Does anyone else ponder their existence in winter? Lately, I’ve been thinking about why I create. Why spend so much energy on it? What do I get out of it? What’s at the core of it all?
The mind is a cunning little thing. Every time my professional creative life starts to bloom, I hear this question in my dreams as though a part of me wants to make sure we’re creating not for the ego, not for accolades we think will make life infinitely better, but for the essence of it: to create as means to love the full spectrum of life more. Create to connect more intimately with the world by viewing it like the poem it is.
Winter always humbles me. It brings me to the depths of my emotions and sometimes it rocks me more than I’d like. But I’m getting better at it. I’m learning how to embrace the emotions that are less fun to hang with but equally me just like the warm, sunshine part of me is. Winter forces me to find joy in small places.
When the lows hit, coming out of nowhere like a strong wind that knocks me off my feet, I come home to my creative practice. It helps me find my way. This version of creativity isn’t done for the sake of publishing, but because paying attention to something - really paying attention to the details of the world. The ones that spark a poem or inspire a song - those minutes make me feel alive again. They bring color back to the gray. They make me expand more in the everyday.
They remind me that the simple things ARE the big things.
And that’s why I’m teaching my online workshop: “Happy Ink: Writing from Simple Pleasures.”
So many of us think we need to mine our past or pains to create something beautiful. But there is SO much in front of us every second — the deep colors of flowers, the laugh of a child walking down the street, the way your friends are there for you on a hard day. All of that is ripe material for the taking, and by focusing more attention on it, we fill our cells with more awe and appreciation for the lives we’re living.
Join me for Happy Ink: two 1-hour sessions where we’ll:
Break habits of mining pain for inspiration
Dive into pleasureful writing prompts that teach you how to view your life through a poet’s lens
Show you how to find inspiration right outside of your door
Engage in writing prompts you can re-use again and again
Walk away with two new pieces
Get inspiration from incredible writers you probably haven’t read yet
Want a taste of what the class will offer?
Listen to this post’s 15-minute episode in to hear how looking at the world like a poet brings more vibrancy to your life.
Thank you for listening and being here! If you have any questions about the workshop, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Until then, I hope you go outside and study something for 10 seconds longer than you normally would. Sip the beauty of that moment as though you’re sipping it through a straw. I promise you it’s worth it.
With love,
Kimberly
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