There is nothing more satisfying than being a Creator, or being around Creators. There’s an indescribable electricity when Creatives are together. The experience is exhilarating.
Last week, my wife and I were on Madeline Island. She was enrolled in a plein air oil painting workshop. I tagged along to be pack horse, and encourager, and to do some writing.
If you don’t know, Madeline Island is the largest island in the Apostle Islands chain, off the coast of Wisconsin, in Lake Superior. The island is beautifully wooded and possesses some fabulous views of the largest of the Great Lakes.
Aside from the plein air workshop, there was a workshop for mixed media and another one for quilters.
To be with so many Creatives all in one setting was supremely stimulating. I had a blast interacting with the artists and the tag along spouses.
I got in some extensive walking, worked on a novel (part of a new series I intend to launch next year), sketched out 3 story ideas (which were provided by some of the artists) and wrote a haiku.
The advice is legendary: if you feel stuck in your writing (or any other creative endeavor), go on a trip. The change of scenery stimulates the creative juices. With last week in mind, I’d add: go on a trip with other Creatives who are not in your field of interest.
Seeing the way oil painters view and interpret the world provided me with new insights.
Those new insights ramped up my own creative energy. Those new insights took me back to the time when I experimented with haiga, a Japanese art form that links a picture and a poem together to form a whole creative expression. Hence the haiku, the traditional poetic form used in haiga.
In addition, those new insights and the conversations I had with the artists gave me some new fiction ideas.
I came home from the island with my Creativity supercharged.
Writing is, for me, like breathing. I can’t live without it. Shoot, I love writing the grocery list! Part of the excitement is the tactile experience. Holding the pencil. The feel of the soft lead as it glides across the paper. The texture of the paper. Or the feel of the fountain pen or dip pen holder. The movement of the pen point across the paper. Watching the ink or graphite form my thoughts into words, words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs. It’s an experience that’s better than magic.
Creatives are relatively rare, which is why I think so many people want to be a Creative. Creatives, though, are gifted. They are a breed apart. They cannot ever not create.
In every culture, the deities that are worshipped are Creators. Which is an indication to me that Creators are held in high regard by all cultures. They are special. Divine, as it were.
People may emulate Creators. They may even master a creative medium. But if they are not Creators, heart and soul, they will ultimately lose interest.
Rainer Maria Rilke, in the first letter of Letters to a Young Poet, advised that the one who wants to create must first look deep within and ask the question, “Must I write, paint, sculpt, throw pots, blow glass, etc, etc.”
If the answer is yes, then Rilke says you must structure your entire life so that you can create. If the answer comes back, no, this is not a must — then go and do something else. There is no shame in this. We must all do what we were meant to do. Don’t become frustrated trying to do what was not meant for you to do.
I love writing. I loved it before going to Madeline Island, and I love it even more for having been there.
Many, many thanks to the Madeline Island School of the Arts (MISA) and the beautiful people at the workshop (my wife included!) who reconfirmed what I’ve always wanted to do with my life.
Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy creating!
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Indeed, Christopher. I do reread and revise a fair amount, but mainly to iron out any plot kinks. Trying to follow the endless advice of online writing experts (particularly the numbered lists!) can waste my time and energy and actually disimprove my work.
You probably know the harp is the national emblem of Ireland, which is great, apart from the fact that it therefore appears on letters from the tax authorities!
Yes, I did know the harp was Ireland’s national emblem. But that’s a kicker it appears on those tax letters!
I too do a lot of re-reading. I want to catch typos and clunky and unclear sentences.
And I agree on those online experts!
Amen, Christopher! A powerful reminder that art and other creations are not just jobs, not that there’s anything wrong with a job. Today, for various reasons, writing feels nearly impossible to me. Your piece reminds me inspiration and stories are gifts to give thanks for, more than labors imposed on us by ourselves or others. I sometimes wish I could recall my earliest impetus to write, to tell stories, without comparing and destructive judgment. And sometimes I do. My Inner Child beats back my Inner Critic for a while!
Let the Inner Child reign! We don’t need that critc guy around!
I know what you mean, John: comparing and judgment are deadly. That’s why I find the attitude of the pulp writers refreshing and encouraging. If the work is good enough, not perfect, not how so-and-so would write, but a decent story, then I’ve succeeded. And with each success, I get better.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the Irish harpers and their harps were viewed as almost magical beings because the music they channeled was from God. Not all of what Turlough O’Carolan composed was great. But it all inspires. That’s how, IMO, we should view writing.
Keep on keeping on!