Here is an idea so obvious and yet so insightful, at least to me: Nobody exists in a vacuum, and nobody lives outside some sort of environment. There is always some sort of setting, place or physical context for every aspect of life. This is true for every waking moment, and every sleeping one too.
Think about the most basic activities you engage in on a daily basis. You eat, you sleep, you engage in your recreational activities of choice, and you work at your chosen vocation. Think about the last time you did any or all of the above. Were you able to visualise it without its associated environment? Were you able to see yourself sleeping without conjuring up your bedroom? Or working without visualising your workspace? I know I could not, and I have tried.
Now, for a moment, try to visualise yourself sleeping where you work, and working where you sleep. This is possible, I have no doubt. In fact, I am ashamed to say that as a graduate student, I spent the odd night or two snoozing under my desk when conference season came around and I had to make the paper submission deadlines. I am also ashamed to say that I have also, on occasion, propped up my laptop on my outstretched legs in a bid to catch up on work from the comfort of my bed. I may or may not be typing this blog on my phone from the comfort of said bed.
So, again I say, it is possible. But it is not ideal. The sort of snooze you may get from sleeping at your desk pales in comparison to the kind you get when you sink your head in your soft pillows and let your body sprawl out all over the bed space available to you. I would also argue that it is not the best idea, productivity-wise, to cultivate a habit of turning the sacred sanctuary that is the bedroom into a place where work is regularly conducted.
This is all to say that the environment is at the heart of everything we do, and for everything we do, there is an ideal environment. This idea of how pervasive and influential our environments can be, is emblematised in the famous quote often attributed to Winston Churchill, that "...we shape our buildings and afterwards, our buildings shape us…"
For context, after the Germans bombed London during world war two, the British government set out to rebuild the commons chamber in parliament that was destroyed in the blitz. There were a host of considerations and proposals regarding the architecture and designs for the rebuild. Some called for a sort of modernisation of the buildings, with proposals to change it to a horse-shoe or semi-circular pattern, while others called for rebuilding it into the rectangular layout as it was before it was destroyed. Enter the then British prime minister with the abovementioned quote, and with an opinion expressed for the latter. Churchill was of a mind to conserve and maintain the status quo. He was a conservative, after all. His politics aside, his logic was that the design of the parliamentary hall played a key, central role in shaping British democracy. There was something, he argued, about the opposite positioning of the pews and desks that the two main political parties occupied during parliamentary sessions, that fostered and even facilitated fierce, albeit civil debate, and he argued that this was all good for democracy. To change this layout was to mess with an essential ingredient that contributed to the success of the British government.
Churchill may well have had ulterior motives for recreating the status quo regarding the architecture and design of the parliamentary halls (did I mention he was a conservative?), but there is something in his logic that has stood the test of time.
Psychologists have long studied the effects of our environments on our day to day life. You have probably heard something along the lines of "nature Vs nurture", which speaks to how much of one's traits and behaviours is inherited from genetic material compared to how much is acquired from externalities such as friends, family, and society at large. The latter is just long hand for the environment – the things, objects, ideas, and people around us that impact and influence us in ways we cannot even begin to fathom.
I would like to suggest that the same is true for our careers, our professional aspirations, and germane to this blog, our artistic exploits. This post is timely, and intentionally so, because it is the start of a new year and many of us are looking to leverage the fresh start effect to make changes in our lives. Maybe that means getting more exercise, or eating differently, or sorting out our finances, or improving our social lives, to mention some of the most common new year resolutions. Whatever it may be, there is almost always something we can change or tweak or add or remove from our immediate environment, that will put us in better standing to actualise our goals. Want to read more? How about having a book on your person at all times? Want to learn that new instrument? How about placing it somewhere in your line of sight in your room? Want to take up painting? How about…you get the idea.
It is worth stressing that this is easier said than done. We are creatures of habit, and there may be a strong urge to dispense with any new attempts to mess with the environment we have come to know and love. It is okay if this happens from time to time.
We are at that time of the year when most people set out to embark on some sort of self-improvement project or another. We are all on some sort of wagon of our own making, it seems, and much as it pains me to say, we are all going to fall off the wagon at some point. More often than we would like, in fact.
This is okay. This is where self-love comes into play. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, as the old saying goes. Sometimes the steps we take will take us further away from the destination, and that is okay. All we can do is course-correct and keep on moving.
If I may leave you with one idea this week, it is this: Nobody exists without an environment. Refine it, structure it, consider it carefully, and hack it if you have to. This, I believe, is a good place to start as we set out to cultivate new habits, leave behind old ones, and be better versions of ourselves this new year. So, to paraphrase one of the most quoted men of the last century, first we shape our environment, then our environment shapes us.
What is one thing you would consider changing about your environment this week? Write to me and let me know. And have a fantastic year ahead.
Until next week!
PS: Just a reminder that my latest record, All Behind is out now, everywhere. You can listen to it on several platforms. Please share it with a friend, share it with your social networks, and consider subscribing to the newsletter (below), my YouTube channel, or wherever else you listen to music.