Last Updated On April 9, 2017
You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. -Ray Bradbury
Wow. We had an amazing group. Six writers, bubbling conversation and creation for two hours straight. This is an auspicious beginning to the set of six sessions.
Straight off, I had to do a quick intervention with Judi. She has to stop telling it to rain now. I know that she likes rain, but enough already. I plugged in my happy light because I want to share my happy light with everyone. Judi is a master custom tea creator. Her mixes are perfect every time. Sacred Root is comfy cozy perfect for our gathering- I CANNOT thank Judi and Paul enough.
Introductions are easy because most of us already know each other but already great topics are emerging. Many of us are struggling with daily practice and self-sabatoge. We talk about the importance of community to establish personal “next steps” for our writing and support around our ideas. We talk about using our powers of nurture not only for others, but for our own pursuits as well as identifying the importance of *just that one person* who says- thats a great idea! you can totally do that! How good and activating that kind of affirmation can be.
LET US PROVIDE THAT AND LET US ASK FOR THAT FROM OUR PEOPLE. HOW DO WE SET OURSELVES UP AS BOTH SUPPORTERS AND RECEIVERS OF THIS KIND OF CREATIVE AFFIRMATION? WHEN LOOKING AT OUR LIVES THROUGH THIS KIND OF LENS, WHAT EMERGES ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIPS AND HOW WE DIRECT OUR ENERGIES? BOOM.
We talk about how our lifestyles support (or don’t support) our daily writing practice and writing goals. We talked about how sometimes its hard to shift between creative and not so creative work, as well as being able to shift focus and take advantage of spaces in our lives utilizing them for creative work. This is a really challenging mindfulness exercise! Pamela shared with us some info about Camp Nanowrimo, http://campnanowrimo.org/about , which sounds like neat way get support around a specific and self-generated writing goal- in one month! I love learning about these strategies and getting firsthand experiences with them. She also shared the quote below from Erica Pitre-Davis, which I found to be a very refreshing framing of parenting and creative pursuits and how it doesn’t have to be a contentious relationship:
“YOU ARE SHOWING YOUR CHILDREN WHAT A FULL ADULT LIFE LOOKS LIKE.”
We talked about editing and organizing past work, and I was reminded that States of Mind magazine put out another call for writing/art submissions for a summer edition. I completely forgot about sharing it, maybe I have post traumatic stress from the last one’s editing process- ha! The theme is “ripple” and submissions are due on 4/14, https://www.facebook.com/statesofmind/photos/a.402691363426635.1073741828.369130873449351/402691350093303/?type=3&theater
Two ideas for future WBP meet-up themes emerged- establishing a mission statement as an artist and learning some basics about image composition. These are both great ideas. Creating a mission statement is important as a guiding ideal for our work as well as helping us with marketing and informing future directions. It seems like something that would be fun to tackle in a group, we could provide some helpful feedback and fill-in some blindspots for each other. Being able to create a compelling image is not longer just the domain of photographers/visual artists. Writers are using image for branding and social media (hello instagram!) to propel their words into the public. Knowing a few strategies to make the most impact with the pictures we take and manipulate would be a handy tool for our belts. So stay tuned…
We talked about the issues surrounding sharing our work with extended family, the creative wounds we carry from childhood, and the balance of wanting to share yet wanting to protect ourselves. Hard stuff, specially for writers that address difficult personal material.
I *always* underestimate “community corner”. Its important to me to share community events and plug local writers, but I never seem to anticipate the blossom of discussion that this can sometimes lead to. On this day, we got talking about artists/writers/musicians doing work for only exposure and the ethics around pay for time spent in addition to materials as well as alternate forms of recompense. We also talked about how to make decisions around “free gigs” and the hidden expectations behind community efforts like “beautifying the city” or participating in contests that promote other people’s businesses. This stuff is not easy! I benefited so much from processing this in group with so many experiences to draw from- how to advocate for ourselves and how to lead our communities into greater respect for artists in a real tangible manner. Fast food employees can expect an hourly wage (even a living one in some municipalities), but for artists, its still a negotiation? I’m realizing that some of the language that I regularly use, like “ITS ONLY MY TIME”, is destructive not only to my own viability but to everyone’s. Eye. Opening.
