Keith Jennings

A New Resource for Writers & Artists

Yesterday, the first issue of my Root Notes newsletter went out to inboxes around the world (literally).

The feedback was wonderful.

If you signed up to receive it, thank you! If, for some reason, you signed up but didn't receive the email, please check your spam filter.

If you haven't signed up, now is a good time. We're just getting started.

If you are ready to go deeper into the tensions, craft & community of your creative life...

If you are interested in reading more about how a life in harmony offers you more than a life in balance...

If you are interested in reading more about how life as a portfolio offers you more than life as a path...

And if you are interested in reading more about how a life of connection offers you more than a life of expression...

...then sign up to receive Root Notes.

Click here to get started. And I'll see you over there!

Back to My Roots

Well, this is it for Keitharsis, as you and I know it.

The last post.

And, frankly, I’m excited.

I’m ready to engage with you in new ways, on a more dynamic platform.

I’m ready to spend less time blogging and more time writing creative nonfiction for national publications.  Not to mention more poetry.

And I’m ready to begin the marathon of creating and collecting content for my first book.  Yes, book.

But something more important is happening in my life right now.

Something that has begun to absorb my attention, my daydreams, my energy and my prayers.

In a couple of handful of weeks—we currently estimate in late June—my wife, three kids, mother-in-law and I will make the 20-something hour trek to Guangzhou, China to welcome a new daughter into our family.

She will be scared, confused and torn.

Every sound, smell, taste, touch and sight will be foreign to her.

Her life will be placed in the hands of strangers (that would be us). And she will have no say in the matter.

We know, in time, she has a good chance of thriving in a stable home environment—in a family.

But it will take time.

She will need space to grieve.

And we will do everything in our power to give it to her.

She deserves it.

We currently have two biological sons and an adopted daughter.  And they will need our attention, energy and care during this transitory time, as well.

Their lives, like their sister’s, will be permanently altered.

This is not a time to write on a weekly schedule—which blogging requires.

It’s not even a time to be outwardly focused.

It’s a time to cocoon.  To nest.  To be present.

I’ve been a professional writer for many years.  And with the notable exception of fame and fortune, I’ve experienced about everything a writer can experience.

Hot times. Cold times.

Fruitful times.  Barren times.

Connected times.  Blocked times.

Admiration.  Criticism.

“We are pleased to accept…”  “We regret to inform you…”

Mostly, “We regret to inform you…”

Noise. Silence.

Lots of silence.

I’ve learned that I when I walk away from my creative life, my soul starts to die.

But I’ve also learned that my creative life is much larger than my writing life.

I can be just as connected and creative in my family and my work in healthcare as I can facing a blinking cursor.

That said, I need to write.

Words and ideas pour out of me no matter where I am or what I try to do.

I have 174 essays on the creative life already drafted, which haven’t been read by anyone but me.  You interested?

I also have nearly one hundred poems that need honing for submission to literary journals.

And I have three book projects in the works.

But these can wait.

Many of these have been hanging around for a few years.  So a few more months won’t matter.

Over the summer, as time allows, I will build a new website at keithjennings.com.  Once live—which I’m aiming for August/September—it will offer a rich collection of essays, articles, eBooks and resources for you and other writers and artists.

I am also preparing lectures and workshops on the creative life.  And plan to lead some exclusive artist retreats and writers’ groups in the coming years.

For now, though, my head and heart have moved to my family—my roots.

I want to look, really look, into each of their eyes when they speak.

I want them to be celebrated and hugged when I see them each morning.  And when I walk in the door from a day at the office.  And when I tuck them in at night.

I want to chase lightning bugs.

And wander the bamboo forest behind our house.

And get grass stains on my knees.

And laugh.

And cry.

And cuss.

And spit watermelon seeds.

And fill the house with the smell of warm chocolate chip cookies.

Our everyday life provides the stories for our creative life.  It grounds us in our humanity.

Our creative life provides the inspirational breath (spir) that makes our everyday life worth living.  It’s the song, the poetry, the moment that transcends the transactional and offers us access to the spiritual.

Each time I’ve hunkered down to write these essays for Keitharsis, I’ve imagined you sitting beside me.  I’ve tried to write as if it were just you and I, sipping wine, chatting, trying to make sense of this strange little space we inhabit as writers and artists.

“Why do we feel compelled to create?”

“Why do we feel blocked at times?”

“Where do ideas come from?”

“Why do we try to control our lives?”

“What is our role in the culture?”

“What happens if “success” never happens?”

“Can we ever find relief or release from all the tensions in our life pulling us in a million different directions?”

Those are the types of questions that brought us together.

And those are the types of questions that will keep us going.

Thank you for reading this blog.

Thank you for emailing and commenting and opening your hearts to me.

Thank you for the encouraging words in discouraging moments.

Thank you for receiving and sharing the strange ideas and frameworks I’ve offered.

I hope with each essay and reply I've given you, you've always sensed the respect I have for you, as fellow creatives in the world.

Let’s keep in touch!

And speaking of keeping in touch, I’ve created an email newsletter, I’m calling Root Notes, to serve as my link to you over this summer and beyond.

In it, I will share ongoing updates on what I’m working on and thinking about.  Many of the emails will read a lot like the essays you’ve grown to love here—wanderings and wonderings along creative landscapes.

So, please sign up and stay in touch by clicking here or on the image below!

And I will see you on the other side…

Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Show"

Today's word is "show".

The word within it is "how" - sHOW.

There are two ways we communicate, as artists/creatives.

We reveal.

And we explain.

In both cases, we show. 

But how we show varies, depending on which approach we take.

When we reveal, we allow others to experience something, then arrive at their own unique explanation or understanding of its context and value.

However, when we explain, we seek to influence others' experience, so that they can see how we arrive (or will arrive) at a predetermined place.

Neither is right or wrong, good or bad.

What matters is context.

From my vantage point, art reveals.  While teaching explains.

Therefore, we're either artists or teachers.  But rarely (if ever) both at the same time.

Which means we either show how (i.e. teach) or show so that how our audience responds it is left to them.

As you show your creative work to others, which "how" are you offering?

I hope you've enjoyed these Word-in-a-Word exercises.  I have hundreds of these prepared.  So this isn't the last you've heard from me on this!

From Queso to Catharsis

If I've accomplished anything through this blog, I hope I've inspired you to shift from seeing your life as a path to accepting it as a portfolio.

Life as a path defies the essence of the creative life.

It’s like an author trying to write only one book.

Or a poet trying to write one poem.

Or a painter working on a single painting.

Makes no sense to me.

The essence of the creative life is one of exploration and experimentation.

It’s about trying on new ideas and voices.

It's about testing new platforms and audiences.

It’s about wandering and wondering new landscapes.

It’s about finding comfort in the discomfort of obscurity, ignorance and failure.

And it's about hoping a few of the incredible people you meet along the way, will stay interested and invested as you morph and grow.

Success will come not through your idea, but your execution of the idea.

It is usually an opportunity that reveals itself as you're trying to do something else.

I have dedicated my creative life to this call and these values.

To never let "success" or others' expectations become the root note of my creative life and work.

To never get comfortable with what works in the moment, and cling to it for dear life.

This blog began on July 29, 2009.  I called it Christian Con Queso.

I wanted it to be artsy and absurd.  A sort of anti-blog.  No lists.  No five easy steps to success.  No scan-friendly, recycled take-aways.  No word vomit.  No diatribes.  No contemplating my navel.

At that time, I was writing a well-regarded blog on healthcare marketing.

In social media, I was tweeting and thinking about healthcare issues and challenges.

No one knew I was a poet.

No one knew I was an essayist.

No one knew I had 15 years invested in the craft of creative writing.

I needed a creative, cathartic outlet to feed and relieve my writing in the healthcare world.

I wanted to write very experimental stuff on a variety of topics.

So while smoke billowed from my bustling healthcare marketing factory, I started this little garden to see what might grow.

And I found myself enchanted. 

So much so, I pulled the plug on my healthcare marketing blog and invested my energy in this blog.  A move, at the time, that flew in the face of every marketing and blogging “best practice” in the book.  Trust me, I know: I’m a 20-year marketing veteran who has published articles in the top marketing journals and magazines.

About a year and half ago, I re-named it Keitharsis, because I’ve always been a student of the history of catharsis in the Arts, religion and healthcare.  If you’re not familiar with it, look it up on Wikipedia some time.

Catharsis, as a metaphor and idea, perfectly communicated my interest in teaching about how we can creatively use the unresolvable tensions that exist in our everyday, spiritual and creative lives.  Plus, the word worked in a clever (at least I thought so) way with my first name.

Over time, I started to discover and explore ideas that not only surprised me—ideas about harmony vs. balance, portfolio vs. path, connection vs. expression—they really connected with and caught fire with a sizable number of influential writers, bloggers and artists...like you!

So a blog that started off random and eclectic—like an appetizer—has evolved into a very distinct and complex catalyst for releasing us to a creative life.

In the process, I have come to see myself not only as a writer and thinker, but as a sort of minister to creatives (by “minister” I mean one who tends to the specific needs of another).

We're nearing the three-year mark of this blog.

So what now?  What next?

I think three years makes for a nice season.

And it’s time to enter a new season—a new challenge.

Will you join me?

Have I earned your interest?

This week will mark the end of Keitharsis as a blog.

Tomorrow will be the last "Word-in-a-Word Wednesday".  And on Thursday, I will publish my last essay here.

In that piece, I will share where I’m headed in 2012 and beyond...hopefully with you along for the ride!

Does this mean I will no longer write to you about the creative life, harmony, portfolio living, tensions and connection?

No way!

I’m just getting warmed up!

All it means is I won’t be writing on this platform—this blog.

But there will be another.

Stay tuned!

Gifts, Connections & Community (Part 2)

To give is a powerful thing.

I give you these little essays.  You give me and others new ideas that these essays generate through you.

It’s not me giving and you receiving.  Because the act of receiving can itself be a gift to the giver.

It’s a cycle of giving.

I give so that you can give.  And you give so that I can give.

The idea of community is powerful—people who are very different from one another co-exist in ways where one’s strengths compensate for another’s weaknesses.  Where no one is lacking, because sharing and trade within the community provide for each of its pieces.

Of course, our communities are a far cry from this ideal.

Instead of being connected, we are disconnected.

We are disconnected from ourselves.

We are disconnected from our neighbors.

We are disconnected from our physical surroundings (i.e. our environment).

And, in my opinion, we are disconnected from God.

What drives our desire to create and share things is not a desire to express ourselves.

It’s a desire to connect.  To belong.

Think about why you write or sing or paint or take photos or do the creative things you do.

Is self-expression really your root motive?  Or do you seek the creative to feel more whole, more connected…with yourself and things outside yourself?

The root word in “inspiration” is “spir”.  It means “to breathe”.

Inspiration is breath.

I breathe the creative into you.  And you come alive.

You breathe the creative into me.  And I can come alive.

