David's Dojo Journey - Installment 14

Creativity

I'm reading this really interesting book on creativity called The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Ruben. It is a bit out there, which one would expect from a creative who took the time to write a book on creativity. I love it. Last night I hit this quote that made me stop and ponder:

The ability to look deeply is the root of creativity. To see past the ordinary and mundane and get to what otherwise might be invisible."

The concept of "depth" is thrown around a lot in chess. For a beginner like me, it is one of the many concepts that feels a bit beyond my reach. But, looking "deeply" at a position is something that I think is part of the journey - even at my level. What constitutes deep analysis is relative, of course, but the journey is increasing depth. None of us will ever get to the bottom of this game. Not even Magnus. That is one of the many reasons I love it.

But, this spoke to me on a deep level beyond chess and continues to speak to me as I'm on a plane flying across the Atlantic on my way back from London. I just watched Blackberry and Coco Before Channel. Both were stories of creatives. The founders of Blackberry were able to look past the ordinary and mundane and create something that no one had been able to create. Coco was able to look beyond the style of her time and create a new style that continues to this day. They brought the invisible to the visible and changed the world in their own respective ways.

What better way to spend a life than to look and think deeply, to seek beyond the ordinary and mundane and bring the invisible to the visible in our relationships, our vocations and our lives. Both in chess and beyond chess.

Travel

I have been traveling for two weeks straight. The first week was in Miami and the second week was in London. There is something I love about travel. Even though the weeks were filled with tons of work and a lot was done, there is still lots of time to think, to be alone, to wander, to dream and to play a good amount of chess. I've watched more movies on airplanes this last couple of weeks than I have watched in the last couple of years. As noted above, those stories are so inspiring.

Walking the beaches of Miami I saw a sunrise that was just remarkable. I saw a professional photographer setting up for a shot and I wondered why. A few minutes later when the sun broke through the clouds over the endless watery horizon, I knew. It was nothing short of breathtaking.

Walking the streets of London, there was something just as breathtaking. Seeing the miraculous buildings and cultures that result of humankind's creativity and skill is amazing. I'd walk past pub after pub, each brimming with life, laughter and friendship. I'd stop into random restaurants and eat alone, enjoying incredible food (best Turkish and Italian food I've ever had!). I toured the Tower of London and drank in the history and walked over the London Bridge and sang the nursery rhyme in my head as I did (I thought out loud might be a bit much).

Recovering Joy in Chess

I'm still not ready to go back to the grind of studying. And, in fact, as long as I frame it as a grind in my mind, I'm not going to return! But, I have been playing lots of chess. Mostly rapid, but some Blitz. I analyze nearly every game after I play, so I'm still learning from my mistakes and thinking deeply (for my level) about the key moments in the game.

I thought this Blitz game was particularly nice:

I have been winning a good number of rapid games, so I played in a Swiss tournament on LIchess last night where I played much higher rated players and got my clock cleaned. A good reminder that the journey ahead is long. But, I still believe in myself and in my capacity to improve.

But, more important still, I'm starting to remember how much fun I have playing this great game. And, that seems more and more to be the point.