Good morning, friends!
I have received several kind emails alerting me to the fact that the original Poetry Friday post is missing the comment function. (Thank you, dear ones!)
I’ve checked everything I know to check, and suspect the pasting in of the link button is the culprit since that is the only code that is different. Since everyone’s links are the purpose of Poetry Friday, I’m going to just leave all of that alone in case my attempt to fix it fails.
If you desire to contribute to the conversation about creativity, etc. my hope is that comments will miraculously appear when I publish this post, and you can comment here. (Fingers crossed.)
Thanks again for participating, for your patience, and for your poetry.
Keri, I appreciate your conversation starter on creativity since I think it is the heartbeat of the innovative classroom and life. What is creativity to me? Creativity is bubbling froth spilling over allowing passion to expand into a delicious far-reaching feeling. It is a wind chime that greets day to ring in good cheer. It is inside our spirit, within our soul allowing us to find our effervescent qualities and share them in an artful ways. Without creativity life would be devoid of inspiration and innovation. It is the “stuff” dreams are made of-the artist’s brush, the poet’s words, the dancer’s rhythm, and the body’s elixir. Creativity has unlimited reach when brought to the surface. It is my heartbeat!
I love that line, Carol, the heartbeat of the innovative classroom and life. I know that some classrooms just pulse with energy and creative juice! You are overflowing with creativity … I often wonder if you sleep!
Keri, Thanks so much for hosting and for sharing this book and opening this discussion. Sure, occasionally I’m thunderstruck by a poem and I have to run in from the garden, but more often I go out to the garden to purposefully look for a poem. I go out with an openness but I go out to look and find. I don’t wait for it to fly by. I notice in myself a rush to wrap things up quickly, and I try to fight that to see what more is there that I might be avoiding. I also want to add that I absolutely love the photograph you have as your background. Happy Poetry Friday!
What an interesting discussion topic, Keri. I have experienced the border collie syndrome, tried to live without an avenue of creative expression. It was not a happy time, let’s leave it at that. I now celebrate creativity it as a valued piece of who I am, but am still struggling with how to fit it into my day-to-day life which demands diligence and routines of an non-creative nature. I don’t really have the the answer to what creativity is, all I know is it feeds on other creativity and does circle the globe that way. I also know that I am more creative when I am able to open up to the universe and tap into that flow. It takes practice– I still find myself trying to force it. Better to use a catalyst, like taking a walk or dwelling on something in a state of half-sleep. Anyway, I look forward to hearing what others have to say. Thanks for hosting PF today and starting the discussion!
So often my best ideas come in the shower or while driving — that state of half-sleep. 🙂 I agree that balancing the demands of life and creative living is hard. After all, we need to eat. (And I need lots of beauty sleep!) Thank you for sharing honestly about your experiences and thoughts!
Thank you, Keri, for starting a conversation on creativity. Creativity is an idea that I have been bumping up against and sometimes struggling with in my writing, faith and life. For me, the struggle has been with fear. What if I put my butt in the chair and no ideas come? What if I stare at the blank page and find a blank mind reflected back? Even though I know from past experience that if I just start writing–and write regularly–the ideas will come. What if I follow the creative breadcrumbs and find myself in a scary neighborhood? Even with my fears, I am stepping out and trying, writing. I have also been eyeing Gilbert’s book and wondering if it would be worth buying. After reading your thoughts, it has moved to the top of my wishlist.
I think you will like the book, Kay! I agree that I am often held back by the fear that what I actually put down on the page will not live up to what I dream of writing. That said, if I marry Gilbert’s ideas of showing up with Malcolm Gladwell’s ideas (and others, I just happen to be reading Outliers in fits and starts) about investing 10,000 hours to reach mastery, surely if we keep working at it, eventually we will find diamonds in our coal mines!
Thank you for hosting, Keri, and for posing the creativity question. I have “Big Magic” on my to-read list, but the snippet of her theory that you shared that really resonates with me is:
“Gilbert theorizes that ideas are circulating in the universe, looking for a willing partner to take them from idea into reality”.
I love the concept that our ideas are not our own, but come to us when we are ready – it is both a liberating and a humbling way of thinking about creativity.
I wonder what they would look like, if we could see them zipping around the universe. Golden snitches? The flying messages in the Ministry of Magic? Tiny flames, like comets shooting around?
Keri, sorry about your frustrating comment situation! Argh! But thanks for hosting!
I posted about Big Magic today, too, at Teaching Authors (http://www.teachingauthors.com/2016/01/timing-luck-and-cabin-fever-poem.html). I think I could read it again and again and find something helpful each time. Good luck with the technical issues!
