Finding White Space
Most good things in life begin with a single idea. Sometimes these ideas flow effortlessly, like an elusive elixir from the gods, usually announcing themselves in a moment of carefree joy. However, all too often, these sparks of genius are few and far between. Squeezed into the margins of life, they live in the seemingly unreachable chasms between work, projects, family and fatigue. But if they do exist, is there a way to manufacture opportunities to harvest these ideas?
I was recently involved in a rather grand theatre project wherein the set required a magical forest. The agreed concept was simple, it was a play on the metaphorical layers of story using a series of silhouetted trees clad in fairytale script. Each gnarled tree was designed, then programmed into a whizzy CNC machine. Each precisely cut tree emerged from the ply revealing its striking from. The off cuts, usually discarded (and disregarded), piled up awaiting disposal. In a moment of downtime, whilst taking a break from the intended work, a friend of mine looked at the pile of ‘waste’ and noted that the negative space was quite powerful (and beautiful). ‘Why not use it'?’, he declared. And so, in a moment of unexpected genius, a revised and notably more powerful stage-set was born.
Practically speaking, negative space- superfluous cutouts- were left. But given the opportunity to view them from another perspective- while jovially reclining with a friend, legs hanging loosely from a workbench- the negative space was not ‘negative’ at all. It became a useful tool (even the star of the show). In design circles, the negative space, the blank space around a drawing or text is known as ‘white space’. It allows the viewer to breathe and fully absorb the content. Like most things in life, space provides an opportunity to see things anew, often with enhanced richness. The view from the top of a mountain, for instance, enables you to see the full majesty of an ancient mountain range, rather than the gritty cumbersome stones that led you up the weathered track. The white space allows you to focus on what is there, what is possible, often hidden in plain sight, but in surprising detail and colour.
So, how do we take advantage of this phenomenon? The answer is quite easy really. It is in finding intentional moments within a day to breathe, without assignment. Let your mind wander free. Even those small spaces between scheduled meetings, to-do lists and commitments are opportunities for ‘white space’, for your mind to wonder free. Time to breathe. To imagine. To create. Think a dog in a park, off a leash without boundaries. Even the smallest gaps give oxygen to fuel the fire of creativity.
Do something that requires not thought, like taking a walk or doodling
Take a different route
View things from a new perspective. Look up.
Quarantine your devices
