Wild Passions

Always I have loved gardens and gardening, but about 15 years ago after moving into a new house (new to me, anyway) and acquiring a yardful of plants and flowers, I suddenly became obsessed with all things relating to flowers–perennials, in particular. It became for me my wild passion. I checked out books from the library—Perennial All Stars and Perennial Combinations (two I remember), and pored through the pages. I loved everything about those books. I liked the pictures, of course, the descriptions of the various plants, and I especially liked their names.

There was the elegant Lady’s Mantle, the exotic Siberian Iris and Golden Hakone Grass. There was Purple Toadflax—what was that?  Silver Wormwood and Bear’s Breech? It was almost as if there were years and years of ancient lore underlying each plant, and I wanted to learn about them all. I indulged myself in those books, and then in as many plants as would thrive in the twenty by forty patch of soil under my care.

It’s wonderful when these “wild passions” make their appearances, making each day a little more exciting, each new encounter adding wonder and meaning and fulfillment to our lives. Of course there are romantic passions. And relationships with family and friends.  But if we are lucky, we will experience all sorts of grand passions. Like a passion for learning, for music, perhaps, or for gardening. The more we have, the better. I think that’s how we were meant to live: like children finding delight in each new thing, like lovers wild for what we love.

From time to time, I’ve had flings with crewel embroidery, ceramics, and macramé—remember macramé? Those passions came and went.  Others have been more enduring. I love the work of poet, Mary Oliver, and have bought every book of hers I could lay my hands on. The same with Linda Pastan, Kim Addonizio, and Dorrianne Laux. Also Joyce Sutphen. A new discovery for me is poet George Bilgere, and I highly recommend his book, The Good Kiss. And I greatly admire the novelists Alice Hoffman and Chris Bohjalian. There are many more, of course, and  more out there I haven’t discovered yet. The thought of that send chills down my spine!

And now we come to that other great love affair you might be experiencing—that with creativity, in whatever form it takes. “Passion is energy,” Oprah Winfrey said. “Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” Let that passion burn. Embrace it, take that passion to a beautiful place, and make it yours forever. It’s a wonderful way to be alive.

What about you? What are some of your great passions?
–Lucy Adkins (Note: This appeared in a slightly different version in The Fire Inside by Lucy Adkins and Becky Breed)

 

Writing Exercise:

  1. Read the Poem “Night Fishing” by Peter Sears.
  2. Make a list of some of the human emotions/conditions…like loneliness, happiness, a feeling of self-satisfaction. You can think of more.
  3. Make a list of some of the activities you do…like fishing, mowing the lawn, making a pie, and so on.
  4. Choose one of the human emotions/conditions, and pair it with an activity.
  5. Write, beginning with a first line that makes a comparison between the human emotion or condition and the activity.

You might be surprised at what happens!

For more inspiration, check out our website www.thewritingandcreativelife.com.

Or follow this link to purchase Writing in Community or our latest book, The Fire Inside.

 

 

 

Particularities of the Ordinary

Particularities and Meaning
When I was thirteen, dad gave me a small garden plot to tend for a year. It was six feet by six feet, tilled to make plantings easier. This fertile plot of earth received my attention for a year and before long, a window of wonder appeared. I started to notice details in the garden – a small city of vermin burrowing and crawling on their knees and fliers with tiny helicopter blades buzzing the grass.

At a young age I loved poetry and thought what’s important was looking for the extraordinary and exceptional. But “noticing” particularities of the ordinary made life feel bigger, more significant. Noticing the everyday brought up memories and meaningful connections sometimes from experiences years ago or, maybe a few minutes that wouldn’t have been accessed without paying attention.

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Magic of Awe Inspires Creativity

“My mother loved butterflies. After her celebration of life, a Monarch was fluttering around the exit door. She followed me to my car. Later, I wrote a poem about my mother migrating south with Monarchs. Glorious” – Becky Breed

If someone asks “What makes a good life?” Would you say friends and family you can count on? A spiritual connection? Personal resources that make you happy? Dacher Keltner, author of “The Thrilling New Science of Awe,” replied, “Find awe.” In his many years of research, he found that an awe-inspired life gives us meaning, and helps uncover something larger than ourselves–intense joy and  a sense of mystery that transcend common life. For artists and writers, there’s more. The magic of awe inspires creativity, creating a sense of wonder and deep curiosity–profound satisfaction and meaning.

