(Photo courtesy of Leslie Frances, Lake County, California sculptor.)
The pattern I've established in this "Creative
Catalyst" column for our SCN blog is to work in theme cycles. First, I write a keynote post
introducing the theme, then follow with two more posts to explore it more deeply.
Our first cycle was the general topic of creativity.
The keynote post,
"What Is Creativity, Anyway?,” introduced and defined the topic. It was
followed by looking at what it takes to be a serious writer, Building a
Creative Practice: Not for Wimps". We concluded that first cycle with
"Working from Source in Your Creative Practice," investigating the
inside-out story in our creative lives. In response to reader comments, our
next theme is a three-part conversation about cycles.
Creative cycles include both inward/outward and
upward/downward swings. We need to be able to make sense of these cycles. We
must discover how to balance the extremes of the swings and the continuum
between.
How can we move forward with our creative lives while performing this
tricky balancing act? We need to figure it out if we are to keep our creative
flame burning over a lifetime—and if we are to maintain our well-being and
sanity!
What do I mean by the inward and outward cycle?
First, there is a natural hibernation or incubation
period when nothing shows outwardly—no poems, no first drafts, no query
letters. If we
live our creative lives with integrity, usually we can tell the difference
between just goofing off and holding something precious inside of us. Think of
it as being pregnant with ideas and feelings. Eventually, as we bring the
fruits of incubation into the world with active work, they develop into
writing. This aspect of the inward and outward cycle has been widely written
about.
Secondly, there is the going out into the world to
gather experience and then the coming back inside our cozy nesting place to
harvest the experience. This aspect of the in/out cycle isn’t often addressed specifically. Many
creative people tend to be more on the introspective side, but generally we
love going out to lap up the world and its riches—in our own way. As we talked
about in “Building a Creative Practice,“ the muse needs nurturing. You have to
have something to write about before you can write!
Thirdly, there is the inward time in the study when
the writer is perfecting her craft. Writing the book and perhaps publishing; harvesting
journal pages to create a poem. Again, we go inward to gestate the work, then
bring it forward to share with the world. This cycle is built in to the
creative process for even the most private of writers. Publishing isn’t a
requirement; we may just want to read the work to a friend, story circle, or
family.
What of the upward and downward cycle? I suspect this needs little
explaining, as everyone has experienced this. Generally, we can identify the
up/down cycle in the ebb and flow of our energy and mood. There are times when
we feel fragile and vulnerable, needing to protect and conserve our energy.
There are other times when we feel strong and confident, ready to produce like
gangbusters and holler, "World, here it is!"
Though they can be
coaxed to move along, these cycles must be respected. For if we violate the
inward and outward movement of the life of our soul, our creative impulse scoots
down the rabbit hole.
These cycles of inward/outward and up/down are part of the cycle of
nature…part of the dance of life between the receptive and generative energies.
In our next post (2.2), we'll discuss the inward and outward cycle more and give a
few clues about how to approach these dips and dives. If you have comments or
questions, please join in the dialog below or send me a private message at www.riehlife.com
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