From Arena to Hot Spring
From Arena to Hot Spring
The creative process as pleasure rather than struggle
As an author coach, editor and publisher, I'm often asked by writers how to alchemize ideas and writing talents into the gold of fame and fortune.
My response is always along the lines of this: We all want to see that glittering pot at the end of a whole lot of hard work, but we can't remain overly focused on it, because the mysterious creative process has little, if anything, to do with the transactional exchange of goods and services for money and acclaim.
Yes, it is possible to write by formula and turn out a "successful" mystery or fantasy or another cookie-cutter novel.
But if your ambition is to write a great book, one that offers a unique vision that no else could possibly have created, then you have to spend your time not plotting chapters or filling in character charts, but actually centering yourself within your creative well, and taking the time to go deep and explore freely.
This is not work for the faint-hearted, and the outcome is anything but assured.
To talk about how much bravery and persistence is needed for success, pop psychologist Brene Brown brought back Teddy Roosevelt's famous quote about the importance of staying in the arena:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly…who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”
In her book entitled Daring Greatly, Brown talks about how, to succeed in any field of endeavor, it is necessary to overcome fear, self-doubt and lack of confidence and persevere by staying in the arena.
I agree with Brown that we need to banish the inner critic, but I'm not fond of the idea of creative effort as a bloody spectator sport, a fight in an arena.
I'd like to offer another metaphor for the creative process.
Instead of imagining yourself slugging it out in a dusty enclosure, covered in "sweat and blood," picture yourself in a delightful outdoor place in nature: say, a long empty beach with a surging tide coming in, or deep in the heart of a tall green forest.
Take yourself there and relax.
You are not there to mine or to harvest; you're not there to find industrious ways to extract creative gems.
You're there to breathe deeply, let yourself slip into a dreamy state, and slowly, gently, open yourself to the music of the creative spheres that is always seeking to come through you.
As an antidote to Roosevelt's dusty struggle, I offer Rumi's exquisite lines about what it is we are doing when we open ourselves to the insights and stories that we alone can tell:
God picks up the reed-flute world and blows.
Each note is a need coming through one of us,
a passion, a longing-pain.
Remember the lips
where the wind-breath originated,
and let your note be clear.
Don’t try to end it.
Be your note.
There is no doubt in my mind that every great human artist has succeeded through opening themselves to that magical "wind-breath" and transmuting the visionary note they hear into a tangible creation to be enjoyed and appreciated by others.
It is a lofty goal, a mighty task to set oneself. But it should feel, in the moment, like pure pleasure.
Your goal when you sit down to write (or engage in any other creative endeavor) should be to relax pleasurably into the flow, as if you were submerging yourself in clear moving water—sometimes warm and fizzy like a hot spring, sometimes cold and bracing like the ocean, always moving you along to new insights and inspirations.
Let yourself go. Be your note.
Yours in the moving tide of creativity,
Jennifer
Sometimes the best creative medicine is to get away from your desk and try something new!
Experience the creative tonic of Iceland!
You are invited to come along with me for an all-inclusive week of RIDING and WRITING in the spectacular Icelandic countryside, in the height of the bright summer season, June 10 – 16, 2024.
Every day we’ll ride out on sturdy, sweet Icelandic horses through the expansive rolling vistas of western Iceland, led by our experienced guides from Hestaland. Once you’ve experienced the exhilaration of the fast, smooth tolt, a gait unique to Icelandic horses, you may not want to go back to the trot!
We’ll eat delicious meals together at the beautiful Hestaland Guesthouse and participate in thoughtful, open-hearted guided writing sessions.
There will also be plenty of time for sharing and discussing your writing projects and visiting the nearby hot spring spa at Krauma.
Learn more about costs and accommodations on the application form.
Whether you’ve been to Iceland many times, or this will be your first experience there, this trip is sure to be transformative!
More information (and beautiful photos) here.
Are you a writer but not a rider? Come with me to Tuscany!
I’ll be leading another fabulous Il Chiostro writing workshop May 25 - June 1, 2024 at the luxurious Borgo San Fedele, a meticulously restored monastery set in exquisite gardens amid a classic Tuscan landscape of olive groves and vineyards.
Our days will unfold in a perfect balance of guided writing and productive sharing; excursions guided by our Il Chiostro hosts to nearby picturesque medieval towns; coming home to San Fedele to relax by the pools and gardens, eat delicious meals and visit with new friends; and taking time for your own contemplative writing and thinking.
You’ll come away from this magical sojourn simultaneously enlivened and relaxed, with a deeper understanding of your purpose in writing memoir, along with many pages of new writing providing a plethora of potential doorways into the story of your life.
More information (and beautiful photos) here.
Ready to book? Click here.
Come write with me online to celebrate the Winter Solstice!
I always like to honor the darkest day of the year in a contemplative circle of writers. Join me December 21, 4 pm Eastern, for a peaceful writing workshop honoring our heartfelt connections to the rhythms of Mother Earth.
Amid all the grief of these challenging times, we’ll focus on using our creativity to nourish the seeds of resilience planted in each of us, just waiting for the sweet water of our attention to stir them to life.
Register here.
(Birth Your Truest Story members, register here.)
My purposeful memoir card deck makes a great gift for a writer friend!
Each card has a carefully crafted writing prompt paired with an inspiring image. They’re perfect for your morning pages; use them like a Tarot deck to get your inspiration flowing!
Order here.
Friends, it’s my pleasure and my passion to support you as we stretch towards living our lives creatively and to the fullest.
Are you ready? Let’s go!
