"When I'm performing, I don't know where I am . . . it's about being there in the moment." - Joe Orrach
The state of flow has been a pre-occupation of mine for some time now. I would often find myself entranced, in the midst of engaging conversations, after a lapse of time working on a project, and simply, moments in which my sole focus and energy exist without the constricts of time, the surrounding environment faded off somewhere in the backdrop. It was a process that always fascinated me, but could never quite grasp.
Mentioning this to a few friends of mine, and describing it to the best of my ability, half of them only stared back as if I’ve just spoken to them in a foreign language - complete gibberish. The other half intrigued, but nonetheless, indifferent. Frustrated by this, I sought out a personal project. In striving to understand this state of flow and develop it further, I immersed myself in reading material on the subject of autotelism. I observed my surroundings, I listened carefully, I watched my thoughts, and I waited patiently. Waited for what? At the time, I couldn’t name it other than a desire springing forth from deep within me. But nonetheless, I waited silently.
Sometime two weeks back, I was enveloped by an unexpected occasion during a field production. In the midst of shooting an interview, as our sound designers were working out some techno-kinks, I began conversing with our interviewee, Joe Orrach , about passion, and being in the moment. That moment, in itself, became an extraordinary friction and flow of energies. I watched a flickering flame turn into a fire - enraptured by passion itself. The room vibrated with magic. And in that time, from the peripheral scope of my vision, I watched our photographer set his camera down, our videographer viewing intently through his lens, and other crew members drink in the moment. It was a soulful communication regardless of profession. It became apparent, that we were not just there to work on a project, but rather we were all there to experience the heat of an autotelic state: a magical unison of subject, story, and storytellers.
I don’t know if I can properly define what flow is, although I’ve gained a keener sense for it. To my understanding, flow is a progression of creation, an arrest of heart and desire to exist without reason. In looking back, the passion for storytelling weaved us all together at that small fraction of time, and I think we all walked away inspired. In the words of Joe, “it’s from my center, my groin, my heart.”
Photo Credit: Rai Popquiz, Shot On Location.
