Monthly Archives: May 2011

What do you hear here?

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Remember Jeff Goins, my blogging/writing mentor? He’s brilliant. And he’s fabulous.

And he says that part of discovering your writing voice is in asking others about your “voice.” (More on that HERE, if you’re interested. And you should be.)

Have you ever done that? You know, asked somebody else what oozes out of you? It’s an interesting experience–sorta like standing in front of a fun-house mirror. Or maybe it’s more like standing in front of a regular mirror only to realize that you’ve been standing in front of a fun-house mirror all your life.

In other words, sometimes others’ descriptions of us help us clarify who we really are, outside of our own biased and self-protective distortions.

So. Hi, dear reader who might’ve just shown up a few weeks ago (Tay), or those of you who have been around here Fo-Eh-Va (Papa, Red, Nor, Ed, and all the others who I think are amazing), and also those of you who know me in real life with my talking voice and all…

Here’s the question: What do you hear here? How would you describe “my” voice?

**AND, as a bonus for answering the above question: If you want us to check out your voice, leave a link to your favorite post from the past two weeks, and we’ll check it out!**

**Note I said you have to answer the question first. yes. I’m not afraid to bribe you.

Hugs.

Friday Finds

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A place to glean inspiration from those inspired.

  1. 50pic is happening right now. My good internet friend Joshua White is the cheerleader for this spurt of creativity, and people are snapping pics and sharing them on the web–you can even see them roll in HERE. Seriously. He has multiple nations involved in this. And, for this creative feat, he wins the awesomesauce of the day award.
  2. THE Project is coming! Sarah Markley, who I love and have met and love some more, is doing a “project” centered around the effects of social media in our lives. Her curiosity will lead to our enlightenment. Trust me on this one. I’d love for some of us to participate. Keep your eyes on Sarahmarkley.com next week to get in on the action. She needs to hear from you.
  3. Fueling Your Creativity. Everything Jeff Goins writes turns to gold in my life. I see him as my writing/blogging mentor. And, well, I hope he’s ok with that. He’s got a great list of simple things to do to keep creativity gas in the tank of your brain, not just when you’re running low. I challenge you to make at least 4 of these things a part of your normal week(end) routine. Keep the creative engine running!
  4. Effectiveness vs. Efficiency. I just love the Accidental Creative site. And I think a lot of you will, as well. If you’re hoping to move forward in some creative project this weekend, take a moment to read this article first. And MORE about that on the99percent’s “A Day Without Distraction.” Brilliance.
  5. Lastly, happy anniversary to the Clayville’s! Their story, and the story of other second chances, simply inspires me. Jenni devoted the entire week of blog posts to beautiful stories about second chances. Thanks for sharing it with us!
So, that’s “Friday Finds!” Got any cool creative plans for the weekend? I’m going to be getting over a head cold. And hanging out with a New Englander that I mentored and love a bunch!

It is echo upon echo upon echo.

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Art is an echo–of beauty–of message–of line and rhyme and color and tone. What do you hear? What are you saying to your soul so it can whisper back in paint on canvas, in word on page, in lyric on melody? Are you listening? Are you really listening, processing, thinking, and repeating? Or are you just parroting?

Artists don’t parrot. They reflect. They whisper. They sing. They soar. They say. They don’t just parrot.

Xeroxed art is no art at all. The art of echoes change and shift the tone, based on the material with which it’s being reflected. One, are we reflectable material? And two, do we alter the tone accordingly? Do we process it and manipulate it and make it our own?

Einstein advises that we hide our sources… If we are strong enough the echo will be a sound all its own. Are we strong enough? Are we loud enough? Is our art its own entity? Or are we xeroxing our way through creativity? That is not creativity at all.

Find your voice. Find something to say, and say it. Say it with your own words and with your own colors and your own tones. And don’t worry that a bit of someone else’s voice is in the mix, but focus on your voice as it adds layers and depth in a beautiful harmony of expression and art. Partnering. We are creating and singing together in one voice. Join the chorus.

Echo.

Create.

Say something worth repeating. Worth echoing.

The importance of having an “us.”

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The future is now!

Ok. Let’s not be that dramatic. But, the future is in the journey we take with others who are like-minded. I’ll give you an example of the future, by looking at the past.

Ever heard of the Inklings, with their fabulous British accents and cigar smoke? The accents and smoke belonged to the likes of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. And legend says that some lighthearted challenge between the two of them birthed The Chronicles of Narnia and those Hobbit creatures. Or something like that.

So, maybe the brilliance of The Lord of the Rings or the Narnia series will shine forth from us! No? Well, I’m confident that something will transpire (oh! See? I’m already using smart-people words!).

I’ve witnessed this in my own life–the surge of creativity through communal energy–through the “us.”

  • Staff Creativity: I work/serve/minister/create in a fairly limitless environment. We get together and ideas start flying. And I’m sure sometimes our congregation thinks we’re crazy. BUT, some of the ideas actually work! And the freedom makes me more creative.
  • Songwriting peers: In 2010, I walked with two other local songwriters, and we challenged and cheered each other on. And, co-writing is my new favorite thing to do. And my songwriting is the better for it.
  • All the online creatives: I have a short list of those who fuel me and inspire me and invite me to more profound areas of my own creativity–all through the power of online community. More on that later.

You can probably relate. You probably have a few community relationships that you draw from already. But, my hope is that the conversation and community in this corner of the internet becomes a well of inspiration and ideas for you.

Until then: Who’s your “us?” Who inspires you? Who cheers you on? Who runs with you and alongside you?