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phase iii - “tap”
tapping is the point where you are ready to make the first stroke of the brush, the first flourish of notes, the first mark of the medium. to some the blank page is a terrifying opponent, to me it is my dearest friend and closest confidant.
once you “tap” your idea for the first time, i’ve found there are three ways it can go.
first it can be a total dud. you were stoked about it but once you start working with it you’re just not excited. beware - this feeling is not to be confused with procrastination or fear or self-doubt. some ideas just suck. let it go. stop wasting your time.
second you can end up “looping” - revisiting and re-tapping the idea too many times but never really taking it anywhere. each time you tap it it looses a bit of the glow. i have some projects and stories that i’ve overtapped and i’m just not thrilled about them anymore. had i gone for it with conviction they could have been something, but the slow drip over the years has drained the inspiration out of them.
third - the floodgates blast open and push you through the first threshold. the idea is a good one. you made something that works: it piques your curiosity or it is satisfying or aesthetically conducive to your practice. enough media has been transmuted from ideas to the physical world to stick and to start resembling something you might one day be proud to put your name on.
to me, this sensation is like capturing lightning in a bottle. the hairs on my arms stand up and i get the first prickles of that certain feeling of actualization.
now it is time to channel…