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Writing From the White-Hot Center

Writing From the White-Hot Center

This last year I discovered a new writer that I love, the novelist, Lily King. In an essay in the back of one her novels, she tells about doing a reading at an Ivy League college in which, during the Q and A afterwards, she was asked “what factors determine your authorial distance from the narrator?” She responded that “I don’t think when I write. I am like a blind worm on the ground.”  I love that! “A blind worm on the ground.”

She goes on to relate how she loves English literature classes and has been an English teacher herself. How she’s discussed and taken great interest in English-teachery things such as themes and yes, authorial distance. But that when she writes, she doesn’t use her “English teacher brain.” Not in the first draft of writing, “What you need,” she writes, “all you need, is your creative, sensual, wide-open brain.”

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Gifts of Creativity: More Good Follows

“The spirit of an artist’s gifts can wake your own.” – Lewis Hyde

Give Freely
“Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you,” remarks Annie Dillard in her book “Give It All, Give It Now.” She shares her view about the writing and creative life by describing the grand generosity and great courage giving asks of us: to give, to share, to offer what we can to the world. Dillard said when gifts of creativity are offered, “…something more will arise for later, something better.”…and more good follows.

Creating what rings true requires us to pay enormous attention to the world. For many, it is our love and destiny to create–our romance with possibility and the unwritten promise to imagine more. Barb, an artist, saw beauty in her garden and captured it in dazzling watercolor. She painted me a set of beautiful notecards of pink petunias with bright lime green stems. Afterwards, a friend was experiencing a loss and I sent her a flowered notecard with a few lines of poetry. Giving changes us.

Want the world better
Sharing our creativity shows we care about the world and want it better. When Anne Frank picked up her pen to write, although just a little girl, she was possessed of great insight and courage. She had the power to enter the minds and hearts of others bringing about deeper understanding, wider love. It’s true, an act of creation can have a rippling effect. Consider son-in-law Chris who created a magnificent red and white mosaic birdhouse featuring Charlie Parker, a brilliant black saxophonist whose life was cut short. His gift to the world brought new significance to the musician and by donating his creation raised money supporting a burned mountain top in Colorado.

More Good Follows
Ask yourself, the next time you sit down to create, what do you find yourself being pulled toward? Perhaps you want to write poetry about unrequited love, the search for inner peace or the struggle to find meaning and purpose in your existence. Photograph the beauty and finality in nature–or paint an unforgettable purple sunrise. Whatever your gifts are, cultivate imaginative compassion and notice how more good follows. You can begin today. As Anne Franke reminds, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Your life and others will be richer for it.  – Becky

Writing/Creativity Exercise:

  1. Re-read the glorified words of Francis of Assisi, “For it is in the giving that we receive.” To begin, reflect on the many ways you can offer gifts of creativity to others. Recognize and celebrate your talents.
  2. Now select the ways you want to share and light up someone’s life. Your time, talent and creativity can make a difference. Consider:
    1. Interviewing an older relative or neighbor and writing one of his stories.
    2. Painting a small canvas of a colleague’s dog or the big fish she caught.
    3. Photographing a beautiful sunset and giving to someone you love.
    4. Listening and encouraging a friend who is struggling.
    5. Other ways to give: offering your talent of organization, playing the piano or singing to a shut in, baking and decorating someone’s favorite holiday cookies. The opportunities to give are endless.

 

For more inspiration, check out our website www.thewritingandcreativelife.com.

Or follow this link to purchase our latest book, The Fire Inside.

Postscript;

“May you be surrounded by friends and family, and if this is not your lot, may the blessings find you in your solitude.” – Leonard Cohen

During this special season, sharing our love and friendship might be the best gifts.

Here’s to the good that you find and the great that awaits.

Warmest Wishes,

Becky

 

Writing Brings Me Close to the Bone

Artist shed. Photograph by Chris Carithers

“This is what separates artists from ordinary people: the belief, deep in our hearts, that if we build our castles well enough, somehow the ocean won’t wash them away.” – Anne Lamott

How do I build my castle so part of my story doesn’t go out with the tide? Writing. Writing brings me close to the bone.

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Goodreads Giveaway for The Fire Inside

Are you feeling the need for a little inspiration? THE FIRE INSIDE: A COMPANION FOR THE CREATIVE LIFE by Lucy Adkins and Becky Breed may be just what you’re looking for. And right now, it is being featured on a Goodreads Giveaway.
Enter on Goodreads for your chance to win a free copy!
Book giveaway for The Fire Inside: A Companion for the Creative Life by Lucy Adkins Sep 15-Oct 14, 2022
GOODREADS.COM
Book giveaway for The Fire Inside: A Companion for the Creative Life by Lucy Adkins and
Becky Breed  Sep 15-Oct 14, 2022. Enter Here.

