I've sought as much solitude as possible this week. It's the only way to do the work that I must do. I have to admit, though, that I enjoy it, too. I know that many of my writer and artist friends out there will understand. We need to be alone. We need quiet. We crave a hidden corner just big enough for a chair, a table, and our thoughts. I love being alone in my workshop, but I seek solitude in other places as well, like churches, beaches, and graveyards, with just the echoes of others' lives for company. I also find a kind of solitude that I like in the midst of crowded places, especially cafes. I love the clatter of cups and spoons, the wash of voices and piped-in music. Somewhere in all the clutter and noise I find a kind of anonymity that feels like the release of a pressure valve in my head. I stare at the window fogged by the heat of conversation and latte steam, and the words come.
Do you need alone time to create? If so, where and when do you find it?
P.S. The beautiful cathedral in the photo is Winchester Cathedral. I took this photo in the summer of 2009. Jane Austen is buried there.
ReplyDeletethis is sooo gorgeous
ReplyDeleteYes...
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this as two little boys aka Gor-rhino and Rein-lion doing slo-mo fighting around the kitchen floor (with running commentary...) as I half-heartedly tell them it's bed time. We've been snowed in all week, so somehow I have developed a filter.
The dark hours of the night is the only time I find that quiet time. And I make the most of it, writing like a demon until my eyes burn and I cannot keep them open. :-)
Beautiful picture. A balm. x
My favorite places to go to get the creative juices flowing are gardens, cafes and bookstores. It seems that people watching always get my thoughts to just flow. Have a gorgeous day! P.S. Love,love,love your header! :) xxoo
ReplyDeleteoh do i ever....and i steal it anytime i need it. now with both kids out of the house, it's easier than ever....
ReplyDeletemy brother in law just called and said he needed help in finding a big stuffed chair for my sister {and a bookcase} for a corner in their bedroom when she needs time away....
we all need it, don't we ?
Ooh, time alone is absolutely necessary for me. I've been completely out of the loop for the last while. Nice to catch up with you Gigi. I just love your header. It's gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI am coveting your solitude! I don't remember the last time I was alone. I have a husband who works at home, four young kids and when they're in school, I watch a baby! I dream of solitude. But I adore every speck of time spent with my family as well.
ReplyDeleteLovely picture. Beautiful post.
I've just found your beautiful blog. What a gorgeous shot of the cathedral. And YES! Solitude-at home, in a coffee shop, in a beautiful garden park but especially the beach.:-)
ReplyDeleteI think we all seek solace sometime I know I do. I love the photo and the header and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
ReplyDeleteGoing for a long walk feels that way - you're surrounded by trees, people, street-life, yet you're the lone traveler, observing on foot, and your thoughts take on a certain rhythm. New ideas often come on long walks.
ReplyDeleteI love some alone time. It can be so restful. I enjoy very early or late at night when most are asleep. I love to read and reading is wonderful when you are alone. A time to renew mind and body.
ReplyDeleteStunning photograph!!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have a very people-oriented, health care job, so I am with people in a very personal & intensive way most of my days, so I have to have alone time. I love to stay in my office at the end of the day, reading, dreaming. Bookstores are another favorite & on a hike, sitting under the trees for a bit...
i need alone time period. i love to muddle around in my own life. and then when i am done, i will head out to find everyone.
ReplyDeleteim in the opposite position right now. i have solitude all day every day.... i have to seek people and social time to remain sane...
ReplyDeletei do love solitude tho :)
~laura
The photo is gorgeous! I have a lot of time alone actually...so I don't know if that helps my creativitiy or not. Generally I'm most inspired if I get out and see new things, taste new foods or spend time in nature. Of course my writing is different that yours (undertatement of the year)...I would guess that makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteI love reading these responses! Sue makes a good point. I think it's all about balancing time alone and time spent with others. And I so agree that time spent in nature is a huge inspiration--probably my biggest.
ReplyDeleteI really can't write unless I'm alone in my study (and preferably in the house!). I love the solitude of a quiet walk, too. Am I the only person who NEVER walks with an iPod?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the anonymity of a busy cafe or restaurant, though. That kind of place can provide just the right amount of agreeable white noise . . . without providing any true distractions.
I didn't even recognize Winchester Cathedral! And I've been there several times. The grandeur of it is slightly overwhelming; this visual sweep of ivory is somehow more soothing.
When I sit in my office and visit lovely blogs like yours they sing to my heart and inspire me to push further my creative heart.
ReplyDeleteI like to take long walks at the nature center near my home. It always helps to have good music on the Ipod. I have been listening to Firekites lately.
ReplyDeleteI have always needed a more than normal amount of alone time in order to function well...I have been lucky in having parents that allowed it when I was a child...and I am lucky that Mr O has always understood and never complained...
ReplyDeleteDid I already tell you how much I love this wreath header?
xo
hi gigi, i thought i recognised the cathedral - i photographed it for my photography a'level years ago...it's so spectacular. i know just how you feel about solitude in a crowd. it's funny how it's like that, but so true. you sort of shrink inwards don't you, you almost feel that you are invisible to everyone else, that you can observe quietly and just 'be'. i don't get much chance to do that here sadly, but do find myself doing that whenever in the UK, cheers eliza
ReplyDeleteI so get this. Solitude is a daily essential.
ReplyDeleteMy solitude is when I am out walking in the wind on a cool morning before the heat of the day sets in- this is the time when I think and plan and create beautiful things inside my head.......
ReplyDeleteSue.
i was a hermit over the weekend. i loved it. i think that is the cancer sun in me.
ReplyDelete