We all decided we were up for the short poetry challenge! I put out images, prompts, and Jhenah’s fabulous oracle cards, http://www.avalonianoracle.com to get us juiced up, and I read a good portion of Zee Zahava’s new book, Here I am: Small Poems by Zee Zahava. We aimed for abundance, but no more than four lines each. Here’s some examples we produced and I think we did great since this was a brand new endeavor to most of us:
She catches my tea,
needs straining,
without mess.
She cries
Into the phone
And it helps.
How about we walk around
The corner and
Start over.
our hearts yearn for one another
even though we’ve told them no
spring is here
muddy toes
squish
Crooked mouth
Curled and snarling
Stop breathing down my neck.
Blue,
Before noon,
Colorful and rich and deep,
I want to go swimming.
Twenty years later,
Forgetting how short,
The landscape once was.
Twenty years later,
Wegmans moved across the street,
No one remembers.
I think we were all kind of surprised how we were able to run with it! As one of my short poems stated, “THIS IS EASIER, THAN FIRST ANTICIPATED”. So true. I feel like there is magic in trying new things with company.
Last Updated On April 9, 2017
You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. -Ray Bradbury
Wow. We had an amazing group. Six writers, bubbling conversation and creation for two hours straight. This is an auspicious beginning to the set of six sessions.
Straight off, I had to do a quick intervention with Judi. She has to stop telling it to rain now. I know that she likes rain, but enough already. I plugged in my happy light because I want to share my happy light with everyone. Judi is a master custom tea creator. Her mixes are perfect every time. Sacred Root is comfy cozy perfect for our gathering- I CANNOT thank Judi and Paul enough.
Introductions are easy because most of us already know each other but already great topics are emerging. Many of us are struggling with daily practice and self-sabatoge. We talk about the importance of community to establish personal “next steps” for our writing and support around our ideas. We talk about using our powers of nurture not only for others, but for our own pursuits as well as identifying the importance of *just that one person* who says- thats a great idea! you can totally do that! How good and activating that kind of affirmation can be.
LET US PROVIDE THAT AND LET US ASK FOR THAT FROM OUR PEOPLE. HOW DO WE SET OURSELVES UP AS BOTH SUPPORTERS AND RECEIVERS OF THIS KIND OF CREATIVE AFFIRMATION? WHEN LOOKING AT OUR LIVES THROUGH THIS KIND OF LENS, WHAT EMERGES ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIPS AND HOW WE DIRECT OUR ENERGIES? BOOM.
We talk about how our lifestyles support (or don’t support) our daily writing practice and writing goals. We talked about how sometimes its hard to shift between creative and not so creative work, as well as being able to shift focus and take advantage of spaces in our lives utilizing them for creative work. This is a really challenging mindfulness exercise! Pamela shared with us some info about Camp Nanowrimo, http://campnanowrimo.org/about , which sounds like neat way get support around a specific and self-generated writing goal- in one month! I love learning about these strategies and getting firsthand experiences with them. She also shared the quote below from Erica Pitre-Davis, which I found to be a very refreshing framing of parenting and creative pursuits and how it doesn’t have to be a contentious relationship:
“YOU ARE SHOWING YOUR CHILDREN WHAT A FULL ADULT LIFE LOOKS LIKE.”
