There is nothing more distracting when you are trying desperately to do something than a quiet background noise becoming foreground.
When we lay in that in-between place of sleeplessness, for example and a drip in the bathroom gets louder and louder.
That moment when you sit to write a letter to a friend and that back door starts to bang, annoying you now even though it’s been like that for days.
A baby crying in a cafe as you try to read your book, a loud teenager next door with their music just loud enough to crawl up your back.
A whisper of a text message arriving in that poignant part of a movie.
You know what I mean.
There is something so inspiring and so devastatingly distracting about noise.
One of our senses that inspires us and torments also.
Lately I have been noticing new patterns in my daily white noise quota that I believe are impacting my ability to dream and reflect.
As a stay at home Mum, it is easy for me to throw the television on and allow morning shows to fill my ears.
I can listen to them, watch them quickly as I skull my morning coffee, I can catch up on the news and what is happening and somehow they have become my morning companions.
My husband however, will turn off the television as soon as he walks in the room and turns on music. He always chooses music that inspires, music that creates a beautiful atmosphere, it breathes life into our little shack. Somedays this annoys me, but I am realising that this change of white noise has such a great impact on my dream space, my thought life and our home.
Where is white noise subtracting from your life? In your car as you drive to and from work? What you fill your mind with as you try to fall asleep? We all have white noise spots, that decisions in this somedays this annoys me, but I am realising that this change of white noise has such a great impact on my dream space, my thought life and our home.
The television, as much as it makes me feel connected somewhat to the world, it takes from the atmosphere. It fills my home with gossip and negativity, it speaks of things that sadden and disappoint me about humanity, it creates a white noise landscape that is often distracted and negative.
It is these routines that I am realising change my inspiration quota for the day. In some of the busiest seasons when I was a creative director and event manager, I would put my earphones in regularly and turn up inspiring music and my output was astoundingly greater.
Even changing the style of morning program from a sensationalist form of media to a more informative one, from commercial stations to government funded ones (i.e. channel 7, 9 and 10 in comparison to ABC and SBS) change the dynamic in my home.
When my day starts with a different dynamic, the noise the background changes and my levels of inspiration rise. My husband and I have a premium subscription to spotify which is an amazing way to listen and find new music. To fill our home, cars and lives with positive sounds.
What fills the white noise in your house?
Is this impacting your inspiration levels?
This is something I am pondering of late.
A bit like how much time my phone is in my hands. Today I put my phone away and walked the beach, allowing the waves to fill up my senses.
And yes, it has changed the whole tone of my day.
How about yours?
Speak tomorrow
Amanda
