What¹s in a sunrise.

The morning wind spreads its fresh smell. We must get up and take that in, that wind that lets us live. Breathe, before it's gone. ­ Rumi

I watched sunrise at the Grand Canyon a couple of weeks ago.

Though I usually prefer twilight light, I try to watch sunrise a few times each year just to be there and witness it. I happened to be near the Grand Canyon, so, I figured if I'm going to watch any sunrise, this one would be worth the effort. If you haven't had the pleasure, sunrise and sunsets at the Grand Canyon are way up there on the spectacular scale.

As far as Grand Canyon sunrises go, this one was probably just your average, everyday sort. I had an idea I'd show up at 5:15 a.m., with maybe a few other bleary-eyed daybreak devotees sharing space for a semi-enlightening (sorry for the pun) experience on the South Rim.

But no. Busloads of tourists were unloading as I arrived, jockeying for space along the overlook's safety railing, leaving me barely enough room to plant my camera tripod. I never expected such a crowd.

Reading the signs
The most memorable part of the experience for me was the ravens. As the sun poked above the redrock in the east, a cool wind rushed out of the depths of the canyon. It came up so quickly and with such force, it lifted my baseball cap off my head. As I leaned on the cold metal railing, gazing at the rose and purple undersides of the clouds, a group of three ravens swooped up out of the canyon and rolled on the updrafts directly above the rim walls.

I usually don't think of ravens as playful animals, but these guys were having one heck of a time. They climbed on the currents, dipped, circled, and squawked to one another about how much fun they were having! I looked back at the rest of the sunrise-gawkers to see if anyone else had noticed, but they were still focused on the rosy dawn light show, cameras clicking away.

One thing I've learned as a photographer is that there are special moments in which the world talks to me directly about something going on in my life. An inner conflict, a question, a personal issue that's pacing the floor in the back of my awareness seems to somehow illicit a response from the world around me. Things happen: sudden sounds from animals carry an unusual poignancy; specific shapes stand out from the tapestry of rocks and trees and clouds; a certain object or form is spotlighted for a brief moment and pulls my attention to it. Behind and inside these events I often find a message. An insight into an issue, or answer to a question that needs my attention. In this case, the ravens were the messengers. More specifically their play.

OK. What the heck do ravens have to do with a creative life? Plenty.

Play, Play, Play
Play is one of the most important lessons that creative energy teaches us. It's the natural rhythm and flow that creative expression takes when it comes into being. And sometimes I get so wrapped up in the work aspect of my creative life that I completely forget to play. Nose to the grindstone...make the deadline...damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead?you know the experience. Yet, the more I "try" to create, the more I block the natural flow of creative energy. You see, anything that's natural, like the flow of creative energy, is not improved through effort.

You can't push the flow, you have to just allow it and learn to move within its currents. Like the ravens. Sure you have to practice, hone your skills, and develop your craft. But when it come down to the actual creative process, you, I, each of us, needs to let the creative flow do its thing and ride on it. PLAY!

My 4-year-old is a perfect example of an open channel for creative energy. Play is as natural to him as breathing. I show him how to do something once, throw a Frisbee, draw a circle, bounce a ball, whatever, and after he does it my way 3 or 4 times, he spontaneously begins to try new ways to do it. He innovates, experiments, alters the process and adds a new twist or wrinkle. And he does it all with a natural sense of playfulness, curiosity, and innocence. Like the ravens, he climbs, dips, circles and generally has a good time at whatever he's doing.

The wind was there, so they played.

So, thank you ravens. For today, when the wind comes up, I'll remember to play.