Yay! That’s better. I wanted to let you know that I am starting a group to discuss Big Magic. Let me know if you want to join in. Not sure yet if we’ll use Google docs or Voxer. Do you use Voxer? This group is open to anyone else who reads this comment. Email me at margaretsmn at gmail.com. Thanks!
So sorry! …Glad to know it wasn’t just at my end that–as hard as I tired–I couldn’t post this comment yesterday. Hope the part about your travels still is relevant: Happy trails, Keri, wherever work has taken you! Thank you for generously setting the link up to work today in your absence. Thank you, too, for the convenience link to the big winners (Imagine! We’re not even referring to Power Ball!). Thank you, too, for your enthusiastic welcoming comments at the start of your post, and sincere condolences on your respected actor’s passing, with your eulogy shared in the title and at the end of the article. God bless you!
Ah, glad to have found this. Probably should add this link in the post on the 14th at the top in big letters. It may be there, but I didn’t see it and found it in your list of posts. At any rate. Yes, wouldn’t it be great to be able to get together with decaf tea and gluten-free, low carb crumpets and discuss creativity.
I have a little border collie in me, and can get quite annoying when left withoutlet – ha! Get it “without an outlet”! See, annoying – even WITH an outlet!
Thanks for hosting!
Oh, and I apologize, I’d meant to order honey, but I was told just before Christmas that I was pre-diabetic or early diabetic…so I’m monitoring my intake closely right now to see what gives. Sigh.
Oh, no. Keri, that’s too bad! I’ve been out all day, so I’m chiming in late.
My post is a *giveaway*. MY CRUEL INVENTION is an anthology of poetry all about inventions and inventors, real and imagined. One of my favorite selections is “H.G. Who?” — a time travel poem by Marjorie Maddox, that also has some deep thoughts about parenting.
http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2016/01/poetry-friday-my-cruel-invention.html
Hi Keri,
I used to always feel inadequate/intimidated when authors would say you need the discipline of writing every day. Because that doesn’t work for me. I write in spurts. Partly because that’s what my lifestyle dictates. But also because I’ve found (when I let go of the guilts) that I need the downtime to order my thoughts and recharge the creativity – and the thirst for writing. It’s like I’m starving hungry to write, and my words flow better as a result. Which is just as well, because life doesn’t ever seem to get any simpler. 😉
Thanks for hosting, and starting the conversation. 🙂
You, Tabatha and I will have to come up with a word for being the “spurts” in terms of our writing style. 🙂
Creativity is self-sustaining. All you need to do is get started. Once you do, it is exhilarating and spurs you on to continue creating. I think getting the pump primed is probably the hardest part for most people. For me, a picture or photo is usually enough to get me started.
I agree that getting in a routine or rhythm keeps my mind predisposed toward creative ideas. If I am in the habit of looking, I see more.
Hi Keri! Thanks for hosting and for the great review/conversation starter. I liked the quotes you shared a lot. Great prompts, deadlines, and reading wonderful writing are my biggest inspirations. I am more of a “spurts” writer than a “butt in chair” writer, but I know you get more written that way…
Deadlines really help! At one point in my life I wrote writing goals on envelopes, and in each envelope I tucked a reward written on an index card. It was my version of dangling a carrot in front of myself. I found now the more I read the more I want to write.
Heeere’s all the wisdom – Just found this post. First, Happy Birthday!
Thanks for the topic. The older I get, the more I claim “creative” as essential to my very being in this world. I’ve always had to have creative outlets, and I was fortunate to grow up in a family where creativity was valued. My best work, whether writing or making art, comes when I’ve spent recent time immersing myself in the writing and art of others (classic or contemporary). And when I’ve allowed time to ponder, and to play… .
I love that you are creative both visually and verbally. Are there particular artists or writers who inspire you most?
Hi there Keri, thank you so much for being such a gracious host and keeping this conversation about creativity going. This is actually one of the courses I teach in the university and one of my many research interests. I also read Gilbert’s Big Magic but found it wanting by way of evidence – I know it isn’t really meant to be read as an academic text, but I suppose it’s just a peeve of mine. I also disagreed quite strongly with a few of the points she raised, one of which has to do with art/creativity being an ornament of the soul – or something that my be considered as an added bonus/non-essential to life. For other people, this may be their only salvation – and could also prove to be life-changing, not to mention life-affirming. Again, thank you so much for hosting last week!
I would love to know more about your course on creativity! I agree that the gist of Gilbert’s book is her personal opinions and experiences — her take on the subject. Do you have other titles you’d suggest on the topic? I’m very curious!