This why we feel inspired after reading a good book.  Or watching a great film.  Or visiting with a friend.  Or listening to music.

This is why I don’t believe the creative begins within us.  It moves through us.

The source of the creative is the originating breath.

Without that gift of “spir”—of breath—we cannot inspire one another.

Creativity, it seems, is a life-giving source.

That’s why it’s so powerful.

That’s why we seek it like a drug.

That’s why those who feel uncreative feel disconnected, as if a part of themselves has died.

And it’s a natural part of our lives as creatives, as we experience disconnect from that source of inspiration.  We call it creative block.  But it’s really disconnect.

Think about the words we use.

When we no longer have a capacity to give, we do what?

We give up (i.e. quit from losing hope).  Or we give out (i.e. quit from exhaustion).

We’re either giving or we’re not.

The sacred moment in Caine’s story was the scene when he was alone in his arcade waiting for a customer.

He tweaked and prepared and cleaned and organized for the moment someone might show up.

Caine offers breath.  Reconnection.

He wanted others to experience the joy he felt in the presence of an arcade.

He gave so that Nirvan Mullick, the filmmaker, could give.

You and I are thinking and talking about a boy and filmmaker we’ve never met, because one chose to give joy through an arcade.  And the other chose to pass that joy onto the world.

Community.

Connection.

Caine gave when no one knew and the few who did, didn’t care.

He was not the one disconnected.  In watching his story, we experience our own disconnect.  And Caine reconnects us to a piece of ourselves.  Which reconnects us with each other.

We give so that others can give.

We create to connect.

Our role, as creatives, is to help reconnect a disconnected world.

One piece—one story—at a time.

(Photo by Rachel/chickpokipsie on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons.)

Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Source"

Today's word is "source".

The word within it is "our" - sOURce.

If you've followed my essays for the past year or so, you've joined me in a quest to analyze and intimately understand the source of our creativity.

What is it?  Where does it come from?

Do we generate it within ourselves?  Or does it exist outside us and move through us?

One of the foundational ideas I've discovered—an idea that has altered the way I think about the creative and how I practice my creative life—is that the creative impulse can't survive inside us.

It must be shared.

It must be given.

It is not mine or yours.

It's ours.

Creativity thrives in community.

How do the words "source" and "our" connect with you?

Click here to read all the "word-in-a-word" exercises to date.

We create and give so that...what? (Part 1)

We give so that others can receive.

No. That's not it.

We give so that others can grow.

No.  Hmm.

We give so that others can...what?

Let's come back to that.

We create to express ourselves.

No.  We fart and scream to express ourselves too, so that's not it.

We create to...what?

A video about a nine-year-old boy and his cardboard arcade has caught fire.

It's being blogged about.  It's being tweeted.  It's being liked and shared.  By millions.

It's a very moving story.  But I tend to avoid jumping on a popularity bandwagon at all costs.

Unless...

Unless, something's missing.

Unless, there's a story, a nugget, a gift that no one seems to be seeing.

There is a sacred moment in the film.

If you've seen the film, you might think it's the scene when Caine is surprised by customers.

But that's not it.

You might think it's the moment Caine gets his first customer.

That's not it either.

Watch the film.  It's only 10 minutes.

What is the sacred moment?

Leave your response in the comments.

And we'll pick back up on this on Thursday.

If the video doesn't appear below, click here to watch it.

Mantras & Roots (Choosing Harmony Over Balance in Your Creative Life)

Don’t find ideas for your voice.  Find a voice for each idea.  Poets see everything as a poem.  Filmmakers see everything as a film.  Musicians see everything as a song. 

What if we started with the idea and tried to find the best structure for it?  Even if it was out of our comfort zone and experience?

Don’t find an audience for your creative work.  Produce creative work for a specific audience.  I could try to write “The Great American Novel” and try to get people to care and buy it.  Or I could start with a group of people I identify with and care about (like writers & artists).  And write a book specifically for them. 

Which do you think has the better chance of impacting people?

Products build brands.  Not vice versa.  The Mac, iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad made Apple “Apple”.  The Sun Also Rises and short stories made Hemingway “Hemingway”.  American Graffiti and Star Wars made George Lucas “George Lucas”. 

From the public’s perspective, it takes a great work to make a great artist.  Even though you and I know it takes it great artist to produce a great work.

We protect first.  Risk second.  This includes everyone who might buy our creative work.  Even if “buy” means spending time and attention to read something we’ve written and offer for free.

Measure outcomes, not outputs.  Don’t measure how much time you invest on your creative work.  Or the quantity of work you generate.  Measure whether or not it impacts others in constructive ways.

Attention requires tension.  Pick a pole and stick with it.

These are mantras I’ve adopted and adapted over the years.

They guide the decisions that drive my creative work.

There is a thread woven through these mantras.  I call them root notes.

The work/life balance movement has bled into all aspects of our culture.  We’ve grown up with this notion that our lives, like our meals and checkbooks, should be balanced.

The idea of balance is very appealing.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed with guilt for not doing all the things we want (or need) to do, we can “balance” them.  Spend a little time on this.  And a little time on that.

The problem is that this contradicts the behaviors of the most successful and productive people.

The greatest artists in history didn’t live balanced lives.  They lived for art.  Art was their root note.  Everything else in their lives aligned around that root note.

The greatest missionaries in history didn’t live balanced lives.  They lived to serve the least, lost and lonely.  God was their root note.  Everything else in their lives aligned around that root note.

The greatest leaders in history didn’t live balanced lives.  They lived to serve communities of people.  Their community or country was their root note.  Everything else in their lives aligned around that root note.

Balance suggests we can have a little bit of everything.

But for some of us, a little bit just isn’t enough.  We want to dedicate a significant portion of our lives to something more important than ourselves.

So we are forced to make choices.  Trade-offs.

Every chord has a root note around which many alternatives and options can align.  But there is only one root note in a chord.

Same with our creative choices.  Let’s glance back up at those mantras that led this essay.

You can serve your voice.  Or you can serve ideas.  One is a root note.  The other must serve as harmony.

You can find an audience for your work.  Or you can find work for an audience.  One is a root note.  The other must serve as harmony.

You can create products to build a reputation.  Or you can use your reputation (assuming you have one) to build products.  One is a root note.  The other must serve as harmony.

You can protect.  Or you can take risks.  One is a root note.  The other must serve as harmony.

You can measure outcomes (i.e. achievements).  Or you can measure outputs (i.e. activities).  One is a root note.  The other must serve as harmony.

Every tension has two poles.  That’s what creates the tension, right?

You can try to find “balance,” but you will find yourself serving two masters.

Or you can pick a pole.  Make it serve as a root note.  And let the tension created by the other pole harmonize with it.  Serve it.  Strengthen it.

So where does this leave us?

It leaves us with the difficult task of making some tough choices.

What is the root note of your life?

Is it your day job?

Your art?

Your family?

Your physical health?

Your financial health?

Whether you admit it or not, you’ve already chosen a root note.  It’s where you spend the most time and energy.

You can accept the choice you’ve made and find ways of harmonizing everything else in your life around it.  Or you can change the root note.  Change the harmony.

Of course, every great song has clever chord changes.  And beautiful harmonies.

Which means you and I need to figure out which part of the song we’re playing right now.

(Photo by TR Roberts on Flickr.  Used under Creative Commons license.)

I write this blog for writers, artists and other creative types.  My goal is to reveal the familiar in unfamiliar ways.  Unlock your creativity.  And re-connect you to your craft and community.  Please invite other artists to join the conversation!

Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Excellence"

Today's word is "excellence".

The word within it is "cell" - exCELLence.

A cell is a small room for a prisoner, nun or monk.

A cell is also the smallest structural and functional unit of an organism.

And a cell is a unit in a device for converting chemical or solar energy into electricity.

I love how looking at the word cell from all its meanings can really take "excellence" in fresh directions.

How does excellence emerge from the cells in your creative life?

Click here to read all the "word-in-a-word" exercises so far.  The goal of these exercises is to stimulate your creative thinking.

This is a blog for writers, artists and other creative souls.  New essays appear each Tuesday & Thursday.  A creative exercise (like this) appears each Wednesday.

Music Lessons: A Case Against “Writing What You Know”

 

1. Practice

“It's time to practice the piano, Keith.”

“Can I play outside a little longer, mom?”

“No.  Come on inside and start practicing.”

Growing up, not wanting to practice piano had little to do with my passion for music.

I have loved music for as long as I can remember.  It holds a spell over me I’ve yet to escape.

To this day, I scour the world for new music like a junkie looking for a fix.

No, it wasn’t the music.  It was the practicing part I hated.

I hated doing something I couldn’t do.  Still do.

Back then, I hated the awkward back-and-forth game of squinting at the sheet music, while stomaching the god-awful disharmony bleeding from the keys I pressed.

I hated that my fingers wouldn't do what my brain told them.

Practicing the piano frustrated the living sin out me.  It was unpleasant.

Every time I sat down to practice, I would give up on the new piece I was supposed to learn and play something I already knew.

“That’s not what you’re supposed to be practicing,” mom would say. 

 

2. Edges

There is always something beyond the edge of our current ability.

Something we don’t have the skill or knowledge (or both) to do.  Or, at least, do well.

Creativity exists in tension.

It is the tool we use to connect things that don’t seem to go together in ways that reveal new relationships and experiences.  And it’s the tool we use to find a temporary home within the tension of opposing poles.

There are at least two edges in the fabric of our creative work.

One edge is what we describe when we say an artist is “edgy".  They push beyond the cultural edges of taste, technique and/or shared values.

The other edge we face, as creatives is the edge of our knowledge and abilities.

The only way to move beyond these edges is through deliberate practice.

Which means working beyond our comfort zone.

Which means spending more time working on things we can’t yet do, than working on things we either can do or come naturally to us.

3. Stride

When I was in college, I remember wanting to learn stride piano.  Stride piano is a jazz style where your left hand jumps between tenths and chords in 4/4 time, while your right hand plays the melody. 

I worshiped at the altars of Fats Waller and Willie “The Lion” Smith. 

Stride is an insanely difficult style to learn.

But, one chord at a time, played very slowly, day after day after day led me to the day I discovered I could play a Fats Waller song. 

Then, I could play it fast. 

Then, I could compose my own stride songs.

Then, years passed and I moved onto practicing the crafts of poetry and essays.

I can’t play stride piano any more.

4. Myth

Writers like to write in a style and voice in which they’re comfortable.  Poets too.

Musicians like to play songs and licks they’ve mastered.  The ones that get applause.

Painters like to paint things they’ve painted before.  Using a style and color palette they’re confident using.  Designers do this too.

Actors gravitate toward certain characters.

Photographers lean on the same subjects and Photoshop techniques.

Teachers tend to teach from what they know.

Why?

Because spending our limited days on earth doing rote tasks that make us feel bad about ourselves isn't what comes to mind when we dream about "the creative life".

Yet that is what distinguishes those who grow as artists from those who don't.

