formula fun & mindful walking... Formulas are fun and make writing easy. So we’ll keep it simple and play around with some I found in Image and Write...Poetry By Karin K. Hess Line #1: Write three ing words Examining, studying, testing, Line #2: I am I am searching for a cure Line #3: Write three adjectives Tired, tense, drained Line #4: I feel I feel so close... CAPTURING THE MOMENT This formula freezes an instant and examines various aspects of it. Line #1: Adverb or Adjective Asleep Line #2: I was I was dreaming Line #3: Verb or Adjective Content Line #4: I am I am not alone Line #5: Verb or Adjective Comforted Line #6:I will I will try again Line #7: Verb or Adjective Refreshed Line #8: Now Now I can. Line #1: What if Line #2: I might (leave a space between lines 2 & 3) Line #3: What if Line #4: I could Line #5: What if Line #6: I would (leave a space between lines 6 & 7) Line #7: Ask a question Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.
- THICH NHAT HANH Walking is a technique of solitude, a way into reverie. The walker is not a sleepwalker but a daydreamer. - DEIRDRE HEDDON If you seek creative ideas go walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. - RAYMOND INMON All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking. - Friedrich Nietzsche Last week we went on pilgrimage within ourselves, this week, let’s go for a little wander. Contemplate these words while walking somewhere lovely, then let your words wander on the page…
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The key, Hey Presto & making pilgimage.What are your key words? What does this image open in you? What would your key look like? Use your key words to open all those free writing doors... Hey Presto! Ever dreamed of making inanimate objects real? Here is your chance. This is a cute book to use with students or to offer to a young wordsmith. It is fun, colourful and informative, set out with space to write directly in the book! Try it out with this little test run on personification. Making pilgrimage We continue to explore our Fruitflesh with Gayle Brandeis. What and where are you made up of? Follow the prompt and take us on a tour… The witching hour, more bones and flesh. There is a time in the day that is just right, your time, when all is quiet and your mind has room to move…or not. I tend to be a night owl, pottering into the night without realising. Others are early birds and love to watch the sun come up. Maybe there is a time related quote that resonates with you, if so share it with us and free write your time away! Back to basics and Natalie Goldberg, (among others), has it covered. A little bit of stress often creeps into our creative endeavours. Wondering if we'll get it right, have natural talent, understand or fear of the blank canvas or white page. Overthinking it makes you more anxious, so ... go with the flow, set achievable goals like keeping the pen moving, writing the first thing that comes to mind, not worrying about spelling and grammar, remembering that there is no wrong or right, and most importantly, enjoy yourself! I have pretty much read similar advice in many of the creative writing books I’ve come across. Finding your time, choosing your tools, creating your rituals…its all part of the process. So lets perform a little experiment. Grab a handful of as many different writing tools and materials as you can find at hand. Experiment writing with them all. Write in different locations, with or without music, with incense or birdsong or complete stillness. Make a feather quill and dip it in some real ink, dribble those slurps of tea onto the page and tell us what works best for you. yle Brandeis’ book Fruitflesh is divided into earthy chapters following the cycle of life: seeds, roots, trunk, branches, leaves, buds, flowers, fruit, seeds.
Within each are little stories and anecdotes, connecting this same cycle back to the lush richness of our bodies and all the rites of passage of life, turning each thought into a moment of reflection, a metaphor, a writing prompt. If you read the Intro last week, you will have a sense of the fruitfulness she speaks of; perhaps you feel it within yourself already. It is beautifully crafted and incredibly inspiring, celebrating each step of the feminine voyage. This week we are rummaging around in our cellars... Check the images for the prompt. Teinei, recipes and Samhain I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! It's been a busy week here full of wonderful distractions and inspiration...here are your prompts, ripe with reflection, a little history and plenty of imagination! Teinei Words hold meaning. Some words hold whole patterns of thought and philosophy. Some foreign words hold a sensation or capture an idea or emotion in a way other languages cannot. This little book is full of such words, Japanese words that express this mindful magic as only Japanese can. Teinei - courtesy expressed through attentiveness. What does attentiveness look and sound like for you? A recipe for everything! So much fun in this book! Simply follow the recipe on page 213-214…(above) Samhain/Halloween…the witching hour There is always something worthy of celebration, and when we forget why, there are plenty of good