To write well, we have to live well
To write well, we have to live well
Self-care for creatives is not a luxury!
Greetings, friends!
As you may know, I have been "away from my desk" quite a bit this summer, and it's reminded me how essential it is to a healthy, productive writing practice to take breaks and do other things.
I recently shared with students Virginia Woolf's vision, in her long essay Three Guineas, for an alternative form of interdisciplinary higher education that would "explore the ways in which mind and body can be made to cooperate; to discover what new combinations make good wholes in human life."
At this new college, Woolf said, "the teachers should be drawn from the good livers as well as from the good thinkers," which is, it seems to me, the crux of the matter, not just for teachers but for all of us.
To think well, we have to live well!
We live in a time when we are too often led to see sitting at a desk in front of a screen as the best, most productive way to live. The more time we spend at the screen, the better our chances of achieving that elusive, mythical thing called "success."
But while we sit still giving our brains a workout, we disconnect ourselves from the fast-moving stream of life, which is constantly calling us to take the leap, jump in!
This summer I heeded that call. While fully aware of the enormous privilege of air travel, and guilty about contributing to global heating with my flights, I went ahead and organized three writing workshops, two in Italy and one in Iceland.
I knew it would be good for my mind, body and spirit to get away from my desk and out into the world, and I figured it would be good for the people who chose to come with me, too.
Was it ever! Each of the three workshops had its own flavor and cadence; each left me with indelible memories of sensory stimulations I could have achieved no other way; and each continues to stoke my creative fires and feed my imagination as I now return full circle to my desk once again.
I know that many ancient schools of thought exalt asceticism as the highest form of human development and tell us that we should sit still on our meditation cushions for years to attain the ultimate freedom of enlightenment.
That path is not for me, not in this lifetime at least. I want to plunge in and explore all the sensuous pleasures our beautiful world has to offer.
I want to soak in the sacred hot springs that bubble up everywhere in Iceland; ride free-spirited horses that spend the long dark winters under the dancing lights of the auroras; watch the sun glinting on Arctic waters dotted with puffins and icebergs.
I want to ride the majestic royal horses of Spain and Portugal, absorbing the power and focus with which they move smoothly from one gait to the next; gaze in awe at the creations of generations of Italian artists who worked in stone, tile and pigment to build stunning monuments to the divine; and feast my eyes on lush wildflowers and my ears on dawn chorus of the many happy birds of Tuscany and Umbria.
There can be no substitute for the adventure of going out into the world to explore a place you've never been before. The very experience of not-knowing, the joyful risk of getting off the beaten path and discovering a byway not yet discovered by the all-powerful GPS, nurtures an adventurousness of spirit that is vital to creativity.
If we seek to write to right the world, we must get out and fall in love with the world all over again, the way we did as small children when everything was new and full of wonder.
You don't have to travel as far as Europe to find moments of wonder. You have only to get up from your desk, put down your phone, and take a walk to someplace you've never been before. Even if it's just a different street in your neighborhood, or a park you can visit at the magical times of early morning or dusk.
Calm your mind, open your heart, and let your spirit receive the sensations and impressions that come to you, as freely as they do each night when you dream. Then take those impressions home and see how they inspire your creative expression.
In the age of canned AI intelligence, creating from our own lived experience becomes an act of radical resistance, a way of asserting our humanity.
It's true, we humans are not perfect. We are often damaged and uncertain. But it’s our birthright to feel deeply, explore the world with zest and curiosity, and transfix wonder with our words and images.
In doing so, we join the long line of artists who made their mark on the world for future generations to learn from and admire.
 Now is your time. What will you make of it?
Come write with me, in person and online!
Honoring Our Plant & Animal Teachers: A Workshop in the Woods, co-led with Tes Reed. September 15, 10 am - 4 pm Eastern, in person in New Marlborough MA. Register here.
Magical Stories: Writing Under Greylock’s Spell, co-led with Audrey Kalman. October 11, 10:30 - 4 pm Eastern in person at Bascom Lodge, Mt Greylock, North Adams MA. Register here.
Channeling & Journaling: A Co-creative journey with Gaia & Other Guides, co-led with Christine Boschen. October 15 & 29, 12 - 2 pm Eastern, online. Register here.
Telling the (Loving) Truth About Your Family: A Memoir Workshop hosted by Il Chiostro. November 3, 10 & 17, 9 - 10:30 am Eastern, online. Register here.
Join the Birth Your Truest Story Online Community for Writers!
Read your work or just come listen at our Campfire Open Mic Sunday, August 27 at 7 pm Eastern. Free! Register here.
Fall Fiction Intensive free discovery session with Audrey Kalman, August 28 at noon Eastern. Get the link here.
Speak from the Heart Author Conversation with Dorcas Cheng-Tozun, author of Social Justice for Sensitive Souls: How to Change the World in Quiet Ways. September 28, 7 pm Eastern. Free! Register here.
Check our online Events Calendar for a steady stream of online coaching and writing sessions, classes and events designed to nourish your writing practice and build community! See it all here.
Let me know how I can help you live your creative life to the fullest!
Cheering you on,
Jennifer
