How to get in the zone

There are times in our lives when everything seems to flow perfectly – our work, our relationships our hobbies, everything! And then there are times when it’s a complete cacophony inside and outside our heads. Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh……

I bet you can relate to this. Let me enunciate with an example.

Imagine these 2 scenarios where you are driving down a road from point A to point B.

– In one case, the road is smooth and the driving is easy and effortless.

– In the other case you encounter potholes, rocks and you’re constantly braking and maneuvering and it’s a super bumpy ride!

We all know how the bumpy ride feels like!

But how does it feel when you’re not braking every single moment?

When the journey is simply effortless….. A lot of creative art forms like painting, dancing, coding etc can get you in this state of “effortlessness” and “in the moment”.

When was the last time when you felt super energized and completely in the moment?

Have you ever been “in the zone”? How does it feel like when you’re in the zone – when your senses are not constantly bombarded with a myriad of distractions all the time…..The world around you suddenly disappears. The sounds all around get muffled and it seems to go in the background. Time slows down….

It’s a different interpretation for everyone. For some it’s meditative, for some time stands still, for others it’s laser focus, no hunger, no thirst no distractions! It’s just you and your object of focus. And then all your life worries simply melt away.

Actually, this is a very good place to be in, especially when you need to accomplish a goal.

In today’s day and age of social media where attention span is so short, an activity like painting or another form of creative outlet can help the brain focus.

Painting is my happy place. I literally lose track of everything (even food!) when I’m sitting with a brush and a canvas.Things just flow….

Here’s an example of a painting that you can try, to completely get in the zone (not autozone)! And that too with only 3 ingredients!

All you need is a palette knife, a few acrylic paints (get the thick kind in a tube) and a blank canvas.

I used only 3 colors for this one to keep it really simple. I talked about the power of simplicity in an earlier post if you’d like to check it out. And there is something about paintings with limited colors that’s hard to put in words.

Step 1:

Use the palette knife and add globs of white paint all over first in horizontal and vertical motions. I used a square-ish knife for this. Just go with the flow! Don’t overthink. There are no wrong answers.

Step 2:

Begin adding the black color from a corner radiating towards the other direction. The goal is to get a gradient. Do NOT be frugal with the paint. If you leave paint globs on the canvas it gives a cool 3 dimensional effect. Note: Do NOT go over the same area again and again else you’ll lose the gradient effect and will end up with a solid color.