Thursday, July 10, 2008

Creative Zone

Today's Mood: Happy. Today's Music: IFFY Playlist. Today's Writing: notes for IFFY. Today's Quote:
“As artists, we must learn to be self-nourishing. We must become alert enough to consciously replenish our creative resources as we draw on them—to restock the trout pond, so to speak. I call this process filling the well.” -Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way
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Today I had an interesting discussion with a composer about different techniques we each use to reach the creative zone. It started with me talking about this link that has a test to see if you are right brain or left brain dominate. To my surprise, I saw the dancer turning counterclockwise at first (left-brain) and my husband saw it turning clockwise (right-brain). I generally think of him as more logical and me as more intuitive. Now granted, if I focused, I could see the dancer going the other way--and so could my husband. I found this interesting because the more I thought about it, the more it explained certain things about my writing. I like to write in a linear fashion. I like to have an idea where I am going in a piece. I am practical and goal-oriented.

In my discussion with Marilyn (the composer) we got talking about how we can access that right-brain. What things do we do that get us in the "creative zone?" Music is huge for me, but for her, since she is trying to compose, listening to music doesn't work. Sometimes she goes the other way--uses words, poetry, to get in the zone so she can create music. Drawing, painting, gardening, showering, driving, biking, cooking (as long as it is relaxed without a deadline and no hungry kids whining at me) reading--all those are things that help me zone out (so to speak) Honestly, showering is great, but people start to think you have OCD if you take too many showers a day, so I try to mix things up a bit.

Both Marilyn and I agreed that alone time is a must. I brought my journal with me camping, but since there were always lots of people around, I never managed to get quiet enough to write. Even when I'm home and the kids are busy, often it's hard for me to zone out because I know I'm going to be interrupted. And once I'm zoning, I don't like to be pulled out of it too abruptly. I get downright cranky in fact.

I wonder if people who are more right brain dominate have an easier time getting into the zone? The majority of people probably shift between left and right brain on a regular basis. Or maybe we even use both at the same time. I do think I'll try writing out of order a little more often. Maybe that will be another way for me to access the write brain a little easier. And I think I'll use Marilyn's idea and make a list of all the things that refill the well (to use Julia Cameron's words) and try to make sure I give myself permission to do those things on a regular basis. Sometimes I get so goal-oriented that I need to be reminded there is more to writing than just writing.

8 comments:

outdoorwriter said...

Interesting, Sarah;

If I blinked the dancer switched directions, although my first response was that I'm right brained. Maybe seeing both, at the blink of an eye, means I'm confused and have neither logic nor intuition.

I do agree, we have to refill the pool so to speak. Writing takes so much out of us. We put all our thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. out there for everyone to see and to judge.

To refill my pool, I take three walks every day around our property. Usually, I check on the growth of my food plots, like I think something is going to happen from dusk til dawn, during the day, or again at dusk. But, over time, I've seen the corn getting taller and greener, the buckwheat blossoming and turning dark because black seeds are developing. Occasionally, I see turkeys or deer or box turtles, a new grass with wonderful textures, another clump of butterfly milkweed, honey bees, or a snake. This year I have really discovered, besides being food for monarch butterfly larva, milkweed's blooms are very fragrant. Before long, cardinal flowers will string bits of red, like snippets of yarn, through the shrubs bordering the pond, which is full of water due to all the rain.

Again, I thank you for setting up this blog. It's nice to know there's someone willing to listen or advise, who will accept us as we are or when those shadowy doubts creep in or we get stuck.

smcelrath said...

Larry,

I definitely don't have as much property to walk around, but I too, like to refill the well by walking around my yard--or sitting on the deck and watching the humming birds scold each other off the feeder. They have just been going nuts this year and it's so much fun to watch. Due to the rain (since I often don't take time to water) my flower beds are looking great.

I love your description of the cardinal flowers. We tried to get some to grow by our ditch, but no luck.

Anonymous said...

The single most important thing that helps me find the writing "zone" is to be quiet. It's usually walking or sitting in the woods or on the beach - or in my case right now the Colorado mountains. When I can just be quiet and tune in to the inner me, I can write. Usually, though, my mind is way too full of other thoughts and it's hard to make those go away. It's hard work. Ironing or driving sometimes work for me, too. I admire you, Sarah, because you are so disciplined you go into that "zone" every day in the school year. WOW!

smcelrath said...

Why is it such hard work? I mean, when I sit down and start to write, I love it. But Friday I wrote for 5 hours and I had an incredible headache afterwards. I felt like I had brain-strain. Is it that my brain is just so out of shape? Like a muscle that doesn't get used enough?

Think about it--we love to write (obviously or we wouldn't be doing it), and yet we talk about ways of easing ourself in like it is icy water and we are being forced to swim. Maybe Larry has it when he said:"Writing takes so much out of us. We put all our thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. out there for everyone to see and to judge."

Maybe that is why it is so hard to get in the zone and stay there. Like therapy, it is beneficial and you can need it and feel better afterwards, but it is hard and I remember feeling really drained afterwards too.

I just realized I'm sort of blathering here--must be a right-brained sort of thing! :)

outdoorwriter said...

Sarah;

Was that five continuous hours? I can't stay focused that long. And it's not just the emotions, etc. but the syntax and word search that drains us.

smcelrath said...

5 hours as continuous as possible given the fact that I make endless cups of tea and then have the resulting trips to the bathroom. Plus the pacing and snacking... So, not REALLY continuous, just for the most part.

Mike said...

Sarah,

Try as I might, I could only see her moving counter clockwise. So how do I access my left brain when it comes to poetry?

I rarely write poetry unless it's first thing in the morning after a nighttime of marinating in my dreams (last night I swam Lake Michigan and land in Milwaukee in the ice - I was going to swim back but decided I should give myself a day to rest first. Then my brother gave me a squirrel in a bag to release in my house for 'redecorating' purposes. I took the squirrel outside and let him go...)

So music helps too, I agree. And so does going on a good long walk, one focused, like Larry says, on the little details (beautiful writing, Larry) or one focused completely internally - telling myself the story I'm writing.

My two cents.

Mike

outdoorwriter said...

Thanks for the kind words, Mike. Hope to put a face with a name one day, maybe at the fall retreat. I sometimes verbalize the story as I walk too, sort of a pre-writing on the hoof.