I have found it so helpful to be in a cafe, in the company of strangers, yet alone at my table to write. Something about the ordinary shuffling of lives and the bits of conversations floating by like confetti is enlivening...and yet so appreciate the boundary of my small table and the sense that my writing was somehow touched by other presences.
I'm at my most creative by myself. I love writing poetry and like to follow my own idiosyncraticies in writing. I may spend a long time listening to music with the a vague idea or feeling of a poem in the background of my consciousness. I might walk around a bit doing some light clutter clearing, humming. Finally, I will come to my notebook and hopefully write a few lines or a poem or a few poems depending on the day. I don't get to do this very often but when I do I am so at peace, content and creative at the same time.
I love time alone to think, create, ponder, and reflect. I find it difficult, if not impossible, to do these things well while interacting with other people. I tend to keep them mostly separate and often choose solitude over social.
For me, silence and art making go together. Out of silence emerges the scent and feeling of a color. Out of silence comes the voice that declares, Look at this. Out of silence heralds the energy to get to work.
Also for me, painting and drawing are solo activities. Silence and aloneness are so much a part of my life that I don’t usually call them by their names. It’s when I have encounters with my neighbors or with a friend who’s more gregarious than me, that I have the impression that there’s anything out of the ordinary about how I live my life.
Art has become a great gift and conduit into a childhood lost and discovered for me. It brings me such joy to connect with others through stories I can tell through my art. It is truly my happy place of solitude and discovery
. I think of art as an expression of joy and a great refuge from all the sorrows of the world … a place to be alone with your tears …. of connection and growth.
I have found that deep pleasure in the solitude and focus poured into a creative project in the garden recently. Powerful beautiful experience that would have been very different if done in company.
There is something magical about being alone, writing a poem, and feeling the creativity pour through me. Nothing else quite like it. But I do love to share it when I’m done, after time and consideration and editing. I’ve always been shy, but at this stage of my life, reading a poem aloud at a small dinner party, is like dessert.
I am by nature a person who is so much more comfortable in solitude that being part of the crowd. This is , in part, due to being told that I would be so much happier if I was part of the crowd. This never rang true for me. Solitude has furnished with the foundations I need to be creative. My most recent inspirations came during the time of my wife’s illness and death. This was followed by the shutdown.
The selections from Intimacy and Linkages were written during these initial changes in my life. Intimacy is about a vision of a life ahead of me. Linkage is about going from being in a very dark place to a fulfilling life. The other selection have been written less stressful tmes
Some of my best creative endeavours have been in an art studio shared with others but I had earbuds in listening music - Pink Floyd to cinematic themes. I can totally focus on my art with the music cranked and take breaks for the camaraderie of an active studio. There are times when I would go to the studio knowing I would be there alone. As I write this I realize those times would be at the end applying finishing touches.
interesting, never thought about purposefully playing music while creating. I think it would be fun to do an experiment and play some rock music at one sitting, and the next creative endeavor try a different genre and see how the outcomes may vary.
Great topic. I think of it and discuss it often. I love solitary, creative activities (painting and writing), but I also love going to the pottery studio and working alongside people with music playing in the background. Some chatting occurs naturally, but it reminds me of playing music with others. I love to practice solo and then love getting together to play with others. Just doing our thing together with no pressure to talk about other nonsense😊.
Writing is definitely a solitary activity, and although I generally don’t suffer from writer’s block, I do suffer from FOMO—fear of missing out—or related guilt that I really should be attending to duties for others. My solution when younger was to write at night, but at my present age, there’s always the question of whether there is enough energy once the sun goes down. And the thoughts of the night are different than the thoughts of the morning or afternoon. So I try to steal hours during the day, but it bugs me that it feels like stealing.
I can imagine our mentor, Susan, writing in cafes, and often casually watch others tapping away at computers or writing in notebooks while they sip coffee, isolated by their headphones, and wonder what they are up to. But I can’t imagine doing that myself.
Photography, botanizing, and working in my native plant garden are places where I thrive. I've been practicing and developing these skills for almost 40 years. I never feel alone when I'm participating in any of these endeavors and feel as though I am connected to something much bigger than myself—ineffable, really.
Just before I fell asleep with your questions still on my mind and the memories it brought back, the word 'sovereign' emerged. This morning I woke up still thinking about this.
It was Brené Brown who made me aware that in early childhood adults (teachers, parents, family etc.) are often shaming us because of our creativity and body awareness ánd she made me aware of the word 'deserve' and the patterns that emerge out of this when we believe it's justified to be treated like that, so we behave according to this belief; being ashamed for our own creative talents and the tellings of our bodies.
It affects our sovereignty and influences our intrinsic leadership. It creates a threshold to follow and be the creative force we are. It seems easier to be ourselves when we are alone because we can follow our flow and won’t be judged while we’re still in the process of creating.
Still … several people have mentioned that they love to be in the same room when I paint, make some illustrations, write something down. The energy, the atmosphere changes, everything becomes quiet … It feels like praying but not in a religious way. I get centered and they get centered too … And yes, I also need time to be on my own. The night has been a true companion in the past, now the early mornings are.
