Do you really want an answer to the question, ”Who are you?”
I am an English teacher and drummer/percussionist with an interest in literary pursuits, creative endeavours, rhythmic permutations, theological amplifications and comedic outbursts.Here you will find my creative detritus: articles on living a creative life and writing explorations.
And other ideas I have snaffled from the papers stuck on the fridge door.
Twitter: @RevHappiness
Instagram: @handwrittenpagesMy collaborative epistolary novel, "Post Marked: Piper's Reach," written with Jodi Cleghorn (@JodiCleghorn) out now via Vine Leaves Press.
Come and browse through the library; there is no need to be silent.
Tag Archives: writers
Walking Lonely
The walk of the lonely brushes
Posted in Ars Poetica, Creativity
Tagged creativity, poetry, slice of life, writers, writing
Creative Dichotomy
Creative Dichotomy
Make art from the beautiful and the ugly;
From the joyful events of life and from the circumstances marked by sorrow.
Make art to evoke laughter and to break someone’s heart;
To provide fun for celebration and provide solemnities for mourning.
Make art to teach and inform, and to prick the conscience;
To elevate the humble and bring down the proud,
To encourage and to chastise.
Make art to provoke anger and rebellion;
To reflect and critique, to warn and admonish.
Make art to give voice to the voiceless and to silence the mouthpieces.
Make art to reflect and embrace the ordinary and the extraordinary.
Posted in Creativity
Tagged creativity, dichotomy, reflection, slice of life, writers, writing
The Mirror
The Mirror
I will stand in front of the mirror
And stare at my reflection.
It will talk of things that are
Of necessity, at once always true.
I will talk of things that are
Of necessity, of course, never true.
Inspired by a quote from Bas Jan Ader, Dutch performance and conceptual artist, when reading James Roy’s blog, “Head Vs Desk.”
Posted in Ars Poetica, Post It Note Poetry, The Writer's Life
Tagged creativity, mirror, poetry, post it note, post it note poetry, slice of life, writers, writing
The Sound of Noise and Silence
The Sound of Noise and Silence
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence – Max Ehrmann, “Desiderata” (Desired Things)
Creativity is birthed in the chaos of noise and the silence of meditation.
As a drummer, I love sounds. Four limbs working together in synchronous co-ordination to create a pattern whether it’s a beat, groove or fill.
I create by reading the chart and playing the pattern.
But sometimes I forget something. I forget about the spaces between the notes, the gaps and silences. It is as important to understand the correct notes to play as it is to understand the silences between the notes.
It doesn’t matter if the tempo is slow or fast; if the beat is simple or complex, the gaps and silences are just as important. I am conscious of the silent movement of my hands and feet before they create a sound.
Noise in Creative Production
I can create out of the noise and I can create out of the silence.
Noise is the default creative setting: white noise, background noise, conversational noise. However, it’s where ideas are birthed and generated. The noise in the to and fro of conversation and found in the noise of information I sift through in my tweet stream.
As a drummer, I love sounds. Out of the noise something musical is created.
Silence in Creative Production
As a creative person I also need silence. I sit behind my drum kit and visualise the movements of my hands and feet, imagining the sounds I create when I strike a drum or cymbal and the pattern I am creating. In a similar way the sportsperson visualises the perfect throw, pass, stroke, movement in silence.
For writers, musicians, artists, dancers, filmmakers, there is a need for silence.
Silence is not a state of nothingness.
Silence is a state of meditation and mastication of ideas.
Silence requires time.
Silence requires patience.
Silence requires meditative focus.
Silence cannot be rushed.
Silence allows the mind to become still.
Silence brings introspection, clarity and solutions.
Silence restores strength and refreshment.
Silence is engaging with the moment as it is now.
As a writer, I need moments of silence to think through plot or characterisation, themes or symbolism, dialogue or description. I need moments of silence to compost ideas, turning them over in my mind like a koan.
Out of the silence and stillness comes creativity.
Find your place amongst the noise and the silence.
Posted in Creativity, The Writer's Life
Tagged creating, creativity, desiderata, drumming, meditation, silence, writers, writing
Expressing What’s Inside You Creatively
Some say there is a novel in every one of us, trying to get out, waiting to be written.
I say that’s wrong.
Not everyone is a writer, nor is everyone a musician, nor is everyone an artist.
But…
I say there’s a story within every one of us.
That story can be expressed:
- as a novel
- in a poem
- through photography
- in film
- in music
- via singing
- performing a dance
- with paint and brushes on a canvas
- by creating a sculpture
- cooking new meals
- by designing a garden
- creating a website
- giving someone a new look with a haircut
- on a fashion catwalk
- in politics
- in philosophy
- in a scientific environment
- through the skills of oratory…
The possibilities are endless.
You need to know your story.
You need to know how to best express your story.
Tell your story…
…your way.
A Fullness in Brevity - Adam Byatt 