books to remind us! Halloween is around the corner and though we groan about all the in-your-face marketing, beyond all that is history rich in seasonal magic, so let's get back to source, call on your inner witch or wizard and cast a few spells! Of course, in Australia the seasons are the opposite! Check out this little book, 'Sunwyse' for a down-under comparison and here is a little reading to get you started. What are you celebrating? Pre web leisure, Tanka and juxtaposition. Monday afternoon…leisurely sipping cups of tea and enjoying a few chapters of a steampunky adventure. I started downloading my next audio book, discovering sometime later, that my internet connection is flashing red instead of green. So far the usual remedies haven’t worked, so I am off line for the evening and find myself slightly frustrated and wondering (though I kind of know really because I was there), what did we do before we became ensnared in the world wide web? Do you remember life pre-internet? Tell me about it. In the meantime, I’ll be waiting till tomorrow to send our weekly prompts out there! In the book Write Every day by Harriet Griffey, a Tanka is described as a short poem of five lines and a rhythm of (usually) 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 beats. In the book, Rip the past Adventures in Creative Writing by Karen Benke, One way to write a Tanka is: 1. name an object from nature 2. choose three words that describe your object 3. What does your object do? Or how does your object move? 4. Where is your object in time and space? Be as specific as you can 5. What do you have that your object doesn’t have? No___________, no______________, no___________________ Here is our classroom group effort Stars Light yellow bright Twinkling eyes in the sky Millions of night guardians No sadness no anger no worries Juxtaposition
Formulas are an amusing way of getting started with something. A little like a recipe, follow the steps, then wait and see the results! I really loved this one from Rip the past Adventures in Creative Writing by Karen Benke Take a piece of paper and fold it in half lengthwise. With the crease on your right: Write down ten words you like. Add a descriptive word in front of each word, if you like. Flip the paper over (don’t unfold it) so the crease is on the left. Write down the month or season you were born. Write down a day of the week. Write down ‘the past’, ‘the present’ or ‘the future’. Write down a favourite colour. Write down ‘my heart’. Write down ‘my imagination’. Write down a feeling state (joy, sadness, amazement) Write down a type of weather (mid-week rain, smooth sunshine) Write down a small sound (tiny whispers, puppy snores, grunts…) Write down a favourite food. Unfold the paper and write ‘Poetry is’ at the top (or ‘My imagination is’, ‘Inside my heart is’, ‘My life is’, ‘Creativity is’…), then combine your list from either side of the page with the word ‘of’ sitting between each column. Mix and match from each side of the page until you find an example of juxtaposition-putting two unlike things together (side by side) to wake up your ears and make your mouth smile. Poetry is… Autumn Sundays, twinkling stars, the present moment and my wine red heart. Poetry is restless leaves, my imagination painting a tempest of awe and wonder. Poetry is hopeful murmuring, intuition and universal symbols. Poetry is moist petrichor and weightless olives. Poetry is being. The way of tea, ocTAROTober & stillness The way of tea After a long day or a trying moment…nothing like a cup of tea to find your zen space. There are more quotes and musings about tea than we could count, not to mention the art of the tea ceremony! Use your free writing to share favourite tea quotes and to describe your tea ceremony and why not throw in a tea drinking photo too! https://www.urasenkesydney.org.au/ I love opportunities to learn and practice my tarot skills, so when I saw this little challenge by @newagehipster333 on Instagram, the timing was right on. I am intrigued by universal symbolism, which is why tarot appeals to me so much. Your task is to find and share a tarot image that speaks to you and let it inspire some written wanderings. If you fancy, join the challenge too! https://www.instagram.com/p/CFaUWpYHuh_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Despite the business of school holidays, stillness is something I ponder about regularly. I daydream (usually when I'm driving to work!), about wandering in the bush or sitting under a tree, being still and observing everything around me.
Strangely enough, when the opportunity arises to do just that, I feel restless, as if I should be doing something...seems I'm very good at being still and doing nothing in particular at home where there is always a to-do list! This lovely library book jumped out at me, (as they do!), I've barely skimmed the pages and have already found much wisdom. So now for a little meditation on stillness. What does stillness mean for you? How do you achieve it? Where is your still space or place? 2020 is a slow fast year and I am so lucky to be part of some amazing online creative communities that help me navigate through all the ins and outs, ups and downs, highs and lows of the current age.