We talked about editing and organizing past work, and I was reminded that States of Mind magazine put out another call for writing/art submissions for a summer edition. I completely forgot about sharing it, maybe I have post traumatic stress from the last one’s editing process- ha! The theme is “ripple” and submissions are due on 4/14, https://www.facebook.com/statesofmind/photos/a.402691363426635.1073741828.369130873449351/402691350093303/?type=3&theater
Two ideas for future WBP meet-up themes emerged- establishing a mission statement as an artist and learning some basics about image composition. These are both great ideas. Creating a mission statement is important as a guiding ideal for our work as well as helping us with marketing and informing future directions. It seems like something that would be fun to tackle in a group, we could provide some helpful feedback and fill-in some blindspots for each other. Being able to create a compelling image is not longer just the domain of photographers/visual artists. Writers are using image for branding and social media (hello instagram!) to propel their words into the public. Knowing a few strategies to make the most impact with the pictures we take and manipulate would be a handy tool for our belts. So stay tuned…
We talked about the issues surrounding sharing our work with extended family, the creative wounds we carry from childhood, and the balance of wanting to share yet wanting to protect ourselves. Hard stuff, specially for writers that address difficult personal material.
I *always* underestimate “community corner”. Its important to me to share community events and plug local writers, but I never seem to anticipate the blossom of discussion that this can sometimes lead to. On this day, we got talking about artists/writers/musicians doing work for only exposure and the ethics around pay for time spent in addition to materials as well as alternate forms of recompense. We also talked about how to make decisions around “free gigs” and the hidden expectations behind community efforts like “beautifying the city” or participating in contests that promote other people’s businesses. This stuff is not easy! I benefited so much from processing this in group with so many experiences to draw from- how to advocate for ourselves and how to lead our communities into greater respect for artists in a real tangible manner. Fast food employees can expect an hourly wage (even a living one in some municipalities), but for artists, its still a negotiation? I’m realizing that some of the language that I regularly use, like “ITS ONLY MY TIME”, is destructive not only to my own viability but to everyone’s. Eye. Opening.
We all decided we were up for the short poetry challenge! I put out images, prompts, and Jhenah’s fabulous oracle cards, http://www.avalonianoracle.com to get us juiced up, and I read a good portion of Zee Zahava’s new book, Here I am: Small Poems by Zee Zahava. We aimed for abundance, but no more than four lines each. Here’s some examples we produced and I think we did great since this was a brand new endeavor to most of us:
She catches my tea,
needs straining,
without mess.
She cries
Into the phone
And it helps.
How about we walk around
The corner and
Start over.
our hearts yearn for one another
even though we’ve told them no
spring is here
muddy toes
squish
Crooked mouth
Curled and snarling
Stop breathing down my neck.
Blue,
Before noon,
Colorful and rich and deep,
I want to go swimming.
Twenty years later,
Forgetting how short,
The landscape once was.
Twenty years later,
Wegmans moved across the street,
No one remembers.
I think we were all kind of surprised how we were able to run with it! As one of my short poems stated, “THIS IS EASIER, THAN FIRST ANTICIPATED”. So true. I feel like there is magic in trying new things with company.
Last Updated On April 9, 2017
You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. -Ray Bradbury
Wow. We had an amazing group. Six writers, bubbling conversation and creation for two hours straight. This is an auspicious beginning to the set of six sessions.
Straight off, I had to do a quick intervention with Judi. She has to stop telling it to rain now. I know that she likes rain, but enough already. I plugged in my happy light because I want to share my happy light with everyone. Judi is a master custom tea creator. Her mixes are perfect every time. Sacred Root is comfy cozy perfect for our gathering- I CANNOT thank Judi and Paul enough.
Introductions are easy because most of us already know each other but already great topics are emerging. Many of us are struggling with daily practice and self-sabatoge. We talk about the importance of community to establish personal “next steps” for our writing and support around our ideas. We talk about using our powers of nurture not only for others, but for our own pursuits as well as identifying the importance of *just that one person* who says- thats a great idea! you can totally do that! How good and activating that kind of affirmation can be.
LET US PROVIDE THAT AND LET US ASK FOR THAT FROM OUR PEOPLE. HOW DO WE SET OURSELVES UP AS BOTH SUPPORTERS AND RECEIVERS OF THIS KIND OF CREATIVE AFFIRMATION? WHEN LOOKING AT OUR LIVES THROUGH THIS KIND OF LENS, WHAT EMERGES ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIPS AND HOW WE DIRECT OUR ENERGIES? BOOM.