What Are You Remembering?

On my stove the kettle whistles and suddenly I see my grandmother’s face in her tiny kitchen. A small, veined hand grasps the hot handle of an old teakettle. Grandmother is making cinnamon tea. She looks out the small window. Above the horizon, a blue mist, small and noisy songbirds. Her face turns to me.

Do dreams flow from memories or do memories become dreams? What are you remembering?

Certain images keep floating in my head and sometimes surprise me when I least suspect. Perhaps only a scrap or fragment of a long held dream resonates, but its incompleteness stirs a longing. I follow it. Maybe the inspiration is an aroma—Old Spice, a horse barn—or the prettyprettypretty sounds of a happy cardinal. Today the inspiration is a treasured photo–a black and white of Grandmother in her kitchen. Then, the whole story comes into focus.

Every year after I could walk, I spent two to three weeks in the summers on my grandparents’ farm.  A two-bedroom bungalow with a screened in sagging porch was their humble home. Two big fir trees stood as towering sentries in the front yard. All manner of wildlife homesteaded there—red squirrels, one lonely hoot owl, starlings, goldfinches, and grackles. On clear days, I would climb to the top of the tree and scout the horizon. Once, I saw a red-tailed hawk looking for mice in the cornfield—and getting one—before flapping away to the woods.   

Memory carries a strong emotional kick like walking past a playground and suddenly you’re mad again chasing Greg, the fourth grade bully, all over the school yard. These experiences are part of who we are, still inhabiting us sometimes like a summer cold that won’t go away. Experiences that are inside us beg to be freed. Remembering them can be a triumph or a challenge. What are you remembering?

Few rules existed at my grandparents’ house. Until sixth grade, Grandma let me run around without a shirt as long as Grandpa and Uncle Jim were in the field. Divine pleasures. I could eat as many Washington cherries as I wanted from the two trees in the back orchard. My fingers stained bright red. The hay loft was my secret place and it was there I became a little headstrong. No one climbed the ladder to the loft without my permission. Of course not many people asked, but I was always ready waiting for a special knock or the magic word for them to enter.

What are you remembering?

Writing/Creative Exercise:

  1. Write or create about a treasured object. Take a walk through your house or, perhaps, in your yard. Reflect on two or three objects that you love. For each, consider the history, who gave it to you, what it means to you. Consider its shape, color or place where it belongs. Then, select one that is the most evocative and express your creativity through painting, photography or whatever stirs you.
  2. Read Photo Album by Meenakski Iyer https://hellopoetry.com/poem/1187839/photo-album/Everyone has certain images that keep floating in their heads. How do we prime these and let them reveal themselves? Begin by scanning through an old photo album of people in your lives. What did they mean to you, to another? What were some of the special stories about them? What do you remember? Select two or three that resonates with you. Choose one. Consider using this line as a starter sentence: It was a day I’ll never forget or She/he had a face of _______. If you’d rather, choose a line that works for you. Then write, repeating the line several times throughout your poem or prose.

For more inspiration, check out our website www.thewritingandcreativelife.com.Or follow this link to purchase our latest book, The Fire Inside.

 

 

 

 

Want to Consider Collaboration?

Ever think about collaborating with another writer or artist on a creative project? Wonder how it works? Bryan Collins, host of the “Become a Writer Today” Podcast recently interviewed Becky and me about our collaboration on our two books, Writing in Community and The Fire Inside. We had an intriguing conversation which provided an opportunity for us to think more about collaboration, how it worked successfully for us, and how a collaborative partner can help you to accomplish more–and better!

You may want to know:
How does the collaborative process work?
What are the advantages?
How do you find a collaborative partner?

You can listen to the interview (or view the transcript of it) here.

For more inspiration, check out our website www.thewritingandcreativelife.com.

Or follow this link to purchase our latest book, The Fire Inside.

Father on Father’s Day: Caretaker of the Earth

We come and go, but the land is always here, and the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it – for a little while.—Willa Cather

Father’s role was caretaker of the earth.

 

Although my father was a private person, his beliefs were evident in his role as caretaker of the earth—as if it were holy; and the many ways he applied the wisdom of nature to his life. He didn’t just think about how he valued the planet, he lived out that basic precept in his activities of each day. Coming from the old school of farming, he knew that all things mattered, that the world consisted of intricate, interwoven elements and he was a caretaker of that design.

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