I’ve read a lot on flow state which is basically a mental state that puts you in the moment without too much thought and allows you to be the most creative you possible can be due to the lack of restraints you place on yourself.
This is the mind state where most song hits are made as there is so little stopping you from coming up with catchy melodies and flows.
It applies to any form of art too. So my question is this.
As an aspiring artist is there a way to use magic to tap in to this state like a mantra that can be chanted to induce such a psychological state or is it not possible.
I’d imagine it is I just wanted you guys to input your thoughts.
The flow state is a form of heightened concentration. It is externally focused, so a mantra is unlikely to facilitate it as chanting tends to be internally focused. Flow is activity driven, so even if chanting a mantra could enable it, once you stopped the chanting, the state would end because flow follows focus, and the focus would be on the mantra, not on your art. It wouldn’t be transferable to another activity since flow is dependent upon total immersion in whatever you are doing.
However, thanks to research done in the field of peak performance, and neurobiology, the flow state is hackable, so when you engage in your art, set yourself up with the triggers that help facilitate flow states ie novelty, complexity, challenge/skill balance (the task should stretch your limits, but not be completely beyond your skill set), passion/purpose, risk, unpredictability, immediate feedback, etc.
So, when you’re ready to make art, set yourself up a routine that gets you in the mood, and then go to work. As you repeat this it becomes learned that doing these things is the precursor to making your art.
E.g., make a drink and put on your lucky making art tee, go and touch your desk to set it up right, turning the lights on in e same order every time, sort of thing. Maybe light some incense to the Muses [whoever] etc. It’s a mini ritual that triggers you to expect to be making art now.
The more you enjoy the activity, the easier it is to get into flow state. If you don’t like what you’re doing, that will distract you and pull your mind away from the activity, whereas the flow state is essentially complete concentration on the activity. If the image that comes to mind is someone squeezing their face in effort, that’s not the flow state. That’s anxiety or something.
Flow is rooted in pleasure. The mind experiencing pleasure wants to continue to indulge in this pleasure it is experiencing, so there’s nothing fighting against the flow unless some outside influence creeps in and starts to interfere with the absolute immersion.
For a magickal aid, I would focus more on eliminating barriers to flow, as “the flow state” as we have come to call it is a natural psychological phenomenon that does not require magickal induction. If there is no flow, you’re either not really enjoying the activity or something else, like fear of inadequacy, not performing, or other fears which creep in and corrupt the activity, is corrupting the activity. Or, possibly, you are avoiding the activity with distractions, but this likely stems from fear of inadequacy or the like so the magickal approach of eliminating the fear remains effective.
For the record, when I go about crafting my life, a consideration is to maximize my time in the flow state. That can be engaging in an artform, conducting business/financial activities, or simply having a good conversation.