Sunday Journal Prompt

The Positivity of “Negative Space”  

 

While having tea with a friend from China recently, I learned the term “liu bai,” which she said means “to remain white.” My face must have registered confusion, as she further defined it for me: “to leave empty,” as in, “I leave emptiness in my plannings,” which, she said, has led to “a more purposeful life.”

I’m interested in the language itself—the negative association of the word “empty.” In fact, the Western photography/design term for the bai—what my Chinese friend refers to as “white” —is “negative space.” The term “empty” itself is defined as “not filled.” Yet this negative space yields such positive results.  

I’ve begun to create more “white space” in my life, unscheduled time during which I may choose to take walks, pet my cat, drink tea, watch squirrels playing outside my window, meditate—just be. This has been hard for me, especially when household chores await and work deadlines loom (or have already passed). But I’m discovering that giving myself more “white space” boosts the quality of my work, and my interactions with friends, colleagues and students are even more meaningful.

How can you build more “white space” into your days to create a more purposeful life?