Last Saturday my husband and I dropped our 16-year-old daughter off at CalArtsfor a month-long program run by California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA). We helped her settle into her dorm room, toured the campus, and attended a barbeque and outdoor concert. But the most memorable part of the day was a brief, inspiring talk given by CSSSA’s director, Michael Fields. If his words resonated as deeply with the young thespians, dancers, musicians, visual artists, film and television students, animators, and writers as they did with me, those kids are going to have a great month! I’d like to share a few highlights I found relevant and inspiring.
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She Writes, an international online organization serving over 20,000 writers, featured this post last week. It was #4 on their “Top Content” rating, which lists their top 20 posts.
Spring is here and several of my writing clients (and I) are cleaning house—literally and figuratively. Spring is a time of renewal, budding life—and fresh ideas! It is a time to honor yourself and what you want. Getting rid of what you no longer use, need, or love creates opportunities for growth and for new experiences, and allows you to receive whatever is ready to come through you and take shape in the world. Clutter clearing creates both physical and psychological space, as well as clarity and focus.
Seven Tips for Creative Self-expression
1. Engage in your creative work/play every day, even if it’s only for fifteen or twenty minutes. Give yourself over to it. Have fun. Imagine, dare, and dream! I rarely get much writing done in December. This year I completely ruled out writing the next chapter of my book during this busy month. On top of decorating, shopping, wrapping, and other holiday tasks—not to mention my husband’s birthday the week before Christmas—my father-in-law died in November and his memorial was scheduled for December 10th. This meant not only an out-of-town trip, but also an unexpected visitor: grief. I wanted to comfort my husband. Listen. Prepare food. I told him I’d take care of all our holiday needs, and was determined to make the season as warm and bright as possible. Under the circumstances, I was certain I’d have neither the time nor mental space to write my chapter. Plus I wanted to review old journal entries and scan the diet and nutrition books I’d read seven years ago prior to going raw. I told my writing coach not to expect my chapter until the end of January.
Writing a book is one thing; publishing it is another. The publishing world is changing and opportunities abound, but authors these days have to be publicists, speakers, social media experts, entrepreneurs, advocates, and experts. Even fiction and creative nonfiction writers have to show up as authorities in their fields. This is called “positioning.” Have you thought about how will you position yourself and your work?
I recently came upon this quote by American existential psychologist, Rollo May: “Real creativity is not possible without anxiety. In many ways, it’s the price of admission to the artist’s life.”
Have you ever had this thought: I’m not a real writer. I have. My students and clients have. In fact, most writers I know have been caught in this gremlin snare more times than they’d care to admit.
Last week, as many of you know, I attended Camp Scripps, a camp run by and for alums of Scripps College, a liberal arts college for women in Claremont, California. Sister alumnae reunited for four days of workshops, camaraderie, connection, and fun. Workshops included tiara-making, creative writing, belly dancing, flamenco, yoga, art journaling, T’ai Chi, water aerobics, needlepoint, meditation, flower arranging, basket weaving, soul collage, soap making, art jam, Nia, poetry, and more. There were also botanical garden and photography walks, lectures, and a panel on how to get your book published.
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