Driving and Avoidance

I did a lot of driving in the car today so I had time to think. It was nice and also it was sooo cool in the A/C. So I’ve been thinking about the ways I limit myself from doing what I love by waiting for a better time to do it. I’m the writer who waits for consistency in childcare to really get down and dirty with my writing. But these past two days, with the little one home, I’ve allowed myself more time to focus on the story. Since I’ve been prioritizing my novel for two days, it’s made me realize the avoidance is more than just waiting for consistent child care. It’s because I’m almost at 60k words and I’m correcting inconsistencies and timeline errors. It’s like putting together a puzzle and it feels like all the little pieces are spread out far and wide. Most inconsistencies have easy fixes. Some require me to move, rewrite, or omit scenes. It just feels like I have to read and correct a million words which overwhelms me every time I sit down to edit; especially when I just finish correcting a scene. It’s like I have to dive back into deep dark waters from the shallow end where I was perfectly comfortable. I’m still editing and rewriting everyday but it does hinder my pace when I don’t acknowledge myself being overwhelmed.

How I’m going to work through this

It will require me being honest with myself to. Yes it’s hard without consistent childcare and I respect that. But I also respect that this book is going to be what I have to share with the world and it deserves my time and efforts. I deserve my time and effort. So I’m going to make sure I’m respecting my life as a writer.

Looking Forward

Sunday reflections

I’m excited to hear Beyonce’s new album! She really inspires me.

Here’s her latest song that I’m really digging!!

I didn’t really get into Beyonce until I watched Homecoming live and let me tell you it was like years after it came out. I think she intentionally leads women especially black women to greatness. I appreciate the art and I appreciate that she’s willing to share the table.

Peace Helps

My head was killing me today. It was a strange day. But strange or not, I wanted to get some dishes done, so I pulled up a stool by the sink and played an audible book. I took my time soaking and scrubbing while I enjoyed the book. Then I worked on part 3 of my novel. I’m really enjoying getting through part three. It feels like the story is sort of zipping together.

What’s the point of telling you about my day? The point is I took it slow and let myself be in a restful state while doing the daily habits that improve my life. It’s taken a long time to learn to not angry clean. I’ve always found life in my creative writing. It’s this finding what I have to say everyday that gets hard for me but today I found it by letting myself go at my own pace without pressure.

Peace helps. Letting the noise fall away helps. Letting yourself be in it’s natural state helps. So I just wanted to share that. Thanks for listening.

Connected

In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

One of my most favorite things about life, writing, and learning is finding connections. Even when I find that a connection I made was wrong, it just means I’m closer to the correct connection. I’m human so sometimes it brings me down to find that things I thought would work out, don’t. But even still, I never lose hope on finding connections. This is true for both research and relationships. Ah ha’s and those moments when you find someone who really gets it. My goodness, that sentence itself brings a smile to my face.


What are you ready for?

It’s hot. I appreciate this summer with my family but I’m ready for fall. I’m ready for women to be respected without having to fight for it. I’m ready for blankets and sweatshirts. I’m ready for right now. I’m ready for tomorrow and yesterday. I’m ready for my spirit to rise like the sun and the moon. I’m ready to touch the stars with my words and my heart.

What are you ready for?

And a quote to leave you with

Don’t wait until you are ready to take action. Instead, take action to be ready.”

Jensen Siaw

On Spirit

Deepak Chopra and Leonardo da Vinci on spirit and art

Meditation is the progressive quieting of our mind, until we reach the source of thought, which in wisdom traditions are the realm of our soul and spirit. In this domain of awareness there is infinite creativity, synchronicity, the power of intention, and freedom from limitations.

Deepak Chopra

Is the source of thought the realm of soul and spirit. Is the well is also considered the source of thought which is the realm of soul and spirit? Furthermore in this context, is it a spiritual journey for artists to seek the well? So is writers block not just the inability to write? Is is a disconnection from soul and spirit, from source of thought?

Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci speaks on how the spirit must work with the hand in order to create art. So could we say that da Vinci would call the process of creating art a spiritual act?