It's what is required when we commit to working at "the edge" of our creative life.

Maybe those that tell us to "write what you know," are propagating that notion to protect themselves—to limit their competition.

Because if we work on what we don't know and can't do, we're going to grow and get pretty damn good at our craft.

And we may expose long-held beliefs as the myths they are.

Creativity exists in tension.  It thrives when we’re confined.

You'll know you're really practicing when you want to quit and run away.

Are you feeling this tension as you work?

It feels like failure.

And it evokes frustration.  Lots of it.

Look up for a minute.  Hi!  I'm right here with you...

...at the edges.

Let's go in, okay?

It's time to practice. 

If you want a 1-minute baptism into stride piano, click here.  Be careful, though.  Your brain may explode.

First time reading?  I write this blog for writers, artists and other creative types.  My goal is to show you the familiar in unfamiliar ways.  Unlock your creativity.  And re-connect you to your craft and community.  Please invite other artists to join the conversation!

Creativity: It's a Piece of Cupcake

A couple of Sundays ago, my wife and I watched an episode of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network.

The reason we watched that particular episode was a pastry chef from our city was competing on the show: Mamie Jo Doyle of Miss Mamie’s on the Square in downtown Marietta, Georgia.

We used to live within walking distance of the Square and have purchased cupcakes from Miss Mamie’s.

Cupcakes offer an interesting window to creativity through the natural tension between structure and freedom.

It’s a flavored cake in a cup with buttercream icing on top.  And we have Amelia Simms and Eliza Leslie to thank.

A cupcake is what it is, right?

Change anything about it and it’s no longer a cupcake.  It’s a cake or muffin or mincemeat pie or something else.

So anyone interested in making cupcakes has to work within a fixed structure.  It is very similar to poets who work within strict poetic forms: haiku, sonnets and the like.

What most interests me about cupcakes is that, despite its rigid structure, incredible variety exists.  There is no lack of creativity among pastry chefs.

Which means the appearance—the defining characteristics of a cupcake—isn’t where the action is.

What distinguishes a cupcake is its taste and texture, not its appearance.

There are lots of writers and bloggers in the world.

Lots of poets.

Lots of photographers.

Lots of painters.

Lots of musicians.

Lots of designers.

Lots of dancers.

Lots of actors.

Just like there are lots of pastry chefs.

And most creative works, like most cupcakes, are indistinguishable.

They look the same on the outside.  And taste the same on the inside.

I see a lot of Creatives focus the majority of their efforts on dolling up the décor surrounding their creative work: the words, the titles, the angles, the sounds, the frames, the publicity, etc.

And that stuff matters in that it can attract someone to try a little bite.

But it’s the taste and texture that will earn the second and third and fourth bites.  What makes a cupcake great is its ability to create harmonies through interesting combinations of disparate tastes and textural elements that stimulate your palate.

The taste and texture come from how you use tension and complexity.  How you challenge and surprise those that try your creative work.  How you find freedom within structure.

Your creativity is not limited by who you are.  Who you are gives you limitless creative possibilities.

Because it's not really about the cake in a cup with icing, is it?  It’s about the taste and texture.  It’s about the experience, not the appearance.

Instead of feeling frustrated by and stuck in existing structures and rules, you can use them to create tastes and textures unlike anything anyone has ever experienced.

The choices you make for your life are not unlike a pastry chef facing the 216-year-old cupcake.  Why not choose to surprise, delight and challenge others?

By the way, Mamie won that Cupcake Wars episode!

And I hope her business is exploding.  She deserves it.

You do too.

(image by Adam Hilliker on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.)

Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Believe"

Today's word is "believe".

The word within it is "eve" - beliEVE.

Interestingly enough, the word "lie" sits right in the middle of this word, as well.  Which I find both cool and eerie.

Belief is a mysterious thing.  It's connected with hope.

The moment we begin to believe something—maybe we start to believe in our own potential or we begin to believe in something bigger than ourselves—we are filled with hope.

And we find ourselves on the cusp of a new beginning.  A new page.  A new journey.

We find we are on the eve of something simulataneously exciting and terrifying.

What about you?

How does belief connect with an eve in your life?

Click here to read all the "word-in-a-word" exercises so far.  The goal of these exercises is to stimulate your creative thinking.

This is a blog for writers, artists and other creative souls.  New essays appear each Tuesday & Thursday.  A creative exercise (like this) appears each Wednesday.

Finding Transcendence in a Transactional Life

Everyday life is crazy busy.

Go here.  Go there.  Do this.  Do that.

My wife and I feel so rushed at times we feel like we’re running late in running late!

Our lives are transactional.

They are a portfolio of things to do, places to be and people to engage.

And this constant going makes us feel disconnected.  From ourselves.  From others.  From our surroundings.  From God.

I believe the reason the creative is so potent is due to its unique ability to transcend the transactional nature of our lives.

The creative elevates us.  It injects meaning and emotion into us.

It reconnects us.

It greases the tensions, so to speak.

There is a prevailing belief that our creative life is separate from our everyday life.  That it is a place to which we can escape.

There is also a prevailing belief that the transcendent exists separate from the transactional.  That we have to “find” or “create” transcendent experiences somewhere away from the busyness of the “real world”.  Again, it’s an escapist story line.

These are myths.

Our creative life exists within our everyday life.

It feeds it.

And our everyday life feeds our creative life.

They need each other.  And both suffer when they are disconnected.

Likewise, transcendence isn’t something separate from the transactional.

It is a spillover effect within it.

Think about your everyday life.

You go, go, go, go and then…

…the perfect song comes on the radio.

…an incredible conversation with someone happens.

…that bite of food you put in your mouth awakens you.

…your three-year old hugs you and says she loves you.

…that text from your husband says he’s distracted thinking about how beautiful you are.

…a random aside you caught by some biologist on some TV show last night suddenly becomes the foundational idea of a book.

One moment, we’re going about our everyday business.  The next, we are connected to a life-giving sphere that elevates us beyond space and time.

The creative is a transcendent force in our transactional lives.

We either choose to receive and use it.  Or we don’t.

What if we were catalysts for transcendence in the transactional lives of others?

That’s what I try to do through this blog.  I try to interrupt your everyday life with an idea or story or framework that elevates you. 

That reconnects you.

That transcends you.

Now get back to your day.  Because that's where the creative awaits you.

Thank you so much for reading!  I greatly enjoyed my little sabbatical from creative writing.  I am overflowing with ideas.  Let's just hope they're good!  See you tomorrow for Word-in-a-Word Wednesday.

The Art of Sabbatical

As refreshing as rest sounds, it can feel risky.

It’s why so many workers with paid vacation, never take it.

It’s why so many religious people (who supposedly observe a Sabbath) burn out from all the church activities, socials and busyness.

It’s why so many writers and artists get stuck in ruts.  Readers too.

We pervert rest when we associate it with laziness.

What’s really lurking underneath—when we deny the gift of rest—is fear.

What if others realize I’m not needed?

What if something happens while I’m away?

Here’s my two cents.

I don’t want to be needed.  I’d rather be wanted.

Plus, if you've ever lost a job or relationship, you know things go on with or without us.

A couple of times a year (at least), I like to take a break from what I call “workshed writing”.  That’s when I’m hunkered over a laptop, furiously typing away four to six hours every morning and night.

During these periods, I try to create space in my life to read, reflect, sketch, experiment, compose music and try new things.

Said another way, I like to wander and wonder.

Do you?

Ideas hide in silence.  Stories hide in rest.

I’m a writer.   I’m a poet.

My job is to collect, craft and share ideas and stories that open your heart and blow your mind.

So, with that, I'm going on a short sabbatical from blogging.

I won’t be publishing new essays or creative exercises on Keitharsis until Tuesday, April 3^rd.

Then, we can pick back up and continue exploring the crossroads of our everyday, creative and spiritual lives.

If you're interested, I'll be reading The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans and The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo.  And I plan to watch Inni by Sigur Ros and U2: From the Sky Down.  I will also be studying disjunction among tulip poplar trees.

If you have questions or want to "chat" in the meantime, hit me up on my Facebook page and I'll respond as soon as I can.

Your readership means more than words can express!  Thank you for your ongoing interest, encouragement and support. 

See you in April!

Oh yeah.  One more thing.

Joe Bunting, a creative writer and blogger I've had the great fortune of getting to know, has a fantastic blog for writers.  I've written a guest post for Joe's blog.

Click here to read it.  It will be on the theme of collecting and connecting.  Hope to see you over there later today!

Keitharsis is a blog about the creative life.  I took that photo above on a sabbatical that went very wrong this past November.  I'll share that story another day.

Strange, unrelated, oblique aside: I was listening to the song, "How It Ended" by The Drums as I wrote this.  I always write to music.  Do you?  Click here if you want to have a listen.

Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Laboratory"

Today's word is "laboratory".

The word within it is "rat" - laboRATory.

Need I say more?

I can't wait to see where you go with this one!  But don't fall into the trap of stating the obvious.

If you are stumped, try this instead:

Click here to read all the "word-in-a-word" exercises so far.  The goal of these exercises is to stimulate your creative thinking.

Keitharsis is a blog on creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It is written for creative writers and artists.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  Creative exercises (like this) are offered on Wednesdays.

On Finding Your Voice

My hometown is Dalton, Georgia. 

It sits in the northwest corner of the state, about 30 miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee and about 90 miles north of Atlanta.

Prior to the interstate system, many Florida-bound motorists had to pass through Dalton on “Dixie Highway”—U.S. 41.

Around the 1930s, local women began displaying their peacock-covered, chenille bedspreads along the highway for tourists to buy.  These bedspreads became so popular, the stretch of highway through town was known as “Peacock Alley”.

However, Dalton's manufacturing focus and reputation evolved in time from bedspreads to broadloom.  Today, Dalton is “the carpet capital of the world”.

"Voice" is a complex topic.

A lot of time and energy is invested by people and organizations in search of their “voice”.

Leaders seek a voice.

Artists seek a voice.

Companies and brands seek a voice.

Even cities and towns seek a voice.

Each of us seeks to “find our voice” in our family.  Our community.  Our careers.

But what do we mean by “voice”?  And what does it mean when we “find our voice”?

Like our fingerprint, our voice gives us identity in a cluttered, look-alike, sound-alike world.

When someone has “found their voice,” we typically mean they are communicating in ways that distinguish them.

For some, their voice is a direct reflection of who they are.  Like a politician or leader giving a speech.

For others, their voice is an indirect reflection of who they are.  Like a novelist or actor channeling pieces of themselves through the characters they embody.

We believe our voice is something discovered and plucked from the garden of our creative life.

Not so.

Our voice is not a piece of us.  It is the unique mixture of many pieces within us revealed as a collective—a portfolio.

Which means our voice cannot be found.  It can only be cultivated through the collecting and mixing of many independent things: our influences, interests and interior voices.

Which also means our voice evolves over time as we add to it.

