The Dance of the Afferent and the Efferent in Creative Media

     At the gallery talk in connection with the display of the historical collection of drawings, an interesting idea was put forth about whether drawing was a process of 'output,' or a process of 'input' for a curious activity called 'thinkering.' In meditating upon this concept, it struck me that all media used for creative activities, be it clay thrown on a potter's wheel, or the use of paint on canvas, or a musical instrument, provide for this rapidly oscillating dance of the afferent and the efferent. Our neural system is described as a "closed loop" system of sensations, decisions, and reactions that engage the world around us. This process is carried out through the activity of afferent neurons, interneurons, and efferent neurons. This oscillating dance can happen at varying speeds, in varying cadences, and with syncopated patterns. A master of a creative activity is one who is of a clear enough mind, where there is an awareness of when the activity in the bodymind is afferent, that is, when it draws in the world, when the mind mediates the world in perception, and when the body is in its efferent phase, that is, acts on the world. This dance happens in cycles, like an endless waltz, transforming the world creatively. The power of a creative medium is in how it enables the afferent and the efferent, the kinds of cadences between them, the patterns that can be created, and the ability to achieve coherence in the process. Learning how to dance like this, evokes the cosmic dancer, whom the Hindus know as Nataraja, the lord of the dance.