People used to ask me all the time whether I watched TV or listened to radio or music while I created my art ~ TV especially, since most people, I suspect, have the TV on day and night. Nobody wanted to believe me when I said I worked in "silence," no sound input except life itself happening all around me. No man-made "entertainment" added.
Actually, truth be told, it's not silent inside my head. In addition to not hearing well, I have had auditory nerve damage for many years. So "silent" to me is really a level of white noise in both ears. Not ringing, like with tinnitus. More like hissing that never stops. I'm used to it so it doesn't bother me, but I always know it's there.
Occasionally I will listen to music in the studio, one of a few favorite CDs. Mostly, though, I'd rather listen to the hissing inside my head than nearly anything else. Except the wind and the rain and birdsong.
Wishing you peaceful holidays. Hope you have an opportunity to enjoy the gift of silence.
Yes, I agree that silence is a blessing. More often than not I'm surrounded by it. Luckily, I don't hear any white noise like you do. I suppose it's like a background sound to you. Wind and rain and birdsong are wonderful noises. I can't get enough of them. XOX
ReplyDeleteI so relate, and I also work in silence. I have a radio in my studio, but seldom turn it on when I'm in there. But outside my window are 3 pine trees, and I will stop and turn to the window when the birds are singing there... they bring me much joy with their singing and beauty!
ReplyDeleteIt's not easy to get silence at my house, so I do have the radio or music on most days to cancel out everybody else's noise. But I've finally learned to ignore even the political discussions on radio and make that just background noise.
ReplyDeleteAnd when that doesn't work, thanks to the Internet, I listen to the radio in Italian - and it really becomes just background noise!