Note – I wrote this in the middle of my 7 day fast, but forgot to hit publish, d’oh! Onward…
I haven’t eaten in four days. Three more left in this crazy endurance challenge. My body is in pain, my legs hurt a deep-bone hurt, but I’m sitting in my thinking space. A beautiful rooftop overlooking the city, lovely sun and a cool morning breeze.
No matter how crappy I feel, up here I feel better. It’s my fort from the chaos of life, my citadel.
Since discovering this place, my creative output has more than trippled.
I remember reading about a writer that, for years would take meetings with anyone and everyone, at great creative cost. He felt trapped, but realized that he couldn’t just cancel them all and start life over. Instead, he would add meetings with himself on his morning calendar. A post-it note on his nightstand would serve as the morning reminder that he had space and time set aside exclusively for creativity.
In his case, The Citadel was a time and a headspace, not just a place to think.
Haim Saban, the Billionaire behind the Power Rangers brand, grew up in a poor immigrant slum. His family was so broke that they wound up sharing an apartment with a Pimp, his employee, and a host of other shady characters. There was no privacy, no peace. It was a miserable shelter, not a home for a child. Haim found his creative space in the building stairwell – a private place for him to study, do homework, to learn. Even with so little, he still found a Citadel.
I love the idea of finding a place protected from the worries of life. A place where creativity is compulsory. It doesn’t have to be a scenic rooftop, as Saban discovered. It doesn’t even need to be a physical space, but a time and headspace designated for creative freedom.
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