I believe it’s the essence of meditation, to listen and focus on the flow of my inner self and what she (life itself) is sharing with me and that the invitation of (my) life is to take this with me in my daily life. It makes it all much easier to do daily chores. To be focused on (all) my creations (even doing the dishes :), instead of being fixated on what I (believe I have to) create …
I am reading Sybil at the moment, it’s a story about a very creative woman who divided herself into 16 selves, because of early childhood trauma. I read it for the first time in my twenties and the book has traveled with me through time. Every now and then I reread parts of it. Sybil is one of a few who managed to integrate all persons inside herself again. For a long time I wanted to create a pedigree of the inner selves of Sybil. A few weeks ago I did so and it is breathtaking to see a universal pattern emerge out of it.
When I lay Sybil’s reality next to the history of humanity in which the feminine wisdom is being erased out of religions and out of history and the masculine lost its foundations … it explains current happenings in its core. It also gives hope that we are on our way to reunite and become one again!
I believe that’s the meaning of being a creative human being, to reconnect with our core. It sounds like music, however it means we will have to face all hidden parts too that create a disharmony inside ourselves. The ones who don’t want to be seen and show themselves to the outside world, out of fear to lose control and die. Which is maybe just what needs to happen so one can let go of the fear of being harmed again and find trust in a fear that serves life out of respect and care for it.
I'm easily distracted, or set off balance, by others' talking or even by their presence. I often need a sustained chain of contemplation or reverie to arrive at "MY answers", especially on complex or subtle subjects.
An old saying: If you want to get one-fifth as much done in five times the time, just give it to a five-person committee. ;-)
I can relate! instead of just rapidly responding, let’s say to a deeper conversations by pausing to absorb what’s been said, and collecting one’s thoughts before speaking back, I feel, offers deeper response meaning.
but too often, people are uncomfortable with brief silent gaps.
My creative outlet is writing and it is hard for me do so simultaneously with others. For example, I don’t generally like sharing a document on a video platform like Zoom to write collectively. I need time to think, reflect, and play around with what I want to say, and how I want to say it. I can write iteratively with someone—I create something and send it to another person for input and/or changes and vice versa. But even then, only in certain contexts and/or with certain people.
I have found it so helpful to be in a cafe, in the company of strangers, yet alone at my table to write. Something about the ordinary shuffling of lives and the bits of conversations floating by like confetti is enlivening...and yet so appreciate the boundary of my small table and the sense that my writing was somehow touched by other presences.
I'm at my most creative by myself. I love writing poetry and like to follow my own idiosyncraticies in writing. I may spend a long time listening to music with the a vague idea or feeling of a poem in the background of my consciousness. I might walk around a bit doing some light clutter clearing, humming. Finally, I will come to my notebook and hopefully write a few lines or a poem or a few poems depending on the day. I don't get to do this very often but when I do I am so at peace, content and creative at the same time.
I love time alone to think, create, ponder, and reflect. I find it difficult, if not impossible, to do these things well while interacting with other people. I tend to keep them mostly separate and often choose solitude over social.
For me, silence and art making go together. Out of silence emerges the scent and feeling of a color. Out of silence comes the voice that declares, Look at this. Out of silence heralds the energy to get to work.
Also for me, painting and drawing are solo activities. Silence and aloneness are so much a part of my life that I don’t usually call them by their names. It’s when I have encounters with my neighbors or with a friend who’s more gregarious than me, that I have the impression that there’s anything out of the ordinary about how I live my life.
Love this probe for all that have responded…
Art has become a great gift and conduit into a childhood lost and discovered for me. It brings me such joy to connect with others through stories I can tell through my art. It is truly my happy place of solitude and discovery
. I think of art as an expression of joy and a great refuge from all the sorrows of the world … a place to be alone with your tears …. of connection and growth.
I have found that deep pleasure in the solitude and focus poured into a creative project in the garden recently. Powerful beautiful experience that would have been very different if done in company.
There is something magical about being alone, writing a poem, and feeling the creativity pour through me. Nothing else quite like it. But I do love to share it when I’m done, after time and consideration and editing. I’ve always been shy, but at this stage of my life, reading a poem aloud at a small dinner party, is like dessert.
I am by nature a person who is so much more comfortable in solitude that being part of the crowd. This is , in part, due to being told that I would be so much happier if I was part of the crowd. This never rang true for me. Solitude has furnished with the foundations I need to be creative. My most recent inspirations came during the time of my wife’s illness and death. This was followed by the shutdown.
The selections from Intimacy and Linkages were written during these initial changes in my life. Intimacy is about a vision of a life ahead of me. Linkage is about going from being in a very dark place to a fulfilling life. The other selection have been written less stressful tmes
INTIMACY
Intimacy is life everlasting
Life that continues in all times and dimensions
Intimacy is you and all you have been
And have been since the creation of time
With Intimacy there is no final journey
LINKAGES
We are still looking in all the wrong places
For love and fulfillment
They have always been in our heart
But we have always sadly kept that door locked….