Listen to U2’s War album.  Then listen to Zooropa.  Same band.  But their “voice” has evolved.

Same with David Bowie.  Bob Dylan.  Allen Ginsberg.  T.S. Eliot.  William Carlos Williams.  Tom Hanks.  Sofia Coppola.  And any other artist you can name.

As artists, we are always becoming.  And we never actually arrive.

Which is why we’re driven to keep writing, painting, performing, etc.

The rough edges and inconsistencies in our current work push us to iron them out in future works.  Today’s failures birth tomorrow’s successes.

Even the “voice” of a community, like my hometown, evolves in time.

Like a patchwork quilt, the collection of pieces within us blends to produce a richer, more beautiful whole.

Which brings us back to our creative voice.

It is not a single tomato plant growing in a garden.

It is the garden, with its unique variety, color and flavor.

Kind of like Peacock Alley.

What makes your voice beautiful is its texture.  Its complexity.  Its richness.  Its rawness.  Its vulnerability.

It’s like a beautiful harmony being sung—a collection of voices blending in tension, held in place by a root note.

Your voice is a portfolio of your influences, interests and personas.

It is uniquely you.  And it will evolve in time.

How are you cultivating it?

What will you add to it today?

I'm Keith and I blog about the creative life.  Tell your creative, artsy friends about it.  Even better, tell those that think they are "uncreative" to read an essay or two!

To Delight or Disappoint? That is the Question.

Here’s a confession.

Every time I publish an essay here on Keitharsis…

Every time I reply to your email or comment…

Every time I meet with you…

…I worry.

I worry that I will disappoint you.

That my writing and thinking, which initially excited you, will fade.

That those emails, you once read immediately, join that list of to-get-to emails you never get to.

At the same time, I desperately want to delight you.  Challenge you.  Provoke you.  Prune you.  Inspire you.

And to do that means I must push beyond my current knowledge and abilities and explore new territory into which I can invite you and show you around.

Which makes it inevitabile that I will, at some point, disappoint you.

This tension isn’t limited to my interest in and focus on you.

I don’t want to disappoint myself either.

And I want to be delighted, challenged, provoked, pruned and inspired too.

As a spiritual person, I also don’t want to disappoint God.  I want to delight God.

As a Southerner, I don’t want to disappoint my home and heritage.  I want to be a native son and source of community pride.

In the cocoon of craft, it’s easy to forget all that’s riding on our success.  It’s not until we move the products of our craft into society that we enter the tension of delight and disappointment.

It parallels our relationships, doesn’t it?

We want to delight those we love.  And not disappoint.

But without disappointment, there can be no real delight.  And without delight, there can be no real disappointment.

They co-exist.

You can’t have one without the other.

I can delight you and myself.  And will.

I can disappoint you and myself.  And will.

I can delight myself, but disappoint you.  And will.

I can delight you, but disappoint myself.  And will.

It’s a tension.

But this tension creates energy.

And that energy propels my creative focus and efforts beyond my current abilities and comfort zone.

And my evolving focus and efforts create work that’s surprising, fresh and infused with tension.

And that tension will either engage or alienate you.

Delight or disappoint you.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’s what makes creative work so exciting.

If you are trying to avoid disappointment in your creative life, it will undermine you and your work.

Because in minimizing disappointment (for yourself or your audience) you will minimize delight too.

You risk disappointment every day through those you love, don’t you?

Why not take that risk in your creative life too?

You won't be disappointed!

(Super cute photo by Supercraig & J on Flickr. Used through his Creative Commons license.)

Keitharsis explores creativity, roots and the portfolio life for writers and artists.

Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Gossip"

Today's word is "gossip".

The word within it is "sip" - gosSIP.

I just love this one!

I picture a cocktail party.  People sipping drinks and chatting about other people in the room.

I also like how we actually tend to sip gossip.  Unless, of course, it's a doozy.  Then we gulp!

What do you picture?

How do these two words connect in your mind?  What about your life?

Happy "leap" day!

Click here to read all the "word-in-a-word" exercises so far.

Keitharsis is a blog on creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It is written for creative writers and artists.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  Creative exercises (like this) are offered on Wednesdays.

The Artist's Role (It's Complex But Shouldn't Be Complicated)

Simple things tend to be static and singular.  Like Legos.

Complex things tend to be dynamic and multidimensional.  Like string theory or genetics.

We run into problems when we either complicate the simple or try to simplify the complex.

Our job is to achieve clarity. 

Our work should offer others direct access to both the simple and the complex.

Anything else blocks our work’s ability to connect with others.

When it comes to how we complicate the simple, think gossip.

With gossip, we take something simple (i.e. the truth) and we place a façade over it.  We complicate it.  Which blocks others' access to it.

We do this when we try to make our creative work look and sound certain ways that aren’t true to our subject or ourselves. 

When we try to make the complex simple, we place a façade over something truly complex—the façade of simplicity. Which complicates it.  And, like complicating the simple, it blocks others' access to it.

We do this when we buy into those misleading “3 easy steps to success” delusions.

To keep the simple simple, we must cut through the façades blocking our ability to see things as they really are.

Which means, at times, we might find ourselves playing a gadfly.  Or even a heretic.

And to make the complex accessible, we must pursue genius.

Think about the times you've found yourself in a conversation with an incredibly smart individual.  Without over-simplifying the subject, they have a unique ability to explain complex things in ways that make sense, don’t they?

For those of us who are writers, artists and creative types, we deal with the complex: human emotions, culture, history, myth, psychology and a range of other issues and experiences.

For those of us with a more spiritual approach to existence, we deal with the complex: philosophy, theology, translation, tradition and a range of other beliefs and practices.

And for those of us who run businesses and households, we deal with the complex: time, resource allocation, technology, systems and a range of other components.

We are surrounded by clutter.

We are barraged with spin.

Let's not complicate things.

Instead let's pursue clarity.

Let’s keep the simple simple.  And, when able, make the complex accessible.

Questions:

How have you redirected your creative work when you’ve caught it trying to complicate something simple?

And how have you redirected your work after discovering that it over-simplified something truly complex?

I’ve done it!  And still catch myself doing it.  And, as you might imagine, I’m desperately hoping I didn’t complicate this rather complex subject!

Keitharsis is a blog for creative people.  My goal is to help you overcome blocks and burnout that hurt you, your work and your community of supporters.

From Gifted to Gift Giver (Part 2 of 2)

I love the art and act of writing.

I have always loved it.

I love the feel and sound of a pencil scratching paper.

I love the lingering smell of its cedar on my fingers.

I love the callus on my middle finger from decades of gripping writing instruments.

I love the click of the keys as I type.

I love watching the cursor zip left to right across the screen, leaving a trail of digital ink.

I love trying to find the right words.

I love starting.

I love starting over.

I love finishing.

I love having an idea arrive at the worst possible place and time and scrambling like a junkie to score something on which to capture it.

I love seeing which ideas and lines connect with readers.  And which don’t.

There is something deeply spiritual and raw about the whole experience.

When I began writing creatively, I wrote whatever I wanted.

But something changed the moment I decided to share my writing with others.

In that moment, my role and responsibilities as a writer shifted from craft to community.  It shifted from being “gifted” to being a gift giver.

Which meant that my writing was no longer mine.

It was no longer for or about me.

I believe this shift creates one of the greatest obstacles for aspiring writers and artists to overcome.

I’ve certainly struggled with it.

Writing out of a love of writing is a completely different animal than writing to be read.  Because in giving you must give up the thing you offer.  You must let it go.

But what you receive in return is far more valuable.

Think about how you go about choosing a gift for someone.

You don’t go out and get them the gift you most want.  You get them the gift they most want, right?

The best gifts are intimate.  Sacrificial even.  They reveal your care and attention, as well as how well you know the recipient.

Many writers and artists I encounter don’t approach their work in this way—as if it is a gift to be given to another person.

They still see their work as theirs.

They treat their creative work as if it were about them.

But the moment we choose to share our work with others…

The moment we choose to give through the gifts we’ve received…

…that is the moment we become gift givers.

…that is the moment our work is no longer about us.

…that is the moment that separates aspiring creatives from those that achieve lasting impact.

You have been given the ability to create and connect.

You are gifted.

What are you doing with this gift?

Are you giving away that which you most want or that which others most need?

(Photo by Brandon Warren on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.)

Keitharsis is a blog for creative types. My hope is to help you stay unstuck & take creative risks. Please tell your friends about this little nook on the web.  Save time and click here to receive Tuesday through Thursday posts via email.

Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Blessing"

Today's word is "blessing".

The word within it is "sing" - blesSING.

A blessing is a request for favor and protection.  It also describes the receipt of these, as well.

I will never forget visiting the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees in Guangzhou, China.  My daughter received a blessing from a Buddhist priest.  It was delivered as a chant and was a very moving moment.

Also...when I "count my blessings" or feel blessed, my heart sings.

On that note, I want to tell you what a blessing it is that you take time out of your very busy day to read these strange little essays I write.

I don't take your readership for granted.  I know I won't always deliver what you need, but know that I work hard to inspire and challenge you in fresh ways.

I'm curious how these two words connect in your life?

If this is the first time you are reading a "Word-in-a-Word Wednesday" post, click here to learn how it works.  And click here to read all the posts so far.

Keitharsis is a blog on creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It is written for creative writers and artists.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  Creative exercises (like this) are offered on Wednesdays.

From Gifted to Gift Giver (Part 1 of 2)

When you hear the word “gifted,” what associations spring to mind?

Someone who is talented?

Intelligent?

Successful even? 

That's Andy Warhol chatting it up with Tennessee Williams in the photo.  They were gifted, right?

Do you consider yourself to be gifted?

I think our use of the word “gifted” is bastardized.

To be gifted should simply mean to be given something.

And we’re all given things.  Experiences.  Knowledge.  Aptitudes.

Yet few of us see ourselves as gifted.

Why?

As a creative person, you’ve been given something unique and special.

You’ve been given the ability to receive ideas and inspirations that the rest of us either don’t see or can’t access.  Inspirations unique to you.

And you’ve been given abilities and tools to take those ideas and inspirations and craft them into something that can be passed onto and experienced by others.

You are gifted.

YOU are gifted.

Want to know why you are gifted?

You are gifted so that you can give.

How does this make you feel?

How does this change your relationship with your creative work?

How does this change your role and responsibility as a writer, artist or creative?

(Let’s explore that last question in depth this Thursday.)

Space & Silence

Your greatest fear is your greatest ally.

It appears to be nothing, but it is everything.

Here it is:

* I have hosting duties at a national conference today (Thursday), so I will respond to your comments, email and social media posts tomorrow (Friday).

Keitharsis is a blog for writers, artists and creatives.  New posts appear each Tuesday and Thursday.  Creative exercises are shared on Wednesdays.

Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Message"

Today's word is "message".

The word within it is "sage" - mesSAGE.

A message is a communication to someone that can't be contacted directly.

A sage is a very wise person.