When I create sometimes I’m working to get it done. But the most rewarding times are when I feel connected to my art in a deep way. Not just because my art represents personal parts of me. I’m connected in a deep way because it feels like I’m not alone in my work. That’s when my work is transformed from simply getting it done, to becoming a safe place for those who are willing to travel its depths.

Photo by Zugr on Unsplash

If you enjoyed this read, don’t stop here, follow the link below to learn more about your creative freedoms.

Three Freedoms

Leonardo da Vinci on spirit

Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.

Leonardo da Vinci

Yesterday I asked if the source of thought are the realm of soul and spirit. I wondered if the well is also considered the source of thought which are the realm of soul and spirit and if in this context was it a spiritual journey to seek the well. So I then wondered if writers block was not just the inability to write but is a disconnection from soul and spirit.

Today, I found this quote from Leonardo da Vinci speaking on how the spirit must work with the hand in order to create art. And so could we say that da Vinci would call the process of art a spiritual act?

Three Freedoms

Quieting of Our Mind?

Meditation is the progressive quieting of our mind, until we reach the source of thought, which in wisdom traditions are the realm of our soul and spirit. In this domain of awareness there is infinite creativity, synchronicity, the power of intention, and freedom from limitations.

Deepak Chopra

The realm of our soul and spirit? The well? Is it spiritual to find it? When we can’t is that what we call writers block? Or is it something deeper than that?

greatness vs GREATNESS

Sunday Reflections

I was thinking through one of my character arches and I wanted to define what GREATNESS is internally in comparison to what we can be shown it is from the outside.

On one side we have greatness lower case which is simply external greatness
On the other side we have GREATNESS uppercase which is internal greatness

What first comes to mind when you hear greatness?

For me Martin Luther King Jr came to mind and Buddhist monks which is ironic because they don’t strive for greatness.

How would the Characteristics for greatness look?

For me, the three terms that first came to mind about greatness were Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise. So I decided to look at these from the two different forms of greatness that we’re discussing here.

greatness

  • healthy- physically fit, nice body, nice hair
  • Wealthy- large amounts of financial wealth
  • Wise- knowledgeable in niche, book smart, street smart

GREATNESS

  • Healthy- Good relationship with physical appearance.
    Good relationship with food. Appreciates and listens to their mind and body
  • Wealthy- wealthy in spirit.
    The bible defines the fruits of the spirit as
    Love Joy peace patience kindness goodness
    faithfulness gentleness and self control- we’d know a wealthy spirit by these.
  • Wise- Knows and continues to learn themselves

Now GREATNESS isn’t limited to that list. GREATNESS can possess both lists while greatness lower case is limited to only their list. For example a GREAT man can have both a wealthy spirit and financial wealth and both a great physical appearance and great relationship with food.

Healthy Wealthy and wise are not all there is to greatness or GREATNESS

I think someone to who is considered great or GREAT would impact their world and be hard to compete with.

Those with lower case greatness would impact the world with no purpose other than possibly financial gain and would use cut throat tactics to rise and to stay on top.

while

Those with GREATNESS in them would impact their world with intention and purpose to uplift the spirits of those near and far. They may be hard to compete with but they are GREAT people who welcome others to be GREAT along side them

Three Freedoms

What Do You Stand For?

“You have to follow your own voice. You have to be yourself when you write. In effect, you have to announce, ‘This is me, this is what I stand for, this is what you get when you read me. I’m doing the best I can—buy me or not—but this is who I am as a writer.”

David Morrell

Three things I stand for

All things weird- I like to think of myself as unique with the ability to adapt. I’m always kinda weird though. I like weird things.

Women- I always want it to be clear that I stand for women their freedom growth empowerment

Family- My family makes my heart swell.

When I was younger all I wanted was to save to mama and then when I got older, my grandma. And now, myself. So with my focus on the trials and tribulations that the ladies in life went through, it’s only natural that I’d find the root to a lot of reasons they suffered through things they didn’t have to. When I went to college a lot of my psychology work confirmed it but also helped me see them in a more human way. They not women that need saving, they are women who need to be loved and accepted exactly where they are.

I love my family and my home and I want to ensure that I place value on all things good and bad when it comes to living with those we love.

And I can’t help being weird. I like weird things. I like things that use creativity and are not the norm.