“My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I notice shape my mind.” — William James
Working definitions
Intentionality is a goal-directed orientation.
The commitments we make.
Research on implementation intentions (yeah, I didn't know that was a thing either) apparently shows that simple 'if–then' plans can help turn goals into action.
Personally, I would tend to have some reservations about taking this literally. But definitely worthy of a ponder.
Awareness is non-reactive monitoring of present-moment experience.
In mindfulness research, it’s described as attention regulation combined with curiosity and openness — summarized as Intention–Attention–Attitude (IAA).
In short: intentionality chooses; awareness notices.
When they work together, practice deepens, and performance loosens.
Where intention belongs
- Use intention to set clear, concrete goals — like practicing a phrase slowly or writing one verse before lunch.
- In deliberate practice, focused, feedback-based work improves performance more than simply logging hours.
- Where intention fails is in real-time creation (like improvisation), where excessive control can block spontaneity.
Where awareness leads
- Awareness is the sensory foundation of artistry. Feeling the room, the ensemble, the breath, the space between notes.
- Improvisation studies show that great performance arises when self-monitoring relaxes and awareness widens.
- Mind-wandering research distinguishes between intentional and unintentional drift. The first fuels creativity; the second derails it.
Older wisdom, same truth
- Dōgen: “To study the Way is to study the self… to forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.” Practice shapes the self; performance forgets it.
- Advaita Vedānta (Śaṅkara): Rest as awareness while you act. Agency remains, clinging loosens.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj: “Awareness makes consciousness possible… consciousness is partial and changeful; awareness is total and changeless.”
The idea is to not make this 'mysticism as escape'.
But consider it a 'metaphysic' (if you like) of the creative practice.
Do the work, then get out of your own way.
Common confusions creatives face
- Productivity trap: Adding more goals to mask anxiety. Tip: Try pausing for two minutes to feel the body before setting one clear intention.
- Spiritual bypass: Calling avoidance “flow.” Tip: Balance freedom with deliberate structure.
- Studio freeze: Endless tweaking disguised as care. Tip: Pre-decide your 'review passes'. Then commit to finishing.
Using the WHY–WHAT–HOW framework
In my CIAR model, the WHY, WHAT, HOW framework is something I dig into to help artists connect intention and awareness on three levels:
- Macro (career): WHY = purpose or values, WHAT = body of work, HOW = systems and processes.
- Meso (project): WHY = project theme, WHAT = concrete outputs, HOW = timelines and collaborators.
- Micro (session): WHY = focus or energy of the day, WHAT = key task, HOW = tools and mental approach.
At every level, intentionality creates structure; awareness keeps contact with truth.
Situations creatives will recognize
- Writing under a deadline: Intend to finish a verse; stay aware of tension when an honest line arrives.
- Improvising with others: Intend two musical limits; stay aware of what the group is saying through sound.
- Mixing late at night: Intend one decision per pass; stay aware of fatigue and embodiment before committing.
Five simple drills
- Red-light/green-light practice: Alternate between free play and micro-correction rounds.
- If–then card: Write three quick if–then rules for your usual distractions.
- 90-second reset: Three breaths, feel your feet, expand hearing to the farthest sound, then resume.
- Intentional mind-wander: Seven-minute phone-free walk; let ideas surface naturally.
- Session log: Before starting, write one line each for WHY, WHAT, HOW. Review after.
A closing thought
Artists grow fastest when they train intention like an athlete and awareness like a monk.
Then marry the two in the act of making.
As Dōgen said, study the self until it’s safe enough to forget it.
References
- Bishop S. R. et al. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition.
- Shapiro S. L., Carlson L. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness (IAA model).
- Gollwitzer P. M., Sheeran P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement.
- Limb C. J., Braun A. R. (2008). Neural substrates of jazz improvisation.
- Tang Y.-Y., Hölzel B., Posner M. (2015). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation.
- Dōgen (13th cent.). Shōbōgenzō.
- Śaṅkara (Advaita Vedānta) & Nisargadatta Maharaj (1973). I Am That.
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