It's not coincidence that messages from sages continue to travel through space and time to future generations.

And it's no coincidence that messages from sages remain sources to which we return for intellectual, emotional and spiritual enlightenment.

Do you communicate with others as if you could, one day, be a sage?

Why or why not?

If this is the first time you are reading a "Word-in-a-Word Wednesday" post, click here to learn how it works.

Keitharsis is a blog on creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It is written for creative writers and artists.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  Creative exercises (like this) are offered on Wednesdays.

A Love Story (In 3 Acts)

There is nothing like the hope of falling in love.

And there is nothing like falling in love.

Sometimes I wonder which of the two is more powerful: the hope or reality.

One morning, we enter a typical (or so it seems) day, go the places we go and do the things we do.

But something happens.

We meet someone.

THE one.

And our life is forever changed from that moment on.

Of course, it happens in different ways for different folks.

But the story structure is the same: we meet someone, fall in love and live happily ever after.  Or, as someone said in an interview I read yesterday, “we live pretty much happily ever after”. 

Of course, sometimes we don’t.

Have you ever thought of your creative life—your relationship with your art—as a three-act story?

Our creative life, it seems, has the ingredients of an epic story.

In Act I (often referred to as “the setup”), you are trudging along, minding your own business, when you encounter something that alters the pressure and temperature in the room.

It could be the arrival of an idea.

Or the discovery that something you do changes the way people engage the world.

Or your direct exposure to art or someone creative.

Whatever it is, if forever changes you.

You begin a new creative life.  And enjoy a honeymoon phase where everything is tingly and exciting.

In Act II (often called “the conflict”), you begin to discover who you are and what you’re supposed to do with this talent you’ve been given.

Your creative endeavors begin to feel more like chores and obligations than exciting adventures.

You experience failure.  Indifference.  Rejection.  Attack.  Irrelevance.

Your creative life is chock full of struggle and tension.

There’s lots of blood and colorful language that inevitably climax with the protagonist (i.e. you) wondering if all the work and sacrifice is worth it.

After all, no one else seems to care about your work.  Why should you?

And just as you decide it’s time to hang it up, just as you begin to walk away, it happens.

In Act III (called “the resolution”), you achieve breakthrough.

You discover something about yourself you never knew. 

And you re-enter your creative work with a renewed spirit of hope that, even though things are tough, you believe you can and will prevail.

The three-act structure is everywhere.

Act I: Setup.  Act II: Conflict.  Act III: Resolution.

Act I: Eden.  Act II: Wilderness.  Act III: Promised Land.

Act I: Immigration.  Act II: Sacrifice.  Act III: American Dream.

Act I: Fall in love.  Act II: Marriage.  Act III: Happily Ever After.

Act I: Joshua Tree.  Act II: Achtung Baby!  Act III: All You Can’t Leave Behind

And for you and I as writers, artists and creatives, it looks like this:

Act I: Discovery.  Act II: Struggle.  Act III: Breakthrough.

Do you know where you are in your story?

If you are in Act I, I’m very excited for you, but it's about to get messy.

If you are in Act II, don’t give up!

And if you are in Act III, congratulations—now it’s time for reinvention.  Which means that you have to accept that today’s Act III is tomorrow’s Act I.

Where are you in your creative life?

Where are you in your story?

How invested are you in finding out how that story ends?

We’re all looking for heroes.

We're looking for someone willing make huge sacrifices out of their love for their art and others.

We need a protagonist we can root for.

Why can't it be you?

If you enjoyed today's essay, you may like another I wrote on the 3-act structure here: Are You a One-Act or Three-Act Creative?

And, in the spirit of Valentine's, you may enjoy this one: Art and First Kisses

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cultivating a Mantra & Ministry in Your Creative Life

When people describe the “whys” of their creative life, I tend to hear “E” words.

“I need to express myself.”

“I like to teach (i.e. educate) people.”

“I want to entertain people.”

“I hope to enlighten others.”

“I enjoy writing/painting/performing/etc.”

I’ve come to believe that these are not the root reason we write, paint, sing, strum, drum, photograph, design, sculpt, cook or do anything “creative”.

Sure, we enjoy the process and product of our chosen art.  But I don’t think that’s why we really do creative work.

I believe at the root of our creative impulse is a need to connect.  With ourselves.  With others.  With God.  With our world.  And with a host of other things.

This seemingly inherent need to connect manifests itself in our desire to express, entertain, educate, enlighten, etc.

Which means our creative life is relational at its root.

And if connection is at the root of why we create, then it seems the highest calling of a creative life is to tend to the needs of ourselves and others.

The creative life deepens and cleanses our everyday life.

It’s cathartic.

However, without a root, without an anchor, without a focus, our ability to tend to each other’s needs can be scattered and shallow.

A mantra can focus your creative efforts.

And a ministry can fuel them.

A mantra is a frequently repeated word or phrase that helps you focus.

A ministry is a specific way you tend to the needs of another living being.

I know I’ve taken some liberties with these definitions, but this is what each means at its core.

Do you have a mantra?  A focusing agent for your creative work?

And have you ever thought of your creative life as a ministry?

My mantra is to, “See the familiar in unfamiliar ways.”

I got lucky and discovered this as a Literature major in college.  But it’s taken me nearly two decades to figure out how to apply it.

As I write poetry, essays or even blog posts, I am constantly repeating this mantra in my head.  As I find myself writing things that are obvious, predictable or have been said before, I delete them and begin again.

As I’ve cultivated the ability to see the familiar in unfamiliar ways, I have developed a unique ability to help creative people overcome block, burnout and loneliness.  It's my ministry.

I want my writing to be a sanctuary for you.  A place of respite.  And a space of reawakening.

Consider finding a mantra that focuses your creative work.

And consider offering your creative work as a ministry to others.

You can tend to their physical needs.  Emotional needs.  Intellectual needs.  Spiritual needs.  Relationship needs.  Financial needs.  Environmental needs.  Or spatial needs.

And your work can be educational, entertaining, enlightening, expressive or all these mixed together.

Whatever you do, keep connecting.

I know it can be lonely, thankless and frustrating.

And I know it can feel as if you are floating aimlessly at times.

But it’s called the creative life, because it requires you to create it as you go.

And, as with all creative endeavors, it takes a few drafts before you get it right.

Keitharsis focuses on creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It is written for writers, artists and other creatives.  New essays are published each Tuesday & Thursday.  A creative exercise is published each Wednesday.  Click here to receive all new posts via email.

Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Heart"

Before next week’s Word-in-a-Word Wednesday, we will have celebrated Valentine’s Day.

So, in the spirit of Valentine’s, today’s word is “heart”.

The word “art” is in heart: heART.

What is the relationship of art and heart in your creative life?

Is heart a necessary ingredient in Art?  Or can Art stand apart from it?

If this is the first time you are reading a "Word-in-a-Word Wednesday" post, click here to learn how it works.

Keitharsis is a blog on creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It is written for creative writers and artists.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  Creative exercises (like this) are offered on Wednesdays.

The Single Most Important Thing You Need to "Color Outside the Lines"

There is something alluring and romantic about the idea of coloring outside lines.

I can’t name a single “creative person” who doesn’t want to color outside the proverbial lines.  Can you?

It’s what we live to do.

It captures and communicates our deeply held values for free expression.

Why, then, can coloring outside the lines be so elusive and challenging?

If you plan to “color outside the lines” in your creative work, career or life, there is one core ingredient that MUST be present.

Without it, it is absolutely impossible for you to ever color outside anything.

Know what it is?

Lines.

Without lines, there is no outside to color.

This is why I believe your and my creativity thrives in restraint.

And why I believe tension is a necessary ingredient in our creative processes, products and culture.

It was the lines of segregation outside which Martin Luther King, Jr. colored.

It was the lines of the European literary tradition outside which Walt Whitman colored.

It is the lines of traditional philanthropy outside which Jacqueline Novogratz colors.

When we start with a blank canvas and complete freedom, we have nothing of real consequence or significance injecting conflict and tension into our work.

Structure restrains freedom.  Which means structure and freedom exist in a perpetual state of tension.

Therefore, our creativity thrives (or dies) on our ability to find freedom within structure.

Take free verse poetry.  Technically, there are no rules.  But most poets’ attempts to write free verse poetry suck.

Poetry has thrived on the tensions created by poets propagating new traditions and philosophies.  That’s why there are so many “schools” and generations of poetry.  Which means the history of poetry is a lineage of poets creating rules so they (or others) could break them.  Or lines they (or others) could cross.

You could say the same of painters, photographers, musicians, architects, chefs, dancers, filmmakers, sculptors or any other Creative you can imagine.  You can even say this about entrepreneurs and executives.

We need lines so we (or someone) can color outside them.

Just like we need boxes so we (or someone) can think outside them.

So next time you find yourself feeling creatively blocked or burnt out, don’t start with a blank page, canvas or screen.

Start with something that restrains you.  Then push against that in your work until you find freedom.

Don’t believe me?  Try telling a child they can’t have something they want.  Then watch how unbelievably creative they get in an onslaught of attempts to change your answer.

And next time someone criticizes you or your work, remember that all they’re really doing is coloring outside the lines you represent to them.

How do you use restraint and structure in your work to propel your creativity?

(Photo by Mykl Roventine on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.)

Keitharsis explores creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It is written for writers and artists from all walks of life.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  A creative exercise is published each Wednesday.

I'm over at "The Handwritten" today

Today, my guest post for Michael Perkins' blog, The Handwritten, is live.

In it I use a New Testament metaphor to offer a parallel between art and faith.

If you're interested, you can read the post and leave a comment by clicking here or on the image above.

See you here tomorrow, where we'll think "outside the box" about doing creative work that is "outside the box".

There are 2 Types of People in the World (So What's That Mean For You & Me?)

There are two types of people in the world, the saying goes.

And you are either one or the other.

But you're really not, are you?

Then again, maybe you are.

I mean, you’re either a have or a have not.

An insider or an outsider.

Loud and gregarious or quiet and reserved.

An indoor person or an outdoor person.

Ectomorphic or endomorphic.  (Does anyone ever see themselves as mesomorphic?)

Beatles or Stones.

A little bit country or a little bit rock-and-roll.

Mac or PC.

Nice or naughty.

Oscar Madison or Felix Unger.

Right?

So how on earth does this relate to your creative life?

There are two types of people in the world.  And both live inside you.

They live inside me too.

It’s why “we’re a million different people from one day to the next,” as The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” goes.

It’s why we waffle back and forth over seemingly inconsequential things.

It’s why, as human beings, we are unpredictable and make illogical choices.

It’s why we struggle to "find" ourselves.

And why we’re never really comfortable in our own skin.

It’s why we’re complex and multidimensional.

It’s like the cartoons we watched as kids where a pitchfork-wielding devil sits on one shoulder offering us the world while the little angel with a halo on the other shoulder keeps contradicting everything he says.

Except it is not just good vs. bad.

