The truth is, most of us discover where we are headed when we arrive."
— Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes
~~~~~~~~~~
Hello! Here’s a little digest of the synchronicities happening around our wisdom workshops, with a series of beautiful questions to encourage the inner artist in all of us.
This week, we will explore a picture of the CREATIVE PROCESS.
How would you visualize a creative process?
Last year, friend of the workshop John Giordano engaged me in a beautiful question: How might we think about the creative process in a most-inclusive, respectful, and creative way? (He was interested in the context of Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts PhD students studying creative leadership, but I think the query extends to all of us).
A few days later, in my morning pages (from June 10th, 2023):
This was a distillation, of course, of an entire season exploring the psychology of creativity and the art of self improvement — of ten timeless truths I presented here.
The more time I spend with this visualization, the more it speaks to me. Might it be a syllabus for the season? A framework for more emergent learning? Perhaps, to help us move beyond the linear-time constraints of a traditional curriculum design? My flowering might help someone else’s seed collection, and vice versa. We can learn from, and emerge with, each other.
For those of us who want to be more creative, it most clearly offers a diagnostic tool. Where are you stuck? Where are you over-doing it? Where would it be wise to focus your deliberate practice and put in your daily practice? Which of the faculties and qualities below speak to you?
Five phases of a creative process*
1. Beginner's Mind Phase
Standing outside of the threshold, being willing to enter.
Faculty: Spirit/Presence.
Quality: Openness.
2. Seed Phase
Collecting potentials without judging them, taking note.
Faculty: Imagination.
Quality: Mindfulness.
3. Experimentation Phase
Following what's exciting more than following what will work.
Faculty: Heart.
Quality: Curiosity.
4. Crafting Phase
Following your grunt. Doing the labor. Laying the bricks.
Faculty: Body.
Quality: Commitment.
5. Completion Phase
Embracing the death of the deadline with humility.
Faculty: Mind.
Quality: Detachment.
6. Returning Home Phase
Coming back to where we are, to start again.
Faculty: Perspective.
Quality: Playfulness
*the process often reveals itself as we go.*
I hope this image inspires you, dear reader, to start where you are and begin again. Perhaps, to take some big beautiful risks. If we/I might be able to help, let me know!
📓Some invitations to write and reflect:
Mindset / Heart-set: Which of these phases stand out as most important now?
Seed Collection: What seeds have you been collecting?
Experimentation : Do you have a minimum viable creative iteration?
Craft: Can you convert daily practices into a binary Y/N to track your practices?
Returning: How will you collect/reflect/compost/process each week?
🙏Supporting the Wisdom Workshop
If drop-in access to a creative and emergent learning container is valuable to you, I'd encourage you to become a supporting member at $49 / month or an emergent learning facilitator at $100/month. You can also give a one-time gift here.
We know that value-exchange goes well beyond the monetary. Thank you for being here, and thanks for sharing or referring a philosophical and/or creative friend.
~~~~~~~
OPEN GATHERINGS THIS MARCH!
Each Monday, beginning today, February 26th at 1:00 - 2:30 PM MST via Zoom.
and OPEN DIALOGUES: Wednesday, February 28th at 12:00PM MST via Clubhouse.
OPEN means that it's okay for newbies to drop in and practice with us.
Zoom links to all open gatherings, further writing and reading resources behind the paywall.
👋 If you decide to drop-in
Here's some tips to co-create a fun space of communitas:
Set aside the time for self-care and self-nourishing.
Bring a cozy drink. Make sure you're warm enough. Celebrate yourself.
Intentionally set the time as a liminal space of presence.
Silence distractions. Go on Focus Mode. Leave your phone behind.
Be ready to write, reflect, and learn.
Bring your notes, journal, or other writing / fidgeting tools.
Take the opportunity for mindfulness, gratitude, compassion, sympathetic joy.
We're committed to enjoying the practice.
It's okay to enter late and leave early as you wish/need.
Letting the lead know beforehand helps.
We care about each other, and we value consent.
What gets shared in a wisdom workshop stays in a wisdom workshop.
No promoting or selling.
What to expect
Our gatherings start right at the top of the hour. Each session invites emergent learning through cycles of reflection and dialogue.
1:00 - 1:05 : 5 minutes of arriving. (check-in)
Hello notes of loving-kindness, setting up the session. Inviting a personal reflection.
1:05 - 1:20 : 15 minutes of individual mindfulness and/or free writing.
Non-judgmental check-in arising thoughts, feelings, sensations. Collecting seeds.
1:20 - 2:10 : 50 minutes of facilitated group dialogue:
Listening to the quietest people in the room. Exploring learning themes out loud.
2:10 - 2:15 : 5 minutes of mindfulness and/or focused writing.
Responding to a prompt. Calibrating. Checking out. Re-setting.
2:15 - 2:30 : 15 minutes of exiting. (check out)
We make connections, and reorient ourselves to the world, exit the liminal space.
We will invite new people to share a tiny bit about themselves.
Feel free to be on the call without saying a word.
Fare thee well!
If you have a moment to take a few deep breaths, I'd invite you to slow down and imagine:
You're standing outside an old garden wall, a stone wall, ancient-looking, plied with moss and time. Further down the wall you see an opening, a gate that leads to the inside of the garden. And through this gate, you can't see the whole garden, but you do get a glimpse of what's inside --
What do you see?
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Wisdom Workshop to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.