Friday, April 19, 2019

What do you do when the well runs dry?

Most people have busy lives.  We spend so much of our time attending to our "to do" lists and our daily routine.  Within that routine, how can we find time for the peace of mind that nurtures our creativity?  The creative process requires incubation as well as inspiration. If we don't make time for both in our lives, we may find ourselves facing a drought in our creativity.

If this sounds like you, try a new approach. Take a break from your routine and make space for some peace and quiet to fill your tank. Here's a suggestion for using poetry and meditation to loosen your creative "muscles."





Poetry as Meditation



Sculpting your thoughts and emotions into a poem can take you on a journey into your inner universe where your conscious mind is momentarily cast adrift.


Like other forms of meditation, writing poetry requires that you stay fully present during the process, rather than focusing on any outcome. In doing so, you release any inhibitions or ideas of "what needs to happen," so that your thoughts can flow freely through you. When you write poetry, you are able to see the reflections of your innermost self, imprinted on a page.





If you'd like to experience poetry as a meditation practice, you might want to try this exercise:
Set aside twenty minutes where you can be alone in a quiet space. You may want to look at poems other people have written to see if there is a style of poetry you would like to try. You can also try writing in freeform. The structure of the poem will then organically reveal itself to you. When you are ready, sit down with pen and paper and let the words flow. Don't think about what you are going to say next, and don't worry about spelling, grammar, or logic. Instead, be as descriptive, visually precise, rhythmic, or lyrical as you want to be. When you feel complete, put the pen down, and read over what you've written. Appreciate this work of art you have created. You may even find that thoughts and emotions you had repressed before are now making themselves known so you can process and release them. Writing poetry as a form of meditation lets you slow down your mind long enough for you to get out of your own way, so that your soul can freely express its deepest yearnings.
--Madisyn Taylor, DailyOM

 Please let me know if you try this and how it works for you! 










Monday, April 8, 2019

Here we go!

It's the start of Spring Quarter and we are off and running.  Welcome, or welcome back, everyone!  As a little teaser before tomorrow's class, here is a piece from a tech entrepreneur on good writing. 


Paul Graham is a programmer, writer, and investor. He has an AB from Cornell and a PhD in Computer Science from Harvard, and studied painting at RISD and the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. I would be interested to hear whether you agree or disagree with his position!