It is not as simple as two poles in tension in our lives.

There are millions of poles in tension all at once within us.

“Should I get my workout in or play with my kids?”

“Should I fold the laundry and scrub toilets or get some writing done while everyone’s out of the house?”

“Should I query that editor or keep honing my craft?”

“Should I be more outgoing or keep more to myself?”

“Should I stick with the plan or be spontaneous?”

“Should I forgive or fire him?”

“Should I focus on today or the future?”

We’re not only in constant motion in the outside world, we’re in constant motion within ourselves.

We fluctuate between all these poles at work within us based upon an ever-changing mix of internal and external stimuli.

And it’s this internal chaos that makes us to want to simplify our lives.

Get control.

Find balance.

And shut up all those voices in our head!

But what if this internal tension is what fuels our creativity?

I can't name one perfectly content Creative who is producing major work.  Can you?

Most of us are running away from something.

Or running to something.

Or needing to prove something.

We're incomplete.

We're complicated.

We're hypocrites.

We doubt.

We care.

And I don't think this is something we can (or should) purge from our lives.

Quite the opposite.

I think it's what makes us real and human.

It's what connects us.

Because it's through our humanity (i.e. our struggles, pain, loss, hopes, doubts, quirks, insecurities) that we connect with one another.

You're reading this because I hope you sense a kindred spirit in the world.

I hope you feel a connection.

I hope you feel like you belong here.

And as for that creative life of yours you love so much...

The one that sustains you and gets you out of bed in the morning...

The one no one in your life will ever truly understand or appreciate...

...it is a shared life.

You are not alone.

And you are not simply one of two types of people in the world.

You are a portfolio of tensions, ideas, personalities and choices.

And that's what makes you uniquely you!

So head to your work space, lean into the tension in your life and let one of those voices in your head rise up and say the unsaid, see the unseen and feel the unfelt.

(Photo by Miss Sydney Marie on Flickr.  Used under Creative Commons.)

Keitharsis is about creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It's written for writers, artists and other creative souls in the world.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  A new creative exercise is offered on Wednesdays.  If you like what you read, will you please share it with others?

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Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Creative"

Today's word is "creative".

The word within it is "eat" - crEATive.

How does eating relate to being creative?

To help you learn how to join in this Word-in-a-Word series, here's my take...

We go to the creative to feed our senses, our heads, our hearts and our spirits.

Encounters with the creative are life-giving.

It's why a concert or song or movie or painting or photograph or play or book moves us so deeply and on so many levels.

It nourishes us.

It cleanses us too.

We are creative beings who have become uncreative in our understanding and practices of creativity.

And it's through our encounters with the creative that we can be filled in ways that allow us to feed others.

Okay, your turn!

How does eating relate to being creative?

If this is the first time you are reading a "Word-in-a-Word Wednesday" post, click here to learn how it works.

Keitharsis is a blog on creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It is written for creative writers and artists.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  Creative exercises (like this) are offered on Wednesdays.

Am I Good Enough?

That is the question so many of us ask ourselves.  And others.

Why?

Why is external validation so important?

And how can we know when we’re good enough?

In their book, Art & Fear, authors David Bayles and Ted Orland share the story of a ceramics class.

The teacher divided the class into two groups.

One group was to be graded by the quantity of their work.  Their grade was to be determined by the weight of all the pots they submitted.  The more pots, the greater the weight, the better their grade.

The other group was to be graded on the quality of one pot.  Which meant the one they submitted had to be perfect.

You might be able to guess what happened.

The quality of pots submitted by the “quantity” group exceeded that of the “quality” group.

Why?

Because the quantity group learned from their mistakes, made adjustments and kept improving their output, while the quality group “sat theorizing about perfection,” rather than doing the work.

Since reading this vignette years ago, it continues to feed me and my creative work.

Harvard Business Review published a blog post by Heidi Grant Halvorson in February 2011 titled, “Nine Things Successful People Do Differently”.  It remains one of the more popular posts on their blog.

One of the things she cited was a “focus on getting better, rather than being good.”

These two ideas fit very nicely together.

The more pots you make, the better your pots will get.  And if you focus on getting better, you will eventually be not only good enough, but among the best at your craft.

But, despite what it appears, this isn’t about being “the best”.  Or being “successful”.

Both are very distracting ideas.  Like being “good enough,” they are born out of a desire for external validation.

My maternal grandfather was a master gardener.  His tomatoes exploded in your mouth.  My grandmother would can his tomatoes so we could make homemade vegetable soup throughout the winter.

Not many outside our family new my Pop had perfected his tomatoes over years of trial and error.  Which meant just a few of us (in a world approaching seven billion people) got to experience and celebrate them.

Pop’s joy was in the craft of growing tomatoes each year.  And in seeing if each year’s patience and practice yielded a delightful crop.

He knew.  Even when the tomatoes tasted incredible, he knew if they fell short of his discerning tastes.

Like my Pop, my joy lies in my craft and the challenge it brings me.

It’s what gets me out of bed.

It’s what keeps me from going to bed.

It feeds me.

And in feeding me, I’m able to feed the heads and hearts of a few others.

More than I ever expected, actually.

But the reality is this: I’m not good enough.  Never will be.

My creative work will never be good enough either.

I always see ways I (and my work) can get better.

Because I deeply care about it. 

And that is good enough for me.

I hope your creative work is good enough for you, as well.

Let it spill over for others.

Keitharsis is a blog for creative writers and artists.  It seeks to help you find fresh perspectives and inspiration for doing your work.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  A creative exercise is published each Wednesday.

The Tension

Everything exists in tension.

Our personalities are a mix of tensions: introversion vs. extroversion, spontaneity vs. order, emotion vs. reason, etc.

Ethics is built on tensions: truth vs. loyalty, short-term vs. long-term, individual vs. community, justice vs. mercy.

Even taking a sip of that coffee beside you requires tension: the upward force you create must overcome the tension of gravity plus the weight of the object, right?

Tension is simply the energy (positive AND negative) created by two or more objects pushing and pulling against each other.

If you were to go back and read every essay on this blog, you would discover that the vast majority of my essays are built on tensions.  And the most interesting tensions are “right vs. right,” rather than “right vs. wrong”.

Here's a sampling:

• Should we seek depth or diversity in our creative work?
• Should our lives be balanced or harmonized?
• Is creativity received externally or self-generated internally?
• Are our lives paths or portfolios?
• Should we embrace mystery or demystify it?

Tensions cannot be resolved.  They are perpetual.  They exist because of the co-existence of opposing forces.

At best, we can find relief from tensions, but not release.

I believe our creative lives serve as cathartic agents for the tensions in our everyday lives.  (Get the name of this blog now?)

So my hope is to challenge the way you view all the tensions you are experiencing as you do your creative work.  And I hope you can channel them into groundbreaking work. 

One of the most prevalent tensions inherent in my work as a writer is the tension of process vs. product.

My desire to produce great work (i.e. products) makes me want to spend too much time and energy within my processes: researching, re-writing, proofing, editing, etc.

At the same time, I can't call myself a writer without a portfolio of published work, right?

To acquiesce to product would result in a surplus of crappy, drafty products due to unrefined, rigid processes.

And to acquiesce to process would result in a spin-cycle of projects that get tweaked to death and never actually produced.

So what to do?

The fact is there is no right or best answer.  I need both my processes and my products as a writer.  It’s simply a tension I must recognize, accept and manage.

If you are trying to rid your creative life of tension, please stop.

The tension is your energy source.  Your secret sauce.

Not just the tensions surrounding you as you do your work.  But the tensions your work hopefully creates in the world.

And great work creates tension.  Debate.  Study.

So please take note of the tensions in your life.  Accept them and try to figure out how to use them to your advantage.

After all, no tension…no attention.

It’s that simple.  And hard.

This week’s essays focused on “the circumstances” and “the tension” that surround our creative work.

Our natural tendency is to see these as threats to our creativity.

But I don't believe they are.

I believe they are root ingredients in our creativity.

(Photo by Scott Anderson on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons.)

Keitharsis is a blog about creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It is written for writers and artists from all walks of life.  Please tell you friends about this blog.  Also, save time and join others who receive these posts via email, click here.

Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Generation"

Today's word is "generation".

The word within it is "era" - genERAtion.

Does a generation define an era? 

Or does an era define a generation?

If this is the first time you are reading a "Word-in-a-Word Wednesday" post, click here to learn how it works.

Keitharsis is a blog on creativity, roots and the portfolio life.  It is written for creative writers and artists.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  Creative exercises and challenges are offered on Wednesdays.

The Circumstances

"It's not how well you are able to make a movie.  It's how well you are able to make a movie under the circumstances."  George Lucas

 

Eighteen years ago, I spent my evenings sitting on the roof of an old Civil War-era mansion in the Garden District of New Orleans.  I was a 23-year-old with a head full of poetry and ideas and images and stories.

I would sit for hours listening to the sounds of the night. The muffled small talk of strangers.  The wind in the trees.  Passing cars.  The patter of rain.  Occassional gunfire.

And I would write.

Not a week passed that I didn't walk or drive past the house in which F. Scott Fitzgerald once lived.

Not a week passed that I didn't walk up to the courtyard gate and look at the house once occupied by George Washington Cable.  A house that Mark Twain visited.

Not a week passed that I didn't stalk Ellis Marsalis and the other local jazz gods playing clubs, hotel lobbies and funeral parlors, among other nooks & crannies.

If I could go back in time and have a conversation with myself, that time in New Orleans would be my moment of insertion.

It was a defining period for me.  It's where I honestly felt that I was put on this earth to be a writer and poet.

By the end of that year, I would put that dream on a shelf and not acknowledge it for another three years.  And I would struggle for an additional ten years after that trying to rediscover my voice...the voice I had found in New Orleans.

Know what I would tell myself?

I would say, "Befriend the circumstances."

Somehow find comfort in the discomfort.

Because you will never have enough time.

You will never have enough knowledge.

You will never have enough energy.

You will never have enough skill.

You will never have enough courage.

You will never feel ready.

And you will never have enough support to write the perfect book.  Or article.  Or essay.  Or poem.  Or song.

It's not how well you are able to write something.  It's how well you are able to write something under the circumstances.

That, I think, is what separates professional writers and artists from aspiring ones.

And, as I'm certain you have discovered, there are always circumstances.

Right?

 (Photo by Ben Bitzenhofer on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.)

Keitharsis is a blog by a writer for writers, poets and artists.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  A new creative challenge is published each Wednesday.  Please tell you friends!

Cross-pollination & Your Creative Work

Do you use cross-pollination techniques in your creative work?

It's an effective way of working from a portfolio-orientation rather than a path-orientation.  Because it allows you to work on multiple projects, rather than focus exclusively on just one.

I work on multiple writing projects throughout the day in a nonlinear way, rather than move from one to the other in a linear fashion.

