The vanishing point. It's different for each of us. Some of us are stoked by formal education, reading about the works of others, classical learning; others need a day in the woods, time in the studio. For any creative, it's what fuels the fire inside with either the inspiration of aspiration or the realization of one's own ability that gives us the urge to go home and create!

But when does this enthusiasm diminish? How does that happen? How do we keep the heart fires burning? How do we avoid the decline in the first place?

Again, it is different for each of us. For me it happens when I get too much input. It is true in every creative piece of my life. I reach out for support and for my muses. I look for inspiration when I am a blank canvas. But there is a vanishing point of vitality, energy and enthusiasm that occurs when there is more information than imagination, too much stillness and not enough experimenting. I need to exercise my chops on the back side of meditation. That heightened energetic dervish slathers paint onto the canvas, pours words onto the page, hears the music of the rivers and streams accompanying my own footsteps as I fly home to play it out on the piano.

The vanishing point is a clue for me, a sign that I am too much of something and I need a jolt. My mind is cluttered with words or processes or advice. I have reflected long enough and the stillness has become a stupor. I know it is time to move.

I do not know the mechanics of this process. I feel it is about connection, electrical and energetic. It is felt and manifests in a moment. It can be a surprise or it can come in the middle of a diligent effort. it is rich and deep and broad ... and the source of life.