I believe that everyone is creative in their own unique, imperfect way. Art isn’t only about drawing. Poetry isn’t only about words. Creativity isn’t only about making. Art, poetry, beauty and creativity are all around us, they are in the way we see and do things. Each one of us has a spark within that keeps us alight from the inside out. Maybe you have many fires burning within or only one, what matters is that something fuels you. Creativity lies in that which gives us purpose, in what inspires us; whether you find it in the kitchen, the garden, at work, in the shed or studio, the where is not important. The magic happens in how you nurture that spark, how you tend your fires, your creative energy. It is there. It is yours, to keep private or share. Embracing it is incredibly liberating. Sharing and developing your creativity with likeminded souls is extremely rewarding. I am sending out much appreciation and gratitude to these inspiring groups that help keep my creative essence flowing! At https://www.handmadebookclub.com/with Ali Manning from Vintage Page Designs, I continue to improve my skills, learn new bindings and share with book arts crazy creatives around the globe! Dyed and gone to heaven paper dyeing and other wonderful bookbinding courses with Liz Constable https://www.bookartstudios.co.nz/ Easy bake Artisan Papers, course with Roben Marie https://robenmariestudio.com/ With all the writing, journaling and reading I do, I often discover links via social media feeds and sign up to interesting blogs and have found some fantastic poetry courses. I have been a member of the Mystical Pōm Poetry group with Emily Motzkus https://www.emilymotzkus.com/for a few months now and am so happy to have found such a guide, such a group of amazing, kind women to learn and discover poetry, (among other things), with. Emily has created a mystical poetry wonderland, of which she is the most perfect imperfect guide, full of vulnerability, excitability and enthusiastic encouragement. Her love for all things poetic is contagious and inspiring. This caring creative community has enabled me to see poetry everywhere and empowered me to embrace the witchy poetess within me. I had great journaling sessions with: Susan Eckert MA of https://www.thetransformationspace.com/ And https://michellegd.com/ and blogging advice with Pip Lincolne from http://meetmeatmikes.com/ My own online creative writing workshop is open to all. I post prompts Monday's on FB and my blog. www.facebook.com/groups/Amotisse www.metissagesdecoeur.com I have dabbled in more online poetry courses with: Everyday is a poem http://www.jacquelinesuskin.com/ Free short courses with https://www.futurelearn.com/ How to make a poem A-levels study boost: Unseen poetry and the creative process How to read a poem And not forgetting all the creatives on Instagram like the #areyoubookenough community, sharing incredible creative challenges. I am constantly in awe! As it is almost half way through September, last months overview is already old news! 07/08
As the laptop does it’s internal thing, I’m surrounded by the hum of the fireplace, (old, noisy, yet efficient), radio tunes and the ever succulent thrum of wind and rain. Sounds soaking down, through and within, bringing green transformations, future abundance and ease to the farmer’s mind. Three faithful furry companions curl up beside me. My eye is caught by reflections of birds flitting, enjoying the winter shower outside. My mind wanders, nothing unusual there. I’m prone to distraction and grey, wet skies make me pensive. Natural cleansing and replenishing as nature washes and refreshes her pores, she extends her transformative energy out to us. 14/08/2020 I head to my backyard studio with thoughts of flowing medieval dresses and everyday costume wearing in my head, there was plenty of umming and ahhing and not so much sewing... My attempts to match patterns to fabric weren’t happening, not to mention choosing sizes. In sewing pattern terms, this means my measurements are equivalent to 3 different sizes...damn, in my mind I seemed to be the same shape as I ever was! Some days aren’t made for starting or finishing. Some days are only for pottering, tinkering, wondering, beginning, testing, trying, experimenting, fiddling. Some days, despite inspiration and intention, it just doesn’t come together how you imagined it would. I did start a skirt! 24/08/2020 Weekend baking. Staring meditatively as the hand mixer combined butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk. Watching, contemplating as all these separate ingredients slowly began to merge together. Words, thoughts and connections mixed and merged in my head, correlations - cooking to life, manipulating things, butter in my hands...I had a word, a phrase and then it was gone! The essence of the idea remains though the word escapes me. Reminder to myself (again) always write down words and thoughts immediately! Climb every mountain, buried treasure and earthy bits. Mountain – this was last month’s challenge theme for the #areyoubookenough creative bookbinding community. Each month I am awe struck with inspiration as I admire bookish creations from all curves of the globe. What is your experience with mountains? What memories or sensations do they evoke within you? Are you the mountain? Let your free writer spirit climb the rocky ridges and soar above the clouds! X marks the spot Do you remember the last time you made a treasure map? What was your treasure? Create a new map; will you encode the legend, include a key and a rose compass? Will the path be smooth or are there monsters and booby traps beyond the edges of the page? What adventure will you take us on? Grounded
A companion for slow living by Anna Carlile www.violadesign.com.au Once again, I praise books (it won’t be the last time, so you better get used to it!). Once again, I found this one at the library and after only having flicked through the pages; I knew that I loved it! It wanders through the seasons with thoughts and simple activities to help you replenish your being. This is the year of many things, and despite everything, it is not all bad. This lovely local publication, (the author hails from Melbourne), emerged this year, so it is rather timely, being that we all have more of it or that we have had to reorganise our time. A suitable time for reflection and redirecting our roots. When do you feel most grounded? What helps you feel grounded? If you think like a tree, how do the elements assist you and which ones do you feel most in tune with? Or, For a raunchy spring-fling read… How well rooted are your earthy bits?! Courage, hope and the traces left behind...I find that when I am focused on something, I see or hear it everywhere! This works with writing too. It is on my mind and I see correlation all around me, whether it is a few words I overhear, lyrics in a song or even random thought patterns while mixing a cake! Somewhere in this process, courage popped into my head. Is it an idea, a concept, a virtue or a strength and where does it come from? Can you describe or define courage? Hope is the Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson During this topsy-turvy year where little has gone as we imagined, what thing is hope for you? Last week we described the art of trying, a title inspired by a short reflection by Paulo Coelho from his book Like the Flowing River. This week, we change the angle of focus and reflect on the traces we leave behind us or that are left upon us, as we attempt to master the art of trying. Are they visible scars or invisible tracks? What form do they take? Do they define you? Do you make them with intention and wear them with pride or are they cause and effect of life?
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AuthorFor me, it seems there is not much difference between wondering and wandering. It has always helped me find inspiration. Creative dabbling is good for the soul, I couldn't imagine life without it and often surprise myself by what I come up with. Archives
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