Plus I don't "batch" my writing by working on pieces with common themes.  I may be working on a thought leadership article on hospital marketing, a poem or two, an essay on the relationship of faith and creativity and a blog post on the same day.

I work like a bumble bee in a patch of clover flowers in the early summer.  Bouncing from one to the other in an intuitive, but random way.

This has had serendipitous effects on my creative writing.

I believe one of the secret sauces in my blog - one of the things that make it stand out - is that I am a poet, not a "blogger".  And I spend a lot of time working with metaphor, figurative language and acrobatic juxtaposition rather than "how-to" pieces.

And the fact that I work on poems and blog posts at the same time influences how I write and what you read here.

This cross-pollination not only occurs in our creative work, but our everyday life as well.

I was watching a PBS documentary on the bioregional history of Appalachia and one of the academians talked about disjunction.  He said the exact same species of tulip poplar exists in Southern China and Appalachia, and no where else in the world.

At the time I was watching this, I was rocking my sleeping daughter, who happens to be from Southern China.  (And I'm a Southern boy.)

The TV show cross-pollinated with my family's reality and gave me the idea of a poem on the tulip poplar and disjunction referencing not just trees, but families.

However, as I was working on that poem, it cross-pollinated with an idea I had sketched as a blog post on the benefits of working on several projects at the same time.  And, right now, you are reading the results of that!

So how are you allowing for serendipity in your creative work?

Do you tend to work on one thing at a time?  Or do you tend to float between multiple projects throughout the day?

There's no "right" way, of course.  But I hope this cross-pollinates with some ideas you're already working on and yields creative gold for you.

(photo by Dan Pearce on Flickr)

Keitharsis is a blog about creativity, roots & the portfolio life.  It is written primarily for writers and artists.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  Creative exercises are offered each Wednesday.

Word-in-a-Word Wednesday: "Request"

If you are a regular reader of Keitharsis, you are used to the long-standing Tuesday/Thursday pace.

Well it's time to change things up.  Sort of.

In addition to my regular Tuesday/Thursday essays on creativity, roots and the portfolio life, I'd like to introduce a series on Wednesdays for those of you interested in PRACTICING creative thinking.

Yep, practicing.

It's the way to Carnegie Hall, right?

I'm calling this new series, "Word-in-a-Word Wednesday".

Here's how it works.

I will introduce a word, then point out a word within it.

Your challenge is to take each word in a word and figure out a creative way the two words connect.

For example, the word "art" is in the word "earth": eARTh.

If this were the Wednesday word, I would ask you questions about how art relates to the earth, for example.

You can either respond in the comments on this blog, on my Facebook page for creative writers & artists, in your head, on your blog or where and how you like.

Make sense?

Today's word is "request".

The word "quest" is in the word request:  reQUEST

Are requests from others quests?

Can they be?

How has someone's request become a quest in your life?

(I hope you enjoy this!  I hope it challenges you.  And, don't worry, Word-in-a-Word Wednesday posts going forward will be VERY short!)

Tuning In: The Moment of Creative Reception

Ideas and inspiration are constantly moving in and around us.

One moment we’re loading the dishwasher. 

The next, a fully formed poem arrives.

Or a song.

Or a teaching.

Or a seed in the form of a phrase or image or idea.

When this happens, we have a choice.

We can capture it.  Or we can let it go.

I believe we are conduits.

I believe we are channels through which creativity flows.

I don’t think the creative impulse (i.e. the seed of an idea or inspiration) is self-generated.  I think it is received.

And I like the idea that, as poet and professor David Bottoms has said, we are like radio antennas that can intercept and transmit that signal.

Why else do we go to a play, concert, speech, movie, poetry reading or art exhibit and walk away refreshed and inspired?

Why else do we read a great book or listen to a great song and want to write or compose something?

Why else do we find ourselves out for a walk or doing household chores when an idea hits?

Our encounters with the creative move us to want to create.

Have you ever wondered why this is the case?

What I love about this idea of creativity is it means we have a responsibility.

We have the ability and opportunity to receive the creative impulse, capture it, craft it into something, and share it with others so they can receive it.

We receive to give so that others can receive.

I like that.

So are you tuned in?

Are you receptive to the creative impulse?

And, once that idea or inspiration arrives, are you ready to capture it, craft it and share it with others?

I sure hope so.

(photo by Hytok on Flickr)

Keitharsis is a blog about creativity, roots & the portfolio life.  It is written for writers, artists and Creatives.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.

Why My Life is a Portfolio Not a Path (Yours Too)

My life is not a path.

It is a collection of paths.

And I am not just a writer.

I am a poet.

A husband.

A father.

A friend.

A healthcare professional.

A teacher.

A composer.

A marketer.

An artist.

Among other things.

My artistic influences are are not a handful of people who happen to be top-of-mind.  My influences are everything I’ve come in contact with since birth.

I am Southern.

But I’m Georgia Southern.

Florida Southern.

Texas Southern.

Louisiana Southern.

And Tennessee Southern too.

My family is American.

It’s also Chinese.

And Irish.

And Scottish.

And English.

And Prussian.

And Cherokee.

My career is not a path either.

It is a collection of projects.  And companies.  And groups of people.

This blog is not my only platform.

I use Twitter and Facebook too.

And other websites.

And email.

And print publications.

I even happen to like face-to-face communication.  One-to-one.  Small groups.  And big groups too.

Path-thinking, although poetic, is limiting.  It’s linear.

And the world in which I live and work is nonlinear.

It’s like a bustling city at rush hour.  A million different people doing a million different things in a million different ways at a million different times.

For years, I tried to live a linear life in this nonlinear world.

And I felt stuck.

I didn’t know what I was called to do in life.  (As if it were only one thing.)

I didn’t know if I was doing the right things.

I never knew if I was heading in the right direction.

I never felt my life was balanced.

Until I came to realize that everything in my life (and life in general) is a collection of things, rather than a single thing.

Think about your body.

Think about an ecosystem.

Think about the internet.

Think about language.

Think about a garden.

Think about a meal.

Everything is a portfolio.

A painter is a portfolio of his paintings, philosophies and influences.

And one of his paintings is a portfolio of materials, colors and textures.

And each color is a portfolio of ingredients.

My life is not a path.

It is a portfolio…

…of paths

…of projects

…of personas

…of places

…of people

…of platforms.

Your life is a portfolio too.

So quit looking for a road to take.

And quit misreading poems about roads that diverge in a yellow wood.

Imagine, instead, that you are Thomas Edison standing in his laboratory.  Hundreds of experiments going on.  People in lab coats bustling about.

And no one, neither you nor Edison, knows what will happen.  Or which invention or experiment will captivate people’s imaginations.

The only way to know is to try.  And try again.  Until something works.

The porfolio life is one of trying, testing, measuring and adapting.

It's about practicing a life of harmony, not balance.

It frees me to be whomever I need to be right now.

And do whatever I need to do.

And use whatever people and platforms are available to me.

And go wherever I need to go.

To do the creative work I am put on this earth to do.

(Creative Commons photo by Jim Bumgardner on Flickr)

Keitharsis is a blog designed to help writers & artists get and stay unstuck in their creative life (and everyday one).  If you like what you read, please help spread the word.  And join me on my new Facebook page too: KeithJenningsHQ

Sheet Music (A Meditation on the Creative Life)

Each year my church has what’s called “Youth Sunday”.

On Youth Sunday, the teenagers of our church take over the worship service.

They sing in the choir.

They take up the offering.

They preach.

They run the service.

What I love about Youth Sunday is its rawness.

It is unpolished.

It is a bit unpredictable.

It makes me lean in and pay attention.

During this past year’s Youth Sunday service, a young lady played a violin piece that was absolutely stunning.  Let’s call her Natasha.

Our music minister, Bryan, accompanied her on piano.

Bryan is an accomplished musician and singer with such an array of tastes and talents it simultaneously awes and depresses me.

While Natasha was glued to the sheet music, Bryan had his eyes on Natasha.

As Natasha’s pace and pitch wavered ever so slightly in one direction or the other, Bryan adjusted his accompaniment to where she was.

I encounter and read many people trying to architect their creative lives like Natasha’s violin playing.

They think they need sheet music.

They think they need to always be in tune and in time.

They think the goal is to play the song of life perfectly.  Whatever that means.

But our greatest breakthroughs come from accidents and experiments.  And unexpected detours.

We deepen through life’s tendency to cut us and kick us in the ass.

What makes Youth Sunday so engaging, so interesting, is the fact that it is real, raw and a refreshing change from the established pace of a typical Sunday.

I think Bryan’s playing holds a key.

There is joy in accompanying others so that they can shine.

There is joy in finding creative blends that can add depth and texture to something being done no matter how rote or imperfect.

It requires mastery on our part.  But we can do this as writers and artists.

We can do this as parents.  Friends.  Employees.  Bosses.  And teachers too.

It seems life's joy lies in our finding ways to creatively blend with others and bring beauty out of whatever song is being played at the moment.

(photo by Ali Wade on Flickr)

Keitharsis helps writers & artists get and stay unstuck in their creative lives (and real ones).  New essays published each Tuesday and Thursday.  Invite your friends to read!

One in a Million vs. One of Millions

This post is for bloggers, writers and hopefuls.

Are you writing to serve “the public”?

Or are you writing to serve your craft?  Your ideas?  Your ideals?

If you know anything about publishing these days, you know that our job, as writers, is to bring readers to publishers.  Publishers no longer bring readers to writers.

This creates an interesting paradox.

To win readers, we must write what readers want to read.  Which typically means writing what’s popular now.  And in styles and formats that are “proven”.

However, by writing what’s popular, we become a grain of sand on a beach – one of millions, rather than one in a million.

Some of you are just starting out as writers and bloggers.

Others of you have been at this many years and have experienced minor to moderate success.

So are you writing to serve your ideas?  Or are you writing to serve strangers?

The easy, cop-out answer is both.  So I won’t let you go there.

Because if you try to serve both, you will serve neither very well.

You must either write out of your quest or obsession with something.  Or you must write to please others.

And I think the only option for serious writers is to write to serve our craft, ideas and ideals.

My friend, Michael Perkins, writes one of my favorite blogs.

He handwrites each post.  And juxtaposes it with a verse in the Bible.

He’s doing something very rare in the blogging world, which makes him one in a million, rather than one of millions.

I hope you will check out what Michael is doing.  Not for religious reasons, but because Michael is a great model for how to break the rules of blogging (and writing) to serve your idea, rather than a consumer.

Believe it or not, Michael abandoned a “successful” blog to serve his ideas and ideals.  And it’s working out for him really well.

Michael's main blog link is here.  Look around to see what he's doing.

If you're interested, sign up for his blog and read his new eBook on starting over as a blogger.  Click here to learn more about that.

Keitharsis is a blog for writers and artists, written by a writer and artist.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.

How to Tell When You've Stopped Being Creative

The moment you stop risking...

The moment you stop experimenting...

The moment you stop hoping...

The moment you stop fighting...

The moment you stop caring...

The moment you stop sharing...

