“The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. Things like old folks singing in the moonlight in the back yard on a hot night or something said long ago.” ~ Louis Armstrong In honour of Louis “Satchmo” “Pops” “Ambassador Satch” Armstrong’s 114th birthday today, instead of sharing a poem, here’s a little musical interlude for you […]
Pema Chödrön on Tigers, Strawberries and the Preciousness of the Moment
Brené Brown on Owning Your Story & the Power of Vulnerability
“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will […]
Joseph Conrad on Fiction, Art and the Power of the Written Word
Fiction — if it at all aspires to be art — appeals to temperament. And in truth it must be, like painting, like music, like all art, the appeal of one temperament to all the other innumerable temperaments whose subtle and resistless power endows passing events with their true meaning, and creates the moral, the […]
Music | Be Fair With Me Baby By Billie Holiday
“Don’t threaten me with love, baby. Let’s just go walking in the rain.” ― Billie Holiday In honour of Jazz diva, Billy Holiday’s 100th birthday this week, instead of sharing poetry, here’s a little music to brighten your day. Click the Spotify player to have a listen or click here, and scroll down for the […]
Acupressure to Ease Creative Doubt
Creative doubt can affect every aspect of the creative process, from confidence in your craft to your passion for a project. Try these acupressure points to alleviate creative doubt, no matter the medium of your art. As a prequel to the post on writing doubt, these acupressure points can be used to alleviate creative doubt. Every artist, just as every writer, experiences […]
7 Ways to Embrace Vulnerability and Write Truth
When you create with openness, with a willingness to trust and be vulnerable for your art, your writing is all the more authentic and true because it is uncensored, drawn from the deepest part of yourself — pure feeling articulated on the page — but it can be hard to share our truths, to write without censor, especially when the […]
John Steinbeck’s 6 Tips for the Aspiring Writer
Free-Writing: The Secret of All Successful Writers
Creative Overwhelm: Slowing Down and Finding Stillness in a Busy World
Finding stillness in our busy world is crucial not only for our ability to live in such a world, physically, and neurologically, but also for our inner landscape. In stillness we are able to reconnect with our centre, our true, authentic self. To silence the endless clamour of our planet of bleeps and busyness, and disconnect from the demands […]