Intentional Attention

In this world, everything is constantly pulling at us. Someone or something is always tapping our shoulders, buzzing in our pockets, whispering just a second of your time. In this state, our attention has become fragile. So much so, it is easily borrowed and stolen right from under us.

Attention is awareness. It’s what’s happening right now to you. What you notice, what you give energy to, and what you allow to take up space in your mind, and this attention is a form of currency. We spend it constantly and sometimes recklessly because we don’t associate it with a cost.

It’s the decision of where you’re moving, not just what you’re noticing. Intention doesn’t always live in the present moment. Sometimes it’s quietly scanning the horizon, waiting for the right opportunity, the right direction, the right feeling.

Attention and intention work hand-in-hand, but they are far from being the same thing.

• Attention is required to orient yourself, but intention doesn’t need to pay attention to everything.

• If attention is a spotlight, intention is deciding where the spotlight will move next.

• If attention is stepping through a doorway, intention is noticing all the other exits once you’re inside.

• If attention is right now, intention is what’s ahead.

• Attention-based thinking observes what’s happening in the present.
  Intention sets the pace for what’s coming.

And what about creativity?
Creativity lives in the space between the two as both are required for success.

Most of us have creative ambitions. We set intentions that sound like, I’m going to make this or I’m going to do that. But somewhere along the way, something else grabs our attention. The connection breaks, and momentum begins to fade before we realize what is happening.

Imagine you set out to make a painting. The intention is clear. You give it your attention, and things are flowing. You’re motivated, but suddenly, you’re not.

Nothing dramatic happened.
Your work just doesn’t hold you anymore.

The canvas sits there, waiting for you, but you’ve already moved on.

Or maybe the opposite happens. You’re deep in the work when paint spills across the surface. An accident or interruption that causes your attention to shift. What once felt alive now feels frustrating. The work hasn’t changed, but you have.

Both scenarios are real, and most of us have lived them more than once.

The tension shows up when intentions become too rigid. When there’s no room left for creativity to breathe. Intention is necessary, and it’s what gets us started. Attention is essential to keep us engaged, but creativity needs space between the two.

Rigid intention can suffocate creativity.
Total attention to every detail can overwhelm it.
Both are required, but only in balance.

I like to think of intention as a form of gravity. It pulls you in a general direction.
Attention wanders locally, collecting ideas, textures, mistakes, and surprises.
Intention’s job isn’t to control. It’s only to select, compress, and shape what attention discovers.

It’s a tether. Not a cage.

Intention asks the question.
Attention comes back with options.

Together, they create a feedback loop, and the more you practice it, the better it gets at refining your process.A

So the next time you set out to create something, start with clear intentions. Write them down. Keep them close. Then notice when your attention shifts. Notice how it changes the path.

The interaction between where you’re going and what you notice along the way is where the work becomes alive.

Illustrated a new surface design, “Fern Forest,” that’s up on my Spoonflower shop.

Painted the northern lights, and yes, it’s a paint-by-number with terrible quality paint, but I absolutely love these! When I want to create something but feel completely drained (which is very common during busy seasons of life), I pull out something like this to make something just for fun.

Lastly, I put together a small digital studio to house all of the things I’ve been working on. It’s nice to have an official spot to post everything and make it readily available to anyone at any time. I’m still writing and doing custom graphics, but this will be a new place for my instant download items.