Show us your judgment of ourselves
Before we judge others
So that we may judge them not
But approach all with an open heart
GUIDANCE
Your problems dissolve when you reach out
Reach out to someone today
You hold in your heart the
Strength, passion, and love
That someone needs
Kirk Catina
Some of my best creative endeavours have been in an art studio shared with others but I had earbuds in listening music - Pink Floyd to cinematic themes. I can totally focus on my art with the music cranked and take breaks for the camaraderie of an active studio. There are times when I would go to the studio knowing I would be there alone. As I write this I realize those times would be at the end applying finishing touches.
interesting, never thought about purposefully playing music while creating. I think it would be fun to do an experiment and play some rock music at one sitting, and the next creative endeavor try a different genre and see how the outcomes may vary.
thanks for the idea !😉
Great topic. I think of it and discuss it often. I love solitary, creative activities (painting and writing), but I also love going to the pottery studio and working alongside people with music playing in the background. Some chatting occurs naturally, but it reminds me of playing music with others. I love to practice solo and then love getting together to play with others. Just doing our thing together with no pressure to talk about other nonsense😊.
Writing is definitely a solitary activity, and although I generally don’t suffer from writer’s block, I do suffer from FOMO—fear of missing out—or related guilt that I really should be attending to duties for others. My solution when younger was to write at night, but at my present age, there’s always the question of whether there is enough energy once the sun goes down. And the thoughts of the night are different than the thoughts of the morning or afternoon. So I try to steal hours during the day, but it bugs me that it feels like stealing.
I can imagine our mentor, Susan, writing in cafes, and often casually watch others tapping away at computers or writing in notebooks while they sip coffee, isolated by their headphones, and wonder what they are up to. But I can’t imagine doing that myself.
I am at my best creative self when I have a safe space to express , most of the times it is with a teacher or a mentor in that field !!
Photography, botanizing, and working in my native plant garden are places where I thrive. I've been practicing and developing these skills for almost 40 years. I never feel alone when I'm participating in any of these endeavors and feel as though I am connected to something much bigger than myself—ineffable, really.
Just before I fell asleep with your questions still on my mind and the memories it brought back, the word 'sovereign' emerged. This morning I woke up still thinking about this.
It was Brené Brown who made me aware that in early childhood adults (teachers, parents, family etc.) are often shaming us because of our creativity and body awareness ánd she made me aware of the word 'deserve' and the patterns that emerge out of this when we believe it's justified to be treated like that, so we behave according to this belief; being ashamed for our own creative talents and the tellings of our bodies.
It affects our sovereignty and influences our intrinsic leadership. It creates a threshold to follow and be the creative force we are. It seems easier to be ourselves when we are alone because we can follow our flow and won’t be judged while we’re still in the process of creating.
Still … several people have mentioned that they love to be in the same room when I paint, make some illustrations, write something down. The energy, the atmosphere changes, everything becomes quiet … It feels like praying but not in a religious way. I get centered and they get centered too … And yes, I also need time to be on my own. The night has been a true companion in the past, now the early mornings are.
I believe it’s the essence of meditation, to listen and focus on the flow of my inner self and what she (life itself) is sharing with me and that the invitation of (my) life is to take this with me in my daily life. It makes it all much easier to do daily chores. To be focused on (all) my creations (even doing the dishes :), instead of being fixated on what I (believe I have to) create …
I am reading Sybil at the moment, it’s a story about a very creative woman who divided herself into 16 selves, because of early childhood trauma. I read it for the first time in my twenties and the book has traveled with me through time. Every now and then I reread parts of it. Sybil is one of a few who managed to integrate all persons inside herself again. For a long time I wanted to create a pedigree of the inner selves of Sybil. A few weeks ago I did so and it is breathtaking to see a universal pattern emerge out of it.
When I lay Sybil’s reality next to the history of humanity in which the feminine wisdom is being erased out of religions and out of history and the masculine lost its foundations … it explains current happenings in its core. It also gives hope that we are on our way to reunite and become one again!
I believe that’s the meaning of being a creative human being, to reconnect with our core. It sounds like music, however it means we will have to face all hidden parts too that create a disharmony inside ourselves. The ones who don’t want to be seen and show themselves to the outside world, out of fear to lose control and die. Which is maybe just what needs to happen so one can let go of the fear of being harmed again and find trust in a fear that serves life out of respect and care for it.
I'm easily distracted, or set off balance, by others' talking or even by their presence. I often need a sustained chain of contemplation or reverie to arrive at "MY answers", especially on complex or subtle subjects.
An old saying: If you want to get one-fifth as much done in five times the time, just give it to a five-person committee. ;-)
I can relate! instead of just rapidly responding, let’s say to a deeper conversations by pausing to absorb what’s been said, and collecting one’s thoughts before speaking back, I feel, offers deeper response meaning.
but too often, people are uncomfortable with brief silent gaps.
My creative outlet is writing and it is hard for me do so simultaneously with others. For example, I don’t generally like sharing a document on a video platform like Zoom to write collectively. I need time to think, reflect, and play around with what I want to say, and how I want to say it. I can write iteratively with someone—I create something and send it to another person for input and/or changes and vice versa. But even then, only in certain contexts and/or with certain people.
ditto!!!