Glimmers Of the Future, Following Subtle Nudges

When I think about my creative process or begin to break down what’s happening, it can come out as an abstract concept at first and then I’ll land on a phrase such as “Glimmers of the Future”.  

It comes from a FEELING I experience when an ‘Aha Moment’ happens. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to explain what exactly is going on and the easiest way to describe it is through a vague almost abstract, aesthetically pleasing phrase.  It can feel a bit magical in a way.

Same with creating a piece of art – it can seem like it came from no where, like magic just happened.

In exploring more what exactly is transpiring in my mind when I categorize happenings like this as a sort of magical serendipitous moment, there is a tangible process at play.

Though I love to write and create in vague, cryptic, and poetic ways, I’ve taken it upon myself to be my own translator.

“Glimmers of the Future” or another phrase “Glimpses into the Future” have this very specific feeling when they occur.  In short It feels like it’s a future version of me hinting at an idea that will come to fruition later but present me needs to catch up to it.

Let me explain…

Time and time again it feels like coming full circle with myself.  I’ll stumble across an old piece of writing, a one off visual creation, something made on a whim that didn’t really make sense why I wanted to express it.

Most of the time it is something that doesn’t really fit into what I’m currently focused on but it feels so right to express/create it right then and there.

Then later it feels as if I lead myself to this random creation and it is the perfect timing for it to appear.  Which is why it can feel like it was a glimpse into the future when I look back and realize that it was something that needed to get out in that moment but maybe served no purpose. 

In my experience it absolutely feels like a future you is sending inspiration backwards, leaving breadcrumbs for something you haven’t caught up to.

There have been countless times where I went to take self portraits, underwater portraits, prompted AI image and video and it felt like it was exactly what I wanted to do right then but then it will take days, months, even a year down the road for it to truly capture my attention. 

It didn’t feel like the right time to share the work or to keep following the idea.  But the idea needed to come out as if it’s a bookmark for later.

I’ve been discovering that these small subtle nudges that pique your interest can end up playing a larger role further down your path.

What I’ve gathered is that when inspiration hits, that subtle nudge to explore something, when this feeling emerges from you- you should ALWAYS pay attention. 

Write it down at least or go as far as producing something from it.

Take those little hints and ideas that interest you and express them immediately. 

You might find yourself rediscovering this seemingly random curiosity you had down the line and you stumble across it and it’s exactly what you need right then in that moment.

It’s as if it is a missing piece to the bigger picture and you discovered it again.

At the time maybe it had no meaning or maybe it just wasn’t the right timing for it, but in the future you might remember you were curious about this topic, way of creating, subject matter, or whatever it represents, and it comes into play at a later date.

I’ve learned as part of my own creative process to just let anything and everything express itself as it comes out and file it away, leave it on your phone, share it, don’t share it, put it in a misc folder.

It feels out of place but then a year later you come across the piece of work you did and all the sudden it fits perfectly into the timing of your life.

Don’t deny yourself little excursions and side quests that something inside of you is hinting at.

Those subtle nudges that you’re drawn to are important to follow.

Follow your curiosity and it might end up being the next step in your future. Like a guiding sign from yourself that you left in your past.

Glimmers of the Future.