[Part one of an exploratory course, where we practice ways to connect, listen, play, and attune to the many points of aliveness in our creative process. It began here: all from small.]
When we feel a call to create, when we sense a surge of energy around an idea, when we know in our bones that this is something to follow, stretch into, and share…
we need nourishment, connection, a wide-open place to play—
unfettered, free, and alive.
Sometimes we feel an urge to create, but the form is fuzzy.
Sometimes we see a clear form, but the process feels dense.
No matter where you are in your creative process—maybe in the thick tangles of a project or perhaps hearing the first whispers of something new—thank you for showing up for yourself, and for choosing to be here in a community of creative humans, awake and alive for this moment.
Everything is alive.
Our ideas, words, and workspaces.
Our tools, memories, and movements.
The beliefs and feelings we hold about what and why and how we create.
All of this is creative matter.
And all of this matters for how we engage in our creative process.
Nothing is too small, too distant, or too ordinary.
What may have been previously named as obvious, irrelevant, impractical, off-topic, contradictory, or pretend, is welcome—oh, so welcome—here.
Welcome to our collective (asynchronous) practice, where we’ll explore the points of small in our creative processes.
As I shared in the “Let’s practice together” note under last week’s all from small essay, I’m inside my creative process, too. This course has been something I’ve wanted to create for some time, and it feels like a beautiful gift to be able to design it slowly, one week at a time, to share with you—in this loyal, generous, and thoughtful weekly subscriber community. I appreciate you all.
A note about process:
Throughout the coming weeks, I will encourage myself to stay playful and flexible as I share a variety of invitations with you. They are simply that: INVITATIONS. I’ll share 1-2 each week. Some may seem obvious, others ridiculous. Some may feel easeful, others uncomfortable. Some might speak directly to you, others may feel far away from where you are. With all of it, here are a few things to consider:
Trust yourself. You know what you need. You know if something is a helpful provocation or might push you somewhere you’re not ready to go. Follow your inner guidance more than any suggestion you may hear from me or anyone else.
Be curious. As much as you trust yourself, also be curious about why you “like” some invitations and “dislike” others, and why some seem “irrelevant,” “not for you,” or “too obscure.” Creative process often gets constricted when we hold fixed beliefs about who we are, including how we go about our processes (especially when we’ve had many years to get good at some things and not practice others). Every step of the way, wonder why you see, feel, and understand what you do about your process.
Loosen, shift, and play. Every invitation I share will be an invitation into aliveness. And aliveness is messy. This is play. We fall. We get muddy. We look silly. We change our minds. We contradict ourselves. We molt. We release. We let ourselves be with whatever happens.
I think that’s enough context for now. Let’s begin.