One of the problems with the blank slate is that there is nothing on it. We look at it and feel daunted because it’s blank. Whether literal or figurative, the blank slate or canvas is a great big chunk of absolutely nothing with the potential for absolutely anything. How on Earth are you supposed to choose what to put on it?
The blank slate isn’t actually blank. It’s filled with the endless possibilities that the artist, author, or innovator can imagine. That’s the key to understanding why it overwhelms the senses and can lead to sensory overload. It’s not the absence that gets us; it’s the abundance that threatens to bury us. In fact, painted on the surface of every seemingly blank slate is the years of baggage, conscious or unconscious, that the artist and their audience bring with them. When there is nothing, our minds have to option but to fill the space. The blank slate scares us because it holds the very best that we can dream up. And dreams are scary business.
It has been said that Michelangelo claimed not to manipulate marble to fit his vision but to use the hammer and chisel to free the sculpture that was imprisoned in the stone. Stephen King claims to channel the stories he writes down, not to invent them himself. He is more biographer and historian than creator of fictional adventures. In the same vein, the blank slate is merely the surface on to which we project our knowledge and experiences, filtered through the objective of some project or intended outcome. It is the space upon which display for all the world to see that which we have to offer.
That is why we fear it. That is why we shy away from it. That is why we leave it blank.
To put something upon the slate is to open ourselves up to scrutiny. Why take such a risk? Why bother sharing when we know so many will seek to tear down that which we proffer to them in good faith?
To me the answer is simple: to do anything that fill up the slate requires us to deny a vital piece of ourselves. It is cruel and heartless punishment that we willingly inflict upon ourselves. We deny the best of us the best that the world has to offer because we fear the worst. We anticipate failure and rejection. We envision our dreams being crushed. We daydream our hopes being dashed. We look to the future, fear the negative outcomes, and give up the tiniest hope that things can turn out in our favor. It is sad, and it is true.
If there is a dream inside of you, dare to dream it, and dare to bring it to the world. Far better for them to die fighting in life than for them to die languishing and withering in darkness.
Illuminate Possibilities 