The moment it becomes a job,

and stops being a love worth fighting for...

or a mystery worth solving...

or an adventure worth having...

...that's the moment you stop being creative.

When your life is chock full of tension from your risks, experiments, hope, fights, care and giving...

When you don't settle or compromise...

When it's more than just a job...

...that's when you are living the creative life.

You'll always know when you are being creative, because you will feel alive.

And you will feel as if you are living in some in-between space where you simultaneously feel joy and rage.  Excitement and terror.

So how are you feeling these days?

Are you retreating into safety and predictability in your life?

Or are you pushing for the edges?

Keitharsis is a blog for creative writers and other Creatives.  Essays like this are designed to help you overcome block and burn-out.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.  Tell your friends!

Resolutions, Renewal & the New Year

The future is unknowable.

It is always unfolding.

It is always becoming the present.

So it is not something we solve and move onto something else.

It is something we solve over and over every day.

I guess you could say it is something we re-solve.

And that, to me, is what a resolution is: a re-solution.

It’s an adventure into the unknown.  A quest.

But that is not how we traditionally think of resolutions for the New Year.

We traditionally strip away the mystery.  Or we deny it.

Sure, I need to eat better.

And I need to get in better shape.  Lose some weight, even.

I certainly could use a few more bucks in the bank.

I think I have a few books in me that want to be written.

I crave more quality time with my family and friends.

And I wish I had more time, money and energy to support people and organizations involved in adoption, medical care for children with facial deformities and orphan care throughout the world.

But these are not resolutions.  To me, a resolution is not a thing to do.  And it is not a destination.

A resolution is an intentional quest to try something new knowing it will test our faith and courage.

It’s a re-solving of our own fears, doubts and dependencies.

Because, in the end, it’s not the destination that really matters.  It’s the people we encounter.  The stories we live to tell.  The lessons we learn.  The pride we feel knowing we gave everything we had to something bigger than ourselves.  Something of benefit to others.

If you are familiar with the show The Biggest Loser at all, you know that by the end of each season winning is no longer the primary goal of the contestants.  They are renewed.  Transformed.  What becomes most important to them is the new life they've found.

They are resolved.  Renewed.  Not because they have fulfilled their goals.  But because they have found them.  They have a purpose, a reason, a quest, an adventure awaiting them each day.  And it's this quest, not a destination, that injects them with meaning and hope.

Is your New Year resolution really to lose weight or get a better job or write that book?  Or are these symptoms of a deeper need?

Maybe, just maybe, we should re-solve something specific that’s blocking us from living creatively.

After all, the word creative, at its root, means new or renewed. 

And finding renewal sounds like a great resolution for the New Year.

Happy New Year!  Until next year...

If you found this little essay helpful (or renewing), please share it with others.  You never know...a simple little email, Facebook update or tweet may plant the seed that transforms someone's life.

A Challenge for Parents to Read to Their Kids in 2012

Is Huckleberry Finn a children’s book?

Of course it is. 

And of course it’s not.

I don’t believe there is such a thing as a children’s book.

A great story is a great story, right?

I have beaten myself up this year over two lingering problems.

Problem #1:  Since my older sons have become chapter book readers, I don’t read with them every night like I did when they were younger.

I have missed this time with them terribly.

Problem #2:  As a writer, there are tons of new and classic novels I want to read, but I simply don’t have the time.  Any additional time I could spend reading, would come out of the little time I get with my family.

These two problems have been eating away at me.

Until, this past November, the obvious solution bitch-slapped me into a new reality:  I could read all these novels WITH my sons.

Problem #1 solved.  Problem #2 solved.

So I decided to give it a go.  And test the waters.

I set a schedule with my boys: one chapter per night, every weeknight.

We read the book, Bedknob & Broomstick, in 10 nights.  Fifteen minutes each night.

“Wow,” my oldest son said.  “That went fast!”

It got to where my boys were doing their bedtime chores faster and making sure they were ready when it was time to read.

Hmmm.

We have The Sword and the Stone, The Little Prince, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Treasure Island, Huck Finn, Moon Over Manifest and a slew of other new and classic books cued for 2012.

There are five days each week.  Fifty-two weeks in the year.

No year is perfect, so let’s assume we read 45 weeks next year.  That’s 225 chapters minimum, right?

And the average book is ten chapters, so that means we’ll read at least 20 books in 2012!

Great writers are great readers.

Great thinkers are great readers too.

This is about my kids.  And your kids.

So I’m calling all of you who are Moms and Dads!

• One chapter of a book each night
• 5 nights each week
• 40+ weeks next year
• That’s 50 additional hours with your kids
• That’s over 200 chapters and 20 books of reading

And that’s how you make a dent in the world.

Who’s with me?

Thank you for your gift

You have given me a great gift this year:

Your readership.

It is something I treasure and don't take for granted.

Each time I sit down to write an essay for you, I take it very seriously and put in a lot of time and thought.

So thank you.

Thank you for reading, for your comments, your emails, your tweets, your Facebook mentions...everything!

Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it.

And an equal wish of renewal and happiness to those of you who don't.

I appreciate each of you!

The Shadows of Things That Have Been

It's easy to get swept up in the bustle of this season.

The obligations.

The expectations.

The noise.

The caffeine and sugar!

Try this...

Pick one moment.

It can be any moment you choose.

But be still in that moment.  That breath.

Let yourself watch everything that is happening around you as if it's an old home movie being played before your eyes.

See it.

Hear it.

Smell it.

Feel it.

Taste it.

And take an invisible picture of it.

Then re-enter the Griswaldian existence that surrounds you.

Because that little moment you witness is passing into the "shadows of the things that have been".

And our present moment is a breath away from becoming a ghost of the past.

No matter what you celebrate this season, experience it with every sense you have.

Actually do it now.

Look up.  And take in everything that surrounds you.

Experience it.

It all goes by so quickly.

Doesn't it?

Guess What Lies at the Root of Your Inspiration?

The root of the word inspire is “spir”.

“Spir” means “breathe” or “breath”.

Words with “spir” as the root are ambitious, physical words: aspire, inspire, expire, perspire, respire.

When I see and hear these words, I can sense the breath in them.

The root “spir” also sits in another very interesting word: “spirit”.

Many of you, like me, are creative writers.  I write Keitharsis to offer you new language and landscapes to explore in your own creative practices.  All in an effort to help you overcome block and burnout.

Why?

That’s what we do as Creatives: we breathe new life into the spirits of others.

It's a gift.

But inspiring (i.e. breathing into the spirit of others) is only half our work.

We must be inspired too.  We must allow others to breathe into our creative spirit.

What are you, as a creative human being, doing to breathe life into others this season?

And how are you letting others breathe life into you?

(photo by Alex Murphy on Flickr)

Keitharsis is a blog by a writer for writers and other Creatives.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.

...

Additional Reading...

Interested in more on this idea of breath? 

Click here: "A Breath of Fresh Air (An Alternative to Depth)"

Do you "know the flowers" in your craft?

The word “creativity” describes the making of something new.

As human beings, we don’t create something out of nothing.

We create new things by mixing and combining existing things…raw materials and ideas.

Inherent in the word “creativity” is originality, which also describes something new – something that stands on its own and is not derivative.

Within the word “originality” is “origin” – the place or time from which something new comes.

So what’s all this definition stuff about?

You and I may not be as creative as we think.

As a matter of fact, much of the work today generally referred to as “creative,” isn’t creative at all, by definition.

Because for it to be creative, it must be original.

For you and I to be creative, we must be original.

Not to mention, "There's nothing new under the sun," right?

We can’t be copycats or coattail Creatives.

Instead, we must see the familiar in unfamiliar ways.

We must “make strange”.

We must get as close to the source, the root, the origin of the creative impulse as we can possibly get.

The majority of “creative work” I encounter isn’t original at all.  And, I have to admit, that includes much of my own work.

It’s derivative work.

Which is why we must trace the roots of our craft to its origins.

We must, as Gary Snyder writes in the closing lines of his poem For The Children, “learn the flowers”.

What do you think?

Is the majority of work called "creative" today truly creative?

Or am I uncreative in my definition of creativity?

(photo by Nick Newell on Flickr)

Keitharsis helps Creatives prepare and prune themselves for the real work of their craft.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.

Where Your True Creativity Hides

We never have everything we need.

We’re always missing some key piece of information.  Or some key relationship.  Or some key tool that would allow us to quickly and easily do our best work.

This is a blessing!

Why?

Because when we are working in less than ideal situations, we are forced to be truly creative.

Creativity doesn’t come from having the time, tools and talent you need to do great work.  Creativity is doing great work with the time, tools and talent you’re able to scrounge together at any given moment.

Let’s look at a three examples to expand on this idea.

Vignette #1: The Music Producer

Daniel Lanois is a renowned, in-demand music producer and musician.

Some might argue that he is the best because his success brings him the very best resources with which to work.

However, in interviews Lanois has said that one of his unique abilities isn’t getting the best musicians in the room to play and record.  His unique skill is taking whatever musicians, gear and equipment he happens to find in the room and bringing out songs and soundscapes they didn’t know they could create.

Vignette #2: The Military Leader

If you read or study military history, you quickly learn that generals rarely have an optimal combination of people, supplies and battlefield position at a time of enemy engagement.

The best generals throughout history are the ones who accepted the reality they were a) outnumbered, b) out of range of their supply chain and/or c) in a weak position and they won battle after battle desite these limits.

Vignette #3: The Master Chef

Have you ever watched the show, Chopped, on the Food Network?

The chef contestants are given a mystery box of ingredients.  These ingredients never logically go together.  However, each chef must craft plates that are original, tasty and well-presented.  And they must do this in a short period of time.

The winner of each episode is the chef who can create amazing dishes with lousy ingredients and limited time.

So what’s the bottom line for you and me?

It’s this: our creativity doesn’t spring from abundance, it originates from our limitations.

Which means that you and I need to focus on those areas we feel are holding us back.  Those limits we believe are keeping us stuck.

Actually, it's in those areas where we are challenged and frustrated where our greatest creativity hides.

Who knew?

(photo of Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory by Andrew Balet [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Keitharsis is a blog that seeks to help you prepare and prune yourself for your creative work.  New essays are published each Tuesday and Thursday.

The Tension of Mystery

When things are a mystery, we want clarity.

We want direction.

We want orientation.

However, when things are spelled out for us, we want surprise.

We want to experiment with the recipe.

We want to journey into the unknown.

We live and work in the tension of mystification and demystification.

But it's the existence of this tension that propels our creative life.

When our audience feels lost in mystery, we can offer clarity and direction.

And when they feel bored and their lives feel transactional, we can offer transcendence.

I get a kick out of reading people desperately trying to "sell" one over the other.

Both exist, because we need both.

And both can offer serendipity and surprise.

Are you lured by mystery?

Or are you a black-and-white kind of person?

Maybe its time to mix things up.

(photo by Jeffrey Pott on Flickr)