by Naomi | Feb 3, 2017 | Creative Life
Creativity often shows up at the intersection of various thoughts. Here are three on a sense of place … what do they spark for you?
“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
―T. S. Eliot
“I grew up in this town, my poetry was born between the hill and the river, it took its voice from the rain, and like the timber, it steeped itself in the forests. “
―Pablo Neruda
by Naomi | Jan 3, 2017 | Creative Life
I hope you took some time off over the holidays. While you were off, I hope you took time to play. And if you’re now back, I hope you’ll continue to carve out space for joy-filled moments.
The thing is, even when we’re on vacation, play doesn’t simply happen.
In order to play, we must say YES. You’d think this would be an easy thing to do, but … well, we all know how quickly “no” springs to our lips.
Dave, Turley and I had a wonderful break. We all love the snow, and spent a good part of a couple days stomping around in snow-shoes. Turley has snow-boots and socks, which mysteriously are the only thing that will keep the shoes on his paws … no one knows why. Still, we’re grateful we found a solution to the painful ice-balls that develop on his paws otherwise.
Even while snowshoeing, it was tempting to take myself way too seriously.
Snowshoeing is supposed to be a workout, right? But on the third day out, we decided to stop for a minute and create a snowman. The snow wasn’t at all right for snowman-making, but we didn’t let that stop us. The challenge made it all the more fun. Plus, we got creative about our snowman … my favorite part were the antennae.
You may have read that I’m launching a new mastermind this year called The Journey Project.
I truly hope you’ll join us. Why? Because I know that if we’re intentional, we can have a joy-filled year AND we can accomplish meaningful work. What if 2017 was the year that you never answered the question, “How are you?” with “I’m so busy!” What if instead, stories of memorable moments bubbled out of you? It’s all about the frame you put on your year.
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by Naomi | Dec 19, 2016 | Creative Life
Creativity often shows up at the intersection of various thoughts. Here are three to ponder … what do they spark for you?
“From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
“What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.”
―Colette
“Study the past if you would define the future.”
― Confucius
I love all of these thoughts because they cause me to give myself permission to be firmly planted right where I am on the journey … rather than rushing ahead to whatever is next. Speaking of, I’m offering a special opportunity that’s all about journeying with a close-knit community next year. If you’re longing for a rich and meaningful year next year, consider joining us!
by Naomi | Oct 24, 2016 | Creative Life
My wish? To be mentored by Madeleine L’Engle.
In my twenties, I wrote a letter to Madeleine L’Engle.
I knew the chances of hearing back from her were very low. She was busy and surely couldn’t respond personally to every reader. Knowing these truths didn’t stop me from harboring a fantasy that somehow, in some way, my letter would spark a connection between the two of us. In the end, I did hear back from Madeleine. Her assistant wrote me a sweet note to say that Madeleine had been touched by my letter and wished me all the best with my writing.
I realized that I had received more than most people do. And still, I couldn’t help feeling slightly tragic about the situation. Tragic enough, actually, that I spent time unpacking the issue. What did I want? Why did I want it? Was there a way I could achieve that goal even if I couldn’t spend time with Madeleine herself?
A quick side note: I’ve written before about the superpowers that belong to writers. The scenario I just described is a prime example. Writers know in their bones that what a character wants isn’t always what she ends up achieving. Since this truth applies to characters, it’s not hard to see how it applies to our real lives, too.
In any case, as I unpacked my wish, here’s what I discovered.
1. Mentorship is the art of asking resonant questions.
While mentors often have life experiences we seek, mentorship isn’t about being given a step-by-step guide. Someone else’s story is unique and particular to their own life circumstances. However, their stories offer connection points that lead us to questions of our own. The best mentors open discussions and then listen as we explore the resulting questions and possible answers. Through asking questions and seeking answers, we unlock the answers and that next-step clarity that we seek.
2. Often, we’re already being mentored without realizing it.
Why did I want Madeleine L’Engle to mentor me? Because she already had. Through her nonfiction and fiction, she had already led me to deep questions that sparked significant growth. She had unlocked next steps for me. What I wanted was more of that experience. It’s not only writers who can be mentors. Visual artists mentor us through their artworks and their artist statements and stories. Musicians mentor us through their music, their liner notes, and their interviews on the process. The same is true for dancers, teachers, chefs, gardeners … any creative person whose work results in something we can observe, examine and explore.
