Transcript of Section 2- How do I remain spontaneous as I react to the unexpected? Life can be very random and...
- Slide 1
- Section 2- How do I remain spontaneous as I react to the
unexpected? Life can be very random and chaotic, but many of us
want our worlds neatly planned and structured. We feel pressure
from ourselves and other to have a plan and to know exactly where
our lives are heading. Life rarely unfolds like we plan, so open
yourself and the journaling process up to some spontaneity as you
allow a bit of chaos and random juxtaposition into your working
method. The journal is nonlinear and allows for this freedom from
structure, and it is a place to experiment with new techniques to
strengthen your investment in the journal. Too often artists can
freeze because they have an idea of what they want the piece to bea
picture-perfect image in their minds. They plan, plot, scheme and
then freeze. They are afraid that things will not go according to
plan, and they will mess up and fail miserably. However, it can be
helpful to openly invite a bit of randomness and chaos into your
working habits and to put the ideal of the finished page to the
back of your mind. By purposefully cultivating spontaneous acts,
you can set aside the fear of making mistakes and learn to embrace
the surprises that arise from giving up a little control. You can
discover beautiful images and themes as they arise from the chaos
and that you could never have planned.
- Slide 2
- Writing Techniques As you explore the prompts, try some simple
brainstorming. You may want to write the prompt or the key words,
and then jot down anything that comes to mind. The key to this is
to be open and to write down everything. Dont judge your thoughts,
but let them fly. Generate lists or scatter them around the page as
quickly as they flash in your mind. Let the ideas storm and flash.
You have a ton of thoughts, so write them all down. You never know
where these brainstorms will lead. As scientist Linus Pauling said,
The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. Growing
up we learned to read and write from left to right in evenly spaced
lines. Even the book you have in your hands is formatted that way.
But who says that you always have to write in such a way? Instead
of writing in those neat horizontal lines, try drawing some random
paths in which to write. These paths can curve, turn, slant, loop,
zipzag and spiral.
- Slide 3
- Writing Prompt 1- Random Words Open yourself to chance by
picking a random word to use as a source of inspiration. Grab a
book or dictionary that you have close at hand, and open to any
page and just point to a word. Dont like that word? Pick another.
Not ready to completely aimless? Pick a specific page, and choose a
word that draws you in. Dont use this process repeatedly in order
to pick a word you already have in mind or one that fits your mode
of thinking. Let chance take you in a direction that you are not
ready to go. If you find the word challenging, let it challenge you
and see how you can respond to it even if its the silliest or the
most unusual word. What does this word mean to you and your life at
this moment? Writing Prompt2- Operative Words Operative words are
the essential words in a sentence, story, poem or script.
Performers and spoken word poets stress or emphasize these words
when performing to give them impact. We scour our writing for
operative words and highlight or visually emphasize them to draw
attention to them, so that we can come back later and quickly find
and use these words as sources for further investigation and
exploration. Look over some of your writing, and choose important
words or phrases and highlight them in some way. Circle them, make
them bold, and use a different color or different material. These
are words and phrases that you are drawn to, so again, trust your
instincts. Try to find at least three or four operative words or
phrases in your writing, but feel free to find as many as youd
like. Pick one of these words to use as a source of inspiration.
What does this word say about you, your life or your work? Why is
it important to you? Writing Prompt 3- Chaos and Order Life can
come fast at times, creating a lot of action, turmoil, upheaval and
chaos. The to-do list gets long, and there doesnt seem to be enough
time in the day. For some people, the day is scheduled,
compartmentalized and structured. For others, the day is
spontaneous, free-form and tumbled together. Reflect on your
tolerance for chaos and your threshold for order. Do you make order
out of chaos or chaos from order? How do you deal with order and
chaos in your life? Are you structured or spontaneous? Are you
balanced somewhere in between the extremes? How do you react when
things dont go according to plan? Writing Prompt 4- Routines
Contemporary life is hectic, and keeping up with the household
chores, the responsibilities of word, the emails, the social
networks, the text message and the phone calls can quickly bury you
under a pile of to-dos and must- dos. Take time to reflect on the
organizational and structure of your life. Think about everything
from your mundane, daily routines to your big, special hopes and
dreams. How do you get things done? In what ways do you keep
yourself organized (or even disorganized) physically, socially,
mentally and spiritually? What routines and rituals do you use in
your daily life to make certain that everything that needs to get
done does get done? Are your routines and rituals turning into ruts
stalling your growth? When do you throw your plans out the window,
and when do you stick steadfast to them?