902 - 1984

Sometimes words are not enough.  And sometimes pictures fail to communicate what we are feeling.  And all we have left is the silence.  If the writing is blocked, pick up a brush and paint a picture.  If the painting is blocked, walk into the woods and listen.  Life goes on even without the human voice.  Listen to the sounds between the silences.  Listen to the heartache in another human being.  The universe is bigger than mankind.  And yet the universe is contained in the soul of one individual.  We will not live forever.  And some day the civilizations we are so proud of will vanish and be replaced.  Change never ends.  Focus on what is possible and forget about what cannot happen.  




When we let the small things make us angry, we lose sight of the bigger picture — that in the grand scheme of things it will not matter a thousand years from now.  Where were you when Rome burned?  So take a deep breath and take the the beauty of the universe into your soul and create a masterpiece.  And give back to the universe a portion of what you have been given.  What is to be, will be.

Now, listen to Ansel Adams in his own words.

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Leopold Stokowski

"A painter paints pictures on canvas.  But musicians paint their pictures on silence."

— Leopold Stokowski

1882 - 1977

British Orchestral Conductor

Have you ever listened to silence?  These days it is hard to find silence, because there is so much white noise.  Even in nature there is little silence.  We hear the wind, the insects, the birds and the animals.  We fill our days with noise from the moment we wake until the moment we sleep.  We turn on the television, plug in our I-Pods, and turn on our computers.   And some of us are afraid of silence.  If silence appears in a conversation, we become nervous.  Many of us can't be home by ourselves without turning on the TV or the radio so we have noise.  And cell phones allow us to stay connected to human voices so we don't feel alone even if we are deep in the woods.  I believe silence is a good thing and that we need to find ways to enjoy it more.  As an artist and writer I need silence to hear the voice of my muse.  Too much chaotic noise blocks the sweet voice of my muse.  Do you run from silence or have you learned to appreciate it?

Here is a video of Leopold Stokowski conducting Tchaikovsky.  Watch his hands paint the silence.  Fantastic1

   

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Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

"Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose."

— Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Swiss Psychiatrist & Author

1926 - 2004

Silence is where our work as creative leaders begins.  We must go back to the well of silence again and again to refresh our spirit and restore our sanity.  There is a lot of noise in our society today that will cloud our thinking and hinder the flow of creativity.  The noise of multiple voices rises from the traditional media: newspaper, radio and television.  And the noise is multiplied a hundred times over today by the cell phones, the internet and social media.  Each of these technologies has value and can contribute to our success, but we must manage and control their use, not let them control us.  We must sometimes go silent and cut ourselves off from the noise.  We must go deep inside and experience the silence.

And in the silence we will know and understand our purpose.  If we lose sight of our purpose, we will lose our way and become lost in the noise and chaos.  The silence allows us to find ourselves and to stay focused on what is important and why we are here.

Are you in touch with your purpose?  Do you know why you are here?  Do you know what lessons you have learned and what lessons you still need to learn?  How are you going to make a positive contribution to the world at large?  What are you giving back to society?  Seek to know who you are by knowing your purpose for being.  Embrace the silence and stay focused on your purpose.

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Theodore Roethke

"May my silences become more accurate."

— Theodore Roethke

American Poet

1908 - 1963

Many of us are afraid of silence.  We have a need to fill the the air waves with noise — television, radio, music.  And for those living in cities there are the sounds of cars, trucks, sirens, airplanes and neighbors fighting.  I enjoy external silence because it allows me to think, but I rarely experience internal silence.  My thoughts are always bubbling to the surface, brandishing their weapons.  Can you hear the silence when you are painting?  Do you listen to the silences between the words that you utter?  When I teach people to speak in public, I talk to them about the importance of silence — of learning the pregnant pause, of giving your audience the time to catch up with your words.  Storytellers understand the power of silence.  We must learn to appreciate silence, to enjoy its many flavors.  Sometimes we can learn more from silence than all the words ever spoken or written.

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