3. In order to make use of the mentorship at our fingertips, we need to think in specifics.
As an enthusiastic reader of Madeleine L’Engle, I gained a certain level of mentorship. To dive deep, I thought I needed to meet her in person. Had she been sitting with me in person, however, I’m sure she would have turned the focus back to me. She would have asked me questions, pushed me to reflect, and invited me to make discoveries. I wondered: what if I read her work with my specific questions in mind? Might I stumble across clues that would lead me to deeper discoveries––in writing craft, in mindset, in creativity? It turned out that by bringing specific intention to the reading process, I entered into an entirely new level of mentorship with Madeleine L’Engle. The amazing thing was that not only could I have her as my mentor, but any other author who I also admired. I had a new skill set that allowed me to learn from the masters.
As another side note, it’s important to point out that I continue to work monthly with an actual living, breathing mentor. An outside perspective provides insight into our blind spots, encouragement and accountability. Finding ways to mentor with the masters doesn’t replace our need for authentic connection with advisors. However, once you learn the skills needed to mentor with the masters, libraries, museums and even Netflix turn into treasure troves of learning opportunities.
What skills are needed?
- Observe a poem, painting or film to identify what is working.
- Analyze specifically why and how that element of craft works.
- Experiment with similar strategies in your own work.
- Riff on the strategies until you make them your own.
And don’t forget that you can replace “poem, painting or film” in the above list with “creative life” or any other focus that appeals to you with regard to one of your heroes.
Here are your action steps:
- Choose a hero-mentor and decide what you’d like to learn.
- Reach out to someone you know and respect. Ask them if they’d meet with you regularly as you pursue your learning goals.
- Give them permission to challenge you, and commit to listening fully without defending yourself. Remember, growth takes courage and determination.
- Get started!
by Naomi | Oct 5, 2016 | Tools & Apps
My playlist is an eclectic collection of tools that help me approach my work as play. My hope is that they’ll do the same for you.
Object: Making practical creative decisions.
What Didn’t Work: Trying to jump from a general discussion about ideas to an immediate choice.
My Aha! Moment: I’ve been exploring some new creative thinking tools after taking a course called “Creative Thinker’s Toolkit” that’s offered on Great Courses Plus. One of those tools is called POINT, a step-by-step tool to help thinkers develop novel ideas into something workable.
Most have had the experience of reaching for ideas during a brainstorming session, only to later toss out the “wild” ideas as unusable. When we don’t know how to make an idea work, and it doesn’t fit our normal patterns, we reject it. What would happen if we asked ourselves: How might this idea work?
One of my students was starting a new novel. She was at that moment we often reach when solving a creative puzzle. We have a few ideas and we know the next step is a decision. Sometimes we instinctively know which choice is right. Many times, though, if we’re honest with ourselves, we feel less than clear.
Fortunately, at that moment, I remembered the POINT tool. “Don’t choose!” I said, and then asked if she’d like to try a new approach. She was game, so we went through a structured evaluation of her ideas using POINT. By the time she made her choice, she had clarity and confidence and a plan to take forward.
POINT works for making decisions about writing projects, but also for making any decision that has more than one possible solution. Here’s how it can work.
How POINT works:
- P stands for “positives.” What makes this idea appealing?
- O stands for “opportunities.” What options will this idea make possible?
- I stands for “issues.” What challenges might this idea bring?
- NT stands for “new thinking.” What new ideas arise as you consider this idea in more depth?
Player’s Notes:
- POINT offers a method for considering a more unusual idea. When you feel yourself resisting an option because of the unknowns, try focusing on one POINT question at a time. You don’t have to see the end result to consider the possibility.
- Once you’ve evaluated each option, take time to look over the full list before making a final decision. New options you hadn’t considered may arise. Might two of your options combine? Might your ideas lead to a new option that has yet to come up?
Take it to the Next Level:
- Not every problem requires creative problem solving, but if we approached more problems with this kind of thinking, we may find more novel solutions. Take a moment to brainstorm the general challenges, small and large, you face in your life. What problem may benefit from brainstorming and POINT thinking?
Would you like a shortcut for structuring your POINT thinking? I’ve created a template, which you can download here
I am not sure to whom to give primary credit for the POINT tool, but I discovered it while taking the Creative Thinker’s Toolkit course on The Great Courses Plus, delivered by Professor Gerard Puccio. Thank you to Professor Puccio and The Great Courses Plus for sharing this fantastic tool, and for providing an overall well-developed course. I highly recommend the course for anyone who is interested in developing his or her creative thinking skills.
