Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Plateu-phobia

Lack of good ideas, or rather lack of the "pen-able" ideas since quite some time leads me to a famous apprehensive thought: Career of every artist (assuming myself as one) follows a parabolic curve - a gradual hike, an elevated state for a brief period, and rapid demise (shapes and sizes variable - basic pattern remaining same).
While the hike and demise are the ones which are quite apparent; more dangerous is the sandwiched "plateu" phase - where things get comfy yet boring, safe yet nonchalant, and secure yet unexciting.

Knowing that creativity can't simply be summoned; every artist - be it writer, singer, painter, or actor - fears being in that state when their creativity seems to have taken a long break.
That fear I term as "plateu-phobia". This dormancy haunts not only the artists, but each individual at one point or the other.

photo credits: www.pbase.com

On the other hand, in general, the sense of security, belonging, and ownership with things, people, and places make us feel comfortable, and at ease. The equilibrium makes us relax. So, most of the times we all are "plateu-philic". 
We love the stability - until the point when we realize that "stability" is nothing but constantly changing equilibrium. That moment we start hating the current plateu. We become "plateu-phobic", but is it really so? Are we really looking for an "imbalance" or just a "new balance"?

Both "plateu-philic" and "plateu-phobic" - always have been, are, and will be - WE.

The thought of dormancy also takes me to the approaching winters, and also to the way nature manages plateu. It creates a plateu, maintains and disrupts it. That is how we never really get used to the weather. That is why, we still feel cold/hot every year despite staying at the same place for years - the sheer brilliance of nature.

I hereby embrace the "plateu-phobic" and "plateu-philic" guys within me.

After all, a seemingly straight line can just be a part of a quite larger parabola... :-)