An artist may start with a blank canvas before starting work on a new painting they can see in their imagination. A musician might pick up their instrument to begin to play a song they hear forming in their mind. A writer could face a blank screen until they type the first words of a novel.
In each case, someone is about to create something that didn’t previously exist while facing some form of a blank page.
I’ve had the experience of staring at a blank screen at least twice per week for a few years now. Then I starting writing a blog post, creating show notes for a podcast, or crafting a presentation or workshop. In a matter of minutes I’ve gone from blank page to staring at something that hadn’t previously existed.
Last Saturday I was sitting at my kitchen counter, drinking a smoothie, my planner opened in front of me and noticed the blank page. My wife was going golfing with some friends, but I had no plans and the power of the blank page suddenly occurred to me. I could fill the blank page of that Saturday without whatever I wanted to do.
I went out early and got our groceries for the week. There were a couple of other housekeeping and bill paying type stuff to take care of, which I took care of quickly and then I was free to do as I wished with my day.
I took our dog to the dog park. I went for a walk with our daughter and we had a good talk (she’s 12 so that was a real treat). I built some Lego (it’s very meditative). I wrote a little. I read a lot. It was great.
While we don’t know when we’ll be able to go back to our offices, dine in restaurants with friends, go to concerts, and travel, but it will happen. Then, or even now, you may find yourself staring at a blank page ready to create the next chapter of your life. Where will you go? Who will you spend time with? What will you experience? How will you fill your blank pages?
