Three Yellow Feathers

Creativity and Lighting a Fire (and photos from Genoa and Venice)

   

I am sitting in Santa Fe with my morning cup of Irish Breakfast Tea. This morning I am sitting in our living room starting to do my morning pages of writing as encouraged by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way and Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones.

                                                

I would like to write beside a fire in the kiva fireplace while I do my morning pages so I just started a fire. Actually, I just lit the fire starter. Time will tell about the fire.

                                               
Julia Cameron and Natalie Goldberg are both authors who have migrated to New Mexico and its open spaces to continue their writing and teaching. I recently read an article written about them in the New Mexico Magazine. They are friends rather than competitors. I like that a lot. I believe they can be supportive of each other because they both seem to “get it”.

                                               

Lighting fires is not something I am very good at because I have not had much experience with fire. I’m not sure if it matters if I watch the fire closely or light the fire starter and put it out of my mind.

Do thoughts and wishes, attention and concentration make any difference in creating a fire? “A watched pot never boils.” Does that also mean “a watched fire starter never burns”? How about a wish? “A watched wish never happens?”

I will add a little of the small pieces of wood and bark left in the bottom of the wood basket to the fire.

                                                  

I have read, suggested, even given Gregg Fraley’s book, Jack’s Notebook, to family, friends and even a few people professionally. I think there are some solid ideas about Creative Problem Solving and creativity in this book. Yet, I still seem reluctant to commit to thinking about what I would like to do, creatively, with my life. I guess I am thinking about it some or I wouldn’t be suggesting the book to other people.

                                                   

I will add a tall sliver of wood as the flame is beginning to catch on.

I am also re-reading Marney Makridakis’ book, Creating Time. I am making little inroads into choosing to sculpt my time rather than just ignore my choices and keep zizzing mindlessly through my day.

                                                       

I now have a fire started!

Maybe the little ideas of kindling I am having as I continue reading and learning about creativity can help me direct myself toward where I would want to go.

                                                        

There is no need to try to burn the whole rick of wood all at once.

Part of the enjoyment of a fire is watching each piece of wood burn to see how the flame from each log join together to create the elemental dance of fire.

Just like fire starting, creativity is not a competition or a mission judged by success or failure. It is the process of building with small thoughts and ideas on the ashes and embers of past experiences. Sometimes a little fire starter helps as well. 

I also am learning that both fire and creativity require fuel to continue to burn.

What a joy to see what happens next with the dancing flames of creativity.

What are your favorite fuels for keeping the flame of creativity burning?

In addition to my random thoughts this morning, I would also love to share more photos of our recent trip to Italy. These are from Genoa and Venice. Ciao for now.

 

  

   

   

   

 

   

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creativity and Wishing

                                          

Some time ago, a sweet friend gave me a carved wooden box as a gift. The only instructions were to write down what I truly wished for on a piece of paper, fold the paper into a tiny package, and place it in the box then wait for my wish to come true.

I have struggled to know what to write down on that paper as my true wish so the box has remained empty. I have puzzled over this not knowing my true wish off and on for several months.

I have heard myself thinking, “Be careful what you wish for. It just might come true.” Hmmmm. My wishing has been on pause.

Recently, I decided that I would write down “I wish I knew what I would truly wish for” and place it in the box.

While enjoying my morning cup of tea in my beach room and watching snowflakes fall gently to the ground I began to think again about my wish. I began to wonder if maybe I already have what I truly wish for.

I am healthy.

I am happy.

I am loved.

I am strong.

I am alive.

I am so lucky.

I am oh, so very grateful.

If I let my thoughts drift, I can become fearful that my truest wish might be short lived because “Nothing stays the same. All things change.” My thoughts can become filled with “What if something happens to someone I love?” and so many other unbridled, anxiety-provoking “What If” thoughts.

This is supposed to be “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and yet there are so many people and situations I am concerned about. Is it selfish for me to be wishing only for myself?

This “Wishing” is tougher than I expected it would be. No wonder my wish box has remained empty for so long.

I don’t yet have a handle on wishing but as I relax and breath back into the present moment, I remember that it is okay for me to be healthy, happy, loved, strong and alive. It is good for me to celebrate with gratitude the blessings in my life.

I hope to come up with a clearer idea of what my true creative dream is. Until then, I think I will leave that little piece of paper in my wooden wish box that says, “I wish I knew what I truly wish for” and see what happens next.

Any ideas?

What do you truly wish for?

And now on a lighter, brighter note, here are some more photos of our recent adventure.

Photos of the Tuscany area of Italy.

Photos from Eze, France

Photos of Monte Carlo, Monaco

 The Beatles' inspiration for the "Yellow Submarine."

Creativity and Emptying Out

                                    

I often wonder what in the world my dreams are trying to tell me. Ever since returning from our travels through Italy and several adjacent countries, my dreams have been filled with experiences of traveling by boat, canoe, train, plane, and helicopter. There have been some wonderfully adventuresome dreams and some others that have been more confusing than enlightening. I have also found it more difficult to become interested in things that I usually find curious or engaging. It is as if my brain is so full of its current sensory overload that there is not room for me to absorb much more right now.

It is beginning to dawn on me that my brain is still trying to process what I saw, did, ate and learned while traveling. I think, in part, my dreams are encouraging me to consciously allow myself to digest and empty out what is still swirling around from the stimulation of traveling.

Because photography is an enjoyable resource for me to explore and express what’s bouncing around in my head, perhaps processing and sharing my trip photos will be a positive and hopefully fun thing to do.

To surprise my husband, each December I enjoy putting together a calendar for the upcoming year that contains photographs that hold special meaning for us. To help me savor and treasure our recent journey, I have decided to use photographs of the various countries we visited, food we ate and adventures we had in our 2014 Calendar.

It is not like I don't have lots and lots of other things to be doing this time of year. However, by sharing these photos with you, I hope to also share the process of "emptying out" as a window into increasing our productivity and enriching our creativity.

Photos from Croatia

Photos from Montenegro

 

 

Photos from Malta

Okay. That is good enough for today. I look forward to sharing some more photos in the near future. Hope you enjoy them.