Ausmumof3 Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 4 hours ago, katilac said: It's common advice to say you should write regularly, absolutely. Writers need to write, painters need to paint, and most people do improve and produce more good work this way - but it is absolutely possible to write prolifically without winding up with anything good. I mean, I sing regularly, but there's never anything 'good' about it, lol. The sheer act of singing a lot does not make me a good singer. I could take lessons and practice and improve to the point of not being painful to listen to, but not making the neighbors cringe hardly reaches the level of being a good singer. Working hard, practicing regularly, being open to help and feedback - most people will not become 'good' without these things, but that doesn't mean doing them automatically results in good work, whether you are a painter or a writer or an actor. People can and do write painful dreck in horrifying quantities. Lol yeah if that was true we must all have written some absolute gems on here 🤣🤣🤣 Because ive certainly written plenty of guff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 (edited) 13 hours ago, StellaM said: All I can offer is a reframe of 'you are not your thoughts', which is that 'you do not have to do what a thought tells you to do'. So if my thought is 'what if I stepped in front of that bus?', I can calmly remind myself 'interesting question, thought, but I don't plan on finding out' and refrain from stepping in front of the bus. I'm having trouble understanding how 'you are not your thoughts' apply outside of 'avoiding self-harm'. I do not like your wellness app. I don't like the wellness app either. It was one of the resources we got from work, and so I decided to try it. The format drives me crazy, as does the chipper cheerleader type person in the videos. I hate typing on the phone and, with the obvious privacy concerns, am not going to put anything in the text boxes. An old fashioned paper journal will work much better for that purpose. (Oh, and I hate programs where you must to complete step #n before step #(n+1) is unlocked! I wanted to come back and write more about the you-are -not-your-thoughts idea which I have wrestled with in a different content, but can't find the correct words and quotes at the moment. I can see how this would be obvious for self-harm, but that is not what I was referring to; the quotes I had in mind were more related to what letting go of thinking does in meditation, and how thinking is addictive and in the way. I'll get back to that. Quote I am a body. Thoughts and feelings arise from my body. There is no I outside of my body. My sense of I-ness is embodied. OK, next. Some feelings that arise in my body are comfortable to feel. Some feelings that arise are uncomfortable to feel. Both types of feelings, in all levels of intensity, can prompt the subconscious beginnings of a poem. Sometimes an embodied feeling can become overwhelming, to the point where all cognitive and emotional energy is directed to it, leaving little to no energy to 'tune into' those first stirrings of image or rhythm. Sometimes an embodied feeling can become chronically repressed, and form a barrier to expression of the poem. A poet does not need to ignore or otherwise manipulate feelings, but remain open to feeling, with a clear eye as to when feeling is involved in the poetic process, and when it is blocking the process. A poet is a person, however, who may need assistance to deal with emotional blocks or overwhelm, if they cause distress (and if they are blocking the work, they will cause distress). Assistance doesn't involve disowning feelings, being told to 'let go of them', or any other coercive act against the self. I think you would really like Holly Wren Spaulding's poetic community. https://www.patreon.com/HollyWrenSpaulding/overview It manages to be therapeutic (at least, I find it so), and attuned to poetic process, and I think has a better handle on what 'wellness' looks like for a poet than wellness apps do. Plus, you could go to one of her workshops in person, once the restrictions lift, and tell me what it was like, because I can't ever go! That sounds very beautiful and wise. Thank you! I've bookmarked the site and will check it out when I have some time. Edited May 23, 2020 by regentrude 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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