Thursdays

Thursdays are my writing days.


I treasure them and look forward to the quietness they bring. There is something mystical about writing that allows a person to empty their minds and see their thoughts splashed on paper or screen. Sometimes the experience of writing is shaped by where you write.


Today I am sitting in the Flint Institute of Arts coffee shop and the museum is quiet as they prepare for the Flint Institute Arts Show over the weekend.


Somehow being in the presence of other creative works is a great impetus to be creative.


Pablo Picasso, the great artist, said..."Art is a Lie that makes us realize Truth."


Surrounded by works of art reminds me that there are still a wealth of ideas, projects and concepts waiting to be developed by those willing to pursue them.


I have been wondering what it would take to create art that has a transformative value?


Julia Cameron, writing in The Artists Way, challenges the serious writer to do two things that have helped me in my quest to be creative.  First, she challenges the writer to commit to "Morning Pages."  These are three pages of long hand stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning." She says, "there are no wrong ways to do Morning Pages-they are not high art. They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind-and they are for your eyes only."


Commit to this practice and you will have over a thousand pages of narrative at the end of one year.


Secondly, she says commit to an "Artist Date" weekly. This is a simple exercise of taking yourself to different places and different experiences out of the normal rhythms of your life. It is amazing what can happen when you go to experience other people's creativity.


So, Thursdays are my writing days. They are sacred days. They are "set aside" days to creatively write my way through life. Thursday mornings and early afternoons are given to the writing task in preparation to share powerful stories every Sunday with the community of faith.


So, gotta run...thepages are calling me, and I am ready to respond.