Becoming the Spectator
Good afternoon, Members of The Tribe,
I hope you all enjoyed your Valentine's day. I enjoyed mine -- I really enjoyed walking around at work and randomly yelling, "Happy V.D., everyone!"
There were some laughs ... and some grimaces ... Hey, not everyone has a sense of humor.
My husband, who is a wonderful poet, wrote me a poem for Valentine's Day and I made a special dinner. We topped it off by watching the RUSH documentary, "Beyond the Lighted Stage." It was actually a really happy, fun little evening.
You all know I may babble about my personal life, but sooner or later, I'm going to come around and talk about something to do with creativity.
I think it is through these our art - our creativity - that we connect with others in the human experience and we also learn about ourselves. Well, we will learn if we are Tribal, that is. (**See previous blogs to know what I mean by being "Tribal.")
Do you know when I started becoming a better writer? It was when I learned to shut up and pay attention.
Pay attention to what?
Pay attention to everything.
In a rich life, you learn to be both a participant and a spectator. The trick is to learn when to be one or the other. In order to do that, you have to live the life you are IN. Pay attention to everything.
In writing/creativity workshops, I use an exercise based somewhat on the philosophy presented by Eckhart Tolle in his book "The Power of Now." I believe Tolle is correct when he states that most people rarely actually live fully in the moments of their lives.
I found a quote by Tolle where he states, "Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life which is never not now."
At the beginning of a workshop, I usually have my participants close their eyes. I have them use all of their senses. They listen and make note of every sound they hear. They feel the chair beneath them and note its feel. If there is a scent, I tell them to make a note of it. How does being silent make you feel? I have them open their eyes and really look around them. What details are there to see?
Why do I do this? Because it pulls them out of their own heads and forces them to focus as spectators -- and thus gaining the kind of awareness they will need to write or just to think.
The details you can miss because you are trying to get to the next moment are astounding. For writers, it is vital that we gain knowledge of the way other people think or all of our characters are going be cardboard cutouts of each other. The work we try to accomplish will fall flat because we cannot breathe any life into it. Why? Because we were not good spectators when the moment called for it.
I challenge everyone to take about three minutes stop everything and turn themselves into a silent observer. Use all the senses and take notes. You will be amazed at what you are missing. Do you hear a sound? The air conditioner? What does it sound like? Can you describe it? Does it remind you of anything else?
Learn to develop those observational skills. Pull yourself into the moment. It is an exquisite exercise in focus. You can do the same thing in observing people. Listen to how they answer questions. What attitudes do they present? Are they aggressive? Friendly? Cold? If you believe a person is unfriendly, then write down that observation and what was it that brought you to that conclusion? Was it their facial expression? Body language? Something they said?
Write. It. Down. Store it. Use it.
Becoming a good spectator will also help you eventually become a good participant in life.
Hugs are on the house!
Until next time,
LA
I hope you all enjoyed your Valentine's day. I enjoyed mine -- I really enjoyed walking around at work and randomly yelling, "Happy V.D., everyone!"
There were some laughs ... and some grimaces ... Hey, not everyone has a sense of humor.
My husband, who is a wonderful poet, wrote me a poem for Valentine's Day and I made a special dinner. We topped it off by watching the RUSH documentary, "Beyond the Lighted Stage." It was actually a really happy, fun little evening.
You all know I may babble about my personal life, but sooner or later, I'm going to come around and talk about something to do with creativity.
I think it is through these our art - our creativity - that we connect with others in the human experience and we also learn about ourselves. Well, we will learn if we are Tribal, that is. (**See previous blogs to know what I mean by being "Tribal.")
Do you know when I started becoming a better writer? It was when I learned to shut up and pay attention.
Pay attention to what?
Pay attention to everything.
In a rich life, you learn to be both a participant and a spectator. The trick is to learn when to be one or the other. In order to do that, you have to live the life you are IN. Pay attention to everything.
In writing/creativity workshops, I use an exercise based somewhat on the philosophy presented by Eckhart Tolle in his book "The Power of Now." I believe Tolle is correct when he states that most people rarely actually live fully in the moments of their lives.
I found a quote by Tolle where he states, "Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life which is never not now."
At the beginning of a workshop, I usually have my participants close their eyes. I have them use all of their senses. They listen and make note of every sound they hear. They feel the chair beneath them and note its feel. If there is a scent, I tell them to make a note of it. How does being silent make you feel? I have them open their eyes and really look around them. What details are there to see?
Why do I do this? Because it pulls them out of their own heads and forces them to focus as spectators -- and thus gaining the kind of awareness they will need to write or just to think.
The details you can miss because you are trying to get to the next moment are astounding. For writers, it is vital that we gain knowledge of the way other people think or all of our characters are going be cardboard cutouts of each other. The work we try to accomplish will fall flat because we cannot breathe any life into it. Why? Because we were not good spectators when the moment called for it.
I challenge everyone to take about three minutes stop everything and turn themselves into a silent observer. Use all the senses and take notes. You will be amazed at what you are missing. Do you hear a sound? The air conditioner? What does it sound like? Can you describe it? Does it remind you of anything else?
Learn to develop those observational skills. Pull yourself into the moment. It is an exquisite exercise in focus. You can do the same thing in observing people. Listen to how they answer questions. What attitudes do they present? Are they aggressive? Friendly? Cold? If you believe a person is unfriendly, then write down that observation and what was it that brought you to that conclusion? Was it their facial expression? Body language? Something they said?
Write. It. Down. Store it. Use it.
Becoming a good spectator will also help you eventually become a good participant in life.
Hugs are on the house!
Until next time,
LA
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