Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Binge Writing

When do you write? According to one Creative Writing professor, it is good to write when you think of an idea. In other words, don't wait for that "big chunk of time," but just jot something down. Take little snippets of time--15 minutes here, 20 minutes there--and get down your creativity. Otherwise, the idea will flee. She explained there is such a thing as "binge writing," like an alcoholic who goes on a drinking binge for 3 days. Is this kind of writing bad? Or should we be more disciplined in our art? I wonder...

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Creativity and the Shadow

Robert Johnson writes in his book, "Owning Your Shadow," that our dark side or shadow--which is that undeveloped side of ourselves that we project onto others--can be a useful tool for creativity. If we can get the courage to "own" our shadow--to take responsibility for it--then we can harness it and transform it into a powerful force. "We need to connect with dark side for out own development," he writes. He concludes that the shadow gives us energy and vitality. How we use that energy is up to us. Any thoughts?

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Chapbook



This is the cover of the booklet of my poetry and my mother's artwork I put together after she passed away on January 26, 2011. Here is a sample poem from the book:

I saw a coyote the other day
walking across a busy 4-lane highway.
Unnerved by the traffic, he took his time
and slowly ambled into the woods.
You are like that coyote now—
strong, free and healthy—conquering
all fears and blissful of your surroundings.
You have crossed the road of troubles,
emerging to return into the forest of your life.
Not frail and afraid, like the deer,
not nervous and skittish, like the squirrel,
not a scavenger, like the raccoon,
but awesome and upright, harboring a
deep purpose and an elevated spirit,
a soul that has conquered misfortune,
and a camouflaged will to travel on.

My Mother's Artwork

Hi Again. I thought I'd address the question I posed about how creativity can help grieving. When my mom was on hospice (she was only on hospice 3 weeks until she died) I had the idea of putting together a little chapbook of her paintings and my poetry. I bought a tripod for $20 and took digital photos of 20-25 of her paintings. Then, over the course of a weekend, I put together a 24-page booklet of her paintings with my poetry. Most of the poetry was written about her, during her battle with Alzheimer's. I'll show you an example of the poetry in another post.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Grieving

My mother died Jan. 26, 2011, a few weeks after I started this blog. So I was waylaid for a while, but am now up and running and wanting to get this blog going. The purpose of this blog is to celebrate creativity.

Is there a link between grieving and creativity? Does writing, painting, drawing, or creating in any form help the grieving process? Do you become a better artist by going through your pain and coming out to the other side? I wonder...