Balance in Blue Flower Power

Chasing an artistic life can sometimes make us lose ourselves in imagination. We get so caught up in our passions and dreams that we overlook everyday responsibilities like bills, duties, and the people around us. But to live a long, fulfilling artistic life, we need to balance reason and imagination, along with the practical side of daily life.

Here are some practical and philosphical views on why balance is so important:

Alain de Botton

"Balance is not something that you find, it's something you create."

In other words, balance isn’t something we just have or find by accident. It’s a continuous process of adjusting to life’s demands, requiring us to keep an eye on it all the time.

Take away: Balance is a verb, not a noun.

Novalis

"The whole art of life is knowing how to strike a balance between creativity and rationality."

By striving for balance in our thoughts, emotions, and actions, we can cultivate a sense of inner harmony and well-being,

Take away: Balance creates harmony.

William Blake

"To see a world in a grain of sand

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour."

("Auguries of Innocence")

When we see "the world in a grain of sand" and "a heaven in a wild flower," we understand that everything is connected. And by holding "infinity in the palm of your hand" and "eternity in an hour," we see how brief life really is. Together, these lines show that by balancing these ideas, we can find more meaning and purpose in life.

Take away: Take it all in. The universe may be timeless, but the present moment is all.

Carl Jung

"The creative individual is one who can balance the rational and irrational, the conscious and unconscious, in order to access the full range of human experience."

Creativity is not solely a product of rational thinking but is a result of balancing both reason and intuition, and the conscious and unconscious mind.

Take away: Trust your intuition... but not too much.

William Wordsworth

"Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;

Our meddling intellect

Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things—We murder to dissect.

Enough of Science and of Art;

Close up those barren leaves;

Come forth, and bring with you a heart

That watches and receives.

(And just before this:)

One impulse from a vernal wood

May teach you more of man,

Of moral evil and of good,

Than all the sages can.” (The Tables Turned)

Take away: Nature teaches more truth and balance than books do.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Nature is the living, visible garment of God. To the wise, the whole earth is open and every hair on its head is a revelation. A person who does not love nature, cannot love anything in the world, because in everything there is some hidden essence. Nature is the balance of all systems."

Nature embodies balance, and appreciating nature is the key to achieving balance in life.

Take away: What Wordsworth said... squared.

John Muir

"Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean in the wilds and let the evergreen fragrance of the hilly forests and the sweet breath of the winds, carrying the sounds of the streams and the birds, enter into your soul." (Our National Parks, 1901) 

Muir encourages us to take a step back from our busy lives and immerse ourselves in the natural world, as a means of finding balance, renewal, and surviving for the long haul.

Take away: Stay connected with nature to refresh and renew the spirit.

Friedrich Nietzsche:

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you."

 ("Thus Spoke Zarathustra")

Nietzsche warns that when we face tough challenges, there's a risk of being consumed by negativity. He suggests that we need to keep a sense of balance and morality to avoid this risk. In other words, stay balanced, or you might become the very thing you’re fighting against.

Take away: Don't get pulled too far in any one direction.

As these Romantic ideas suggest, balance means understanding that we need imagination, reason, and common sense to live a long and fulfilling life. By finding this balance, we can live artistically without giving up our health, well-being, or the people and responsibilities that matter to us.