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Right Brain Lawyering: Attorneys And The Importance Of Art

Not only do lawyers need to be creative, imaginative and “outside the envelope” thinkers, they need to be artistic as well.

By James Gray Robinson, Esq  
on

I remember my first lecture in law school like it was yesterday (42 years ago). The professor was Robert E. (“Nig”) Lee (really) who was an expert in real property law in North Carolina and a famed teacher and lecturer at Wake Forest University Law School. He said something that I will never forget. He asked for a show of hands for people who wrote poetry. Being an English major in college, I raised my hand. He looked straight at me and said, “after we are through with you, you will never write poetry again.” He went on to explain that lawyers must think in a certain, logical way, relying on precedent, research and persuasion to make their case.

The truth is he couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only do lawyers need to be creative, imaginative and “outside the envelope” thinkers, they need to be artistic as well. In other words, lawyers need to cultivate their creative “soul” and “right brain” to be balanced, healthy and successful. Lawyers who rely totally on their logic and “left brain” skills sometimes leave a part of their soul behind. Art is that part of us that is the dreamer, the magician, the philosopher, the volunteer, the creator and the creation. Art is something greater than ourselves, the ability to bring dreams into an otherwise logical world.

I believe that the majority of students entering law school have the intention of helping the world become a better place. When they graduate, and start their practice of law, they run head on into the business of law, which is competitive, logical and stressful. Their altruistic dreams get lost in billable hours, paying the bills, attracting clients and successfully representing those clients. In other words, the ego takes over and makes it all about competition and winning. Lawyers who get lost often become professors or change careers.

It is through art that lawyers can find fulfillment when the business of law falls short. That is not to say that some lawyers aren’t completely happy doing nothing but practicing law. My father was one of those people. He relished the battle, the competition, the debate and the victories of his career. A graduate of West Point, he approached everything as a battle to be won. The law was not enough for me and after 27 years I quit and looked for more artistic pursuits.

Art can be anything that allows your imagination to soar. It can be painting, music, dancing, poetry, writing, reading or watching these pursuits. Psychologists can tell us why exercising the right side/creative part of our brain is just as important as physical exercise to deal with stress. I just know that when we allow ourselves to dream and to pursue that dream creatively, it can transform our lives outside of the office or courtrooms. It may have something to do with the dissolution of the boundaries that we place in our legal lives. Art and the creative process allow us to live without boundaries and live in an expanded world. This is extremely beneficial and healing when we spend most our waking hours living in the limited logical universe of the law.

So how do lawyers cultivate their art? The best part of art is there is no incorrect place to start as there is no specific place to go.  Any activity that allows us to imagine something that does not exist in the legal world will do. Music, sculpture, pottery, painting, carpentry, dance, physical exercise, reading fiction, creative writing, travel, meditation and many other pursuits can allow us to learn and grow. Get a spiritual life, a massage or engage your physical senses in beautiful smells, vistas or tastes. Take a cooking class, learn how to raise a garden, volunteer to read to the young or elderly. It is truly remarkable that whenever you use your imagination, your imagination, intuition and perception are enhanced.

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Doing things that are counterintuitive also enhances the creative “right side” of our brains. Wearing your watch on the opposite wrist, writing with your non-dominant hand, drinking with the opposite hand, doing things in a different order somehow inspires us to take a different perspective from our rigid, legal, logical minds. I wrote with my non-dominant left hand for six months, with amazing results (including making it legible). My stress levels went down tremendously. Try writing things longhand or drawing a picture for a change, instead of dashing off an email or texting. It may take longer, but getting back to the old ways occasionally is fun. Even writing poetry, as bad as it may be, is a great stress relief.

I was often accused of raising stress and winning to an art form, but that is not true. Art is not stressful unless we allow our egos to get involved. We worry “is our art good enough, will other people like it, is it better than someone else?” That is our ego destroying our art. Do not succumb to the impulse to bring our egos into play. True art allows us to escape our ego for brief, glorious moments. It is our ego that wants our world to fit in a certain frame and anything outside of that frame is to be destroyed. But if we are to grow in wisdom and perspective, it is the frame that needs to be destroyed.

Art increases patience, gratitude and appreciation, all characteristics that lawyers need to combat stress. I painfully remember the stress of meeting deadlines, payroll, and my expectations. Lady Bird Johnson said “Art is the window to man’s soul. Without it, he would never be able to see beyond his immediate world; nor could the world see the man within.” Art gives us a glimpse into another world beyond our own, a world without stress or limitations. Sometimes creating or just glimpsing great works of art takes the blinders off and allows us to see that there is so much more to this world than what we can accomplish in a law office.

Expanding our horizons through art allows us to escape the prison cell that a law office can become. There were many times that I gained helpful insights about my clients or my legal work while involved in artistic pastimes. When I took my left side, logical brain off line it allowed my creative nature to take over, my eyes were opened to something new about everything. It helped me to be less judgmental, more open minded, and able to see with a wider perspective. Perception is projection and how we view life determines how we experience it.  The sweetness of art often transformed a rather sour day into something special. Art changes the way we see the world. I truly believe that art helps me be a better person. I recommend that lawyers spent a short period every day or a least every week engaged in imagination and creativity pursuing their art.

True intelligence is enhanced by art, and who wouldn’t benefit with a little more intelligence?

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James Gray Robinson, Esq. was a third generation trial attorney, specializing in family law, for 27 years in his native North Carolina up until 2004. Since then he has become an individual and business consultant who works with a wide range of people, professional organizations, and leading corporations. Robinson’s mission is for all people to have fulfilling, peaceful career experiences and work environments. At the age of 64, Gray passed the Oregon bar exam and is again a licensed attorney. You can learn more about his work by visiting www.JamesGrayRobinson.com and to begin a dialogue about supporting you and/or your business, write him directly at James@JamesGrayRobinson.com. 

 

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