Coming of Age: Becoming Creative
- At February 21, 2022
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
16
“Walls turned sideways are bridges.”–Angela Davis
Openness, curiosity and, yes, change spark creativity. Sometimes, change arrives because of something we’ve set out to do. Often, though, it approaches us sideways like a sudden flash of light, and, suddenly, we’re thrown into cold water. Transitions like coming of age experiences drop us like a stone into the swirling eddy of our lives. They are wild places where we are challenged, left naked and afraid. At least a rise in blood pressure. We can either sink or use our arms and legs to reach a farther shore. Becoming creative helps us navigate. Here’s my story.
The Sweet Smell of Remembering
- At August 16, 2021
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
- 6
The Fire Inside: A Companion for the Creative Life
Chapter Five: Wooing the Muse
The Smell of Remembering
“Already many of the memories of the previous two weeks had faded: the smell of that small hotel in St. Andrews; that mixture of bacon cooking for breakfast and the lavender-scented soap in the bathroom; the air from the sea drifting across the golf course; the aroma of coffee in the coffee bar in South Street.” —Alexander McCall Smith, Trains and Lovers
Ahh, the sweet smell of remembering? Have you ever encountered a scent that takes you back to a place or person? A whiff of Old Spice, for instance, and you are a little child sitting beside your grandfather at church. Or the sweet perfume of cinnamon and you’re back in Aunt Mary’s kitchen licking the bowl while her head is turned. Smell triggers memory. As children, we notice scents and associate them with certain people or experiences. Years later, when we encounter the scent again and the same associations are aroused, memories return.
Read More»Ivan the Gorilla Wired for Creativity
- At August 31, 2020
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
- 4
“To every thing there is a season…”—Ecclesiastes
Ivan the Gorilla
“The One and Only Ivan,” is a book and a movie about Ivan the Gorilla, a beloved Silverback Western Lowland gorilla, who captured the hearts of everyone who met him. Ivan lived in isolation in a 40-by-40 concrete enclosure for twenty-seven years in a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington; didn’t go outside for all this time, touch grass, nor see another gorilla. But, in spite of these bleak circumstances, Ivan continued to delight children and families with his daily antics. He loved to play games, teased his zoo keepers, and was always full of surprises. Ivan especially loved having books read to him.
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