The Power of a Single Focus - Debasree Dey Art

How the Mind Creates When It Isn’t Overwhelmed

Have you ever noticed that when you give your mind one clear problem to solve, it somehow finds a way to do it?
That’s not magic — that’s how the mind naturally works.

When our attention is scattered across too many ideas, goals, and worries, we start feeling confused, anxious, and stuck. But when we focus on one direction, everything starts to move in that direction — quietly, steadily, and sometimes, even effortlessly.

1. The Mind Works Best with One Clear Problem

I’ve noticed this again and again.
Whenever I give my mind one clear, meaningful focus — it gets to work. It starts finding connections, drawing in people, ideas, and opportunities that help me move toward that goal.

But when I give it too many things to figure out at once, it freezes. It doesn’t know where to start.

The mind loves clarity. It can’t thrive in chaos.

When the subconscious has one clear problem to solve, it becomes resourceful. When it has a hundred, it becomes restless.

My Story

In May, I gave my mind a single goal — to create 12 Mixed Media art classes by 31st December, 2025.
At that time, I had no idea how it would happen.
But I focused on it, kept showing up, and somehow, the path revealed itself.

Now in the end of Dec, I’m about to publish my 12th class.

That’s when I realized:

When the mind has one clear problem to solve, it gets creative. When it has a hundred, it gets confused.

The subconscious starts organizing your thoughts, emotions, and actions around that one intention — finding ways, connections, and ideas that align with it. It becomes your quiet collaborator.

2. The Energy Leak of “Too Many Problems”

Every goal, thought, or worry we carry opens a little loop in the mind.
Too many open loops, and you start feeling mentally exhausted even before you’ve done anything.

It’s like keeping 50 tabs open on your browser — you’re not actually reading anything, but the system is still running in the background, draining all your energy.

When you consciously close those tabs and decide what truly matters right now, you instantly feel lighter, more grounded, and surprisingly more creative.

3. The Frida Kahlo Lesson: Focus Where Energy Can Flow

Frida Kahlo knew she couldn’t change her physical pain.
She didn’t waste her mind trying to “fix” what couldn’t be fixed.
Instead, she focused all her energy on what could be expressed — her art, her emotions, her truth.

That’s why her paintings hold such power. Her entire psychic energy was flowing into one direction — creation.

The mind becomes powerful when it stops wrestling with what cannot be changed and focuses on what can be created.

4. Picasso and the Non-Problems

Take Picasso, for example. From the outside, it may look like his relationships were a mess — chaos everywhere. But maybe, to him, they weren’t “problems” at all.

He was so deeply focused on his creative vision that he didn’t register those relationship dynamics as problems that needed solving. He just painted. He lived his life, fully immersed in his art.

That’s why he could keep creating, no matter what was happening around him. His energy wasn’t scattered trying to fix every emotional tangle — it was dedicated to his creative drive.

5. Everyday Life and the Trap of Too Many Problems

I see this around me all the time — especially among people who are deeply creative but don’t have the space to express it.

In Kolkata, I meet so many people who have such incredible potential — musicians, painters, writers — but their minds are constantly busy solving personal dramas, family issues, social comparisons, and daily complaints.

It’s not that they aren’t talented; it’s that their mental energy is spent elsewhere.
Their creativity is waiting, but their mind is occupied with problems that don’t actually need solving.

And I know this because it happened to me too. A few years ago, when my life was full of distractions — dating, proving myself, managing endless emotions — my creative energy was scattered.
My mind was busy solving unnecessary “mini-problems”:

“What did that person think of me?”
“How do I fix this relationship?”
“How can I make this person like me?”

None of those were real, solvable problems. They were emotional loops that drained my energy.

Now, when I give my mind one clear focus — like creating Mixed Media classes that makes a difference — it doesn’t run in a hundred directions anymore. It stays with me, here, solving the problem & doing the work.

6. The Hidden Role of Complaints

I’ve also realized something subtle: every complaint is a problem for the mind to solve.

Whenever we complain — even silently — “She did this, he said that, this shouldn’t be this way,” our mind takes that as a task. It starts analyzing, replaying, trying to solve something that isn’t even ours to solve.

The more we complain, the more our mental energy gets pulled away from our real purpose.

A complaining mind is a busy mind — not a productive one.

When I notice myself complaining, I remind myself:
“Do I want to solve this, or do I just want to create?”

Most of the time, the answer is create.
And that simple shift pulls me back into focus.

7. Creative Overwhelm vs. Creative Focus

This same principle applies beautifully to art.
There are thousands of inspiring mixed media projects online. Every time I open Instagram, I want to try them all — and that desire can quickly turn into overwhelm.

But when I have a clear creative goal, like finishing my 12 classes, my energy stays grounded. Even though I see countless tempting projects, I can stay present with what I’m currently creating.

That focus doesn’t kill creativity — it protects it.

8. Focus Is Not Restriction — It’s Freedom

At first, it might feel like focus limits you.
But in truth, it gives you freedom — freedom from indecision, chaos, and comparison.

When you commit to one direction, you no longer waste energy choosing what to do next. Your creativity deepens instead of scattering.

Focus is the container that allows creativity to flow without spilling everywhere.

9. The Mechanics of Manifestation (The Practical Way)

Here’s what’s actually happening, in a simple, neurological way:

The brain seeks coherence. Once you fix your focus, your emotions, thoughts, and actions start aligning automatically.
The subconscious is a problem-solver. It keeps working quietly to close the loop you’ve opened with your intention.
Attention creates momentum. Whatever you focus on expands because energy follows attention.
Too many goals = no movement. The mind freezes when everything seems equally important.

It’s not mystical — it’s mechanical.
It’s simply how our inner system works best.

10. How to Practice Focused Creation

A few simple ways to bring this into daily life:

Choose one main goal per season. Let it be your focus until it feels complete.
Let go of what you can’t solve. Don’t wrestle with what’s beyond your control.
Keep an “idea notebook.” Write down new ideas so they don’t interrupt your current work.
Reduce mental noise. Follow fewer accounts, consume less, and listen more to your inner rhythm.
Notice complaints. Each one is a leak — pause, breathe, and redirect your energy to something creative.