We talk about how our lifestyles support (or don’t support) our daily writing practice and writing goals. We talked about how sometimes its hard to shift between creative and not so creative work, as well as being able to shift focus and take advantage of spaces in our lives utilizing them for creative work. This is a really challenging mindfulness exercise! Pamela shared with us some info about Camp Nanowrimo, http://campnanowrimo.org/about , which sounds like neat way get support around a specific and self-generated writing goal- in one month! I love learning about these strategies and getting firsthand experiences with them. She also shared the quote below from Erica Pitre-Davis, which I found to be a very refreshing framing of parenting and creative pursuits and how it doesn’t have to be a contentious relationship:
“YOU ARE SHOWING YOUR CHILDREN WHAT A FULL ADULT LIFE LOOKS LIKE.”
We talked about editing and organizing past work, and I was reminded that States of Mind magazine put out another call for writing/art submissions for a summer edition. I completely forgot about sharing it, maybe I have post traumatic stress from the last one’s editing process- ha! The theme is “ripple” and submissions are due on 4/14, https://www.facebook.com/statesofmind/photos/a.402691363426635.1073741828.369130873449351/402691350093303/?type=3&theater
Two ideas for future WBP meet-up themes emerged- establishing a mission statement as an artist and learning some basics about image composition. These are both great ideas. Creating a mission statement is important as a guiding ideal for our work as well as helping us with marketing and informing future directions. It seems like something that would be fun to tackle in a group, we could provide some helpful feedback and fill-in some blindspots for each other. Being able to create a compelling image is not longer just the domain of photographers/visual artists. Writers are using image for branding and social media (hello instagram!) to propel their words into the public. Knowing a few strategies to make the most impact with the pictures we take and manipulate would be a handy tool for our belts. So stay tuned…
We talked about the issues surrounding sharing our work with extended family, the creative wounds we carry from childhood, and the balance of wanting to share yet wanting to protect ourselves. Hard stuff, specially for writers that address difficult personal material.
I *always* underestimate “community corner”. Its important to me to share community events and plug local writers, but I never seem to anticipate the blossom of discussion that this can sometimes lead to. On this day, we got talking about artists/writers/musicians doing work for only exposure and the ethics around pay for time spent in addition to materials as well as alternate forms of recompense. We also talked about how to make decisions around “free gigs” and the hidden expectations behind community efforts like “beautifying the city” or participating in contests that promote other people’s businesses. This stuff is not easy! I benefited so much from processing this in group with so many experiences to draw from- how to advocate for ourselves and how to lead our communities into greater respect for artists in a real tangible manner. Fast food employees can expect an hourly wage (even a living one in some municipalities), but for artists, its still a negotiation? I’m realizing that some of the language that I regularly use, like “ITS ONLY MY TIME”, is destructive not only to my own viability but to everyone’s. Eye. Opening.
We all decided we were up for the short poetry challenge! I put out images, prompts, and Jhenah’s fabulous oracle cards, http://www.avalonianoracle.com to get us juiced up, and I read a good portion of Zee Zahava’s new book, Here I am: Small Poems by Zee Zahava. We aimed for abundance, but no more than four lines each. Here’s some examples we produced and I think we did great since this was a brand new endeavor to most of us:
She catches my tea,
needs straining,
without mess.
She cries
Into the phone
And it helps.
How about we walk around
The corner and
Start over.
our hearts yearn for one another
even though we’ve told them no
spring is here
muddy toes
squish
Crooked mouth
Curled and snarling
Stop breathing down my neck.
Blue,
Before noon,
Colorful and rich and deep,
I want to go swimming.
Twenty years later,
Forgetting how short,
The landscape once was.
Twenty years later,
Wegmans moved across the street,
No one remembers.
I think we were all kind of surprised how we were able to run with it! As one of my short poems stated, “THIS IS EASIER, THAN FIRST ANTICIPATED”. So true. I feel like there is magic in trying new things with company.