Lesson No. 3: No Ideas But in Things with Sarah Herrington

A song/story about a CANNON BALL (specific object!) and being the last splash 🙂  

 

Welcome back! 

 In this lesson, we keep exploring how looking closely produces art, and is an art in and of itself.  We’ve looked inside our selves (body/breath), outside (the streets, outside world).  This week I want to think about the OBJECTS we might be looking at.  I argue that each object/thing, offers up a world.  The more we can get to know OUR objects, and listen to them and stay true to them, the more unique and true our writing will be.

For example, I for one have learned that if you want to really get to know a character in a scene, describe SPECIFIC objects in his or her room.  If you are stuck on something to write, look around at your own objects, study them, think about why they carry importance, what stories they tell.

OBJECTS:

Poet William Carlos Williams wrote, “No ideas but in things.”

Our writing is not only made up of THINGS to build vision, setting, meaning, but really objects can open up a whole world for us.  Looking at one object can evoke feelings, memories….placing an object in a story can anchor it.

And, eventually, the story itself is an object.  The sentences are objects.  Words are objects.  We build and build.

 [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PqRhDdeKDA]

*so much depends on our objects

Reading Assignment

The Red Wheelbarrow by WCW & essay, a celebration of LOOKING CLOSELY, he almost stacks his images in a poem made of one line, conjuring up a world (this Modernist poem is not for everyone, but is a great example of IMAGE IMAGE OBJECT OBJECT)

The Wikipedia Page on the Red Wheelbarrow (may we all have Wikipedia pages about a poem someday 🙂

Pet Milk by Stuart Dybek, a story which the object of condensed milk is important (perhaps the whole story swirls out from it)

 *in Pet Milk, an ordinary object works as a TRIGGER to a whole world of memory

Writing Assignment

Sit for a moment, pen and computer tucked away, and think about your THINGS.

What objects hold importance for you? 
Then, grab the pen or laptop and make a list.

After, choose one object and use it as the central object in a new piece of writing.  You may find that one object works to attract other objects.  You might find your one object opens up a whole setting (for example, if your object is COW, a farm might be born or a slaughterhouse, if your object is BELL, a school band, a teacher’s desk, a monastery)

Write either a poem, story, or essay, by LISTENING to the words your OBJECT wants to tell.

 

Sarah Herrington’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Writer’s Digest and she was named a Poet to Watch by Oprah Magazine. She is the author of a collection of poetry, Always Moving (Bowery Books, 2011) and several nonfiction books, including Om Schooled (Addriya Press, 2012), and Essential Yoga (Fair Winds Press, 2013). In addition to writing, she is an advocate for mindfulness and creativity and is the founder and lead facilitator of OM Schooled Teacher Trainings. Sarah is a graduate of New York University’s English and Creative Writing programs and holds an MFA in Creative Writing through Lesley University.  She is a grateful member of the Bowery Poetry Club community and has worked for Gotham Writers’ Workshop and Girls Write Now. She divides her time between New York and California.

Mindfulness + Writing | Lesson No. 1: The Art of Paying Attention

Welcome to the Mindfulness + Writing lessons! I hope these lessons will inspire some great writing not only in the present moment, but arm you with tools and techniques for creating art (and, really, living) for the future.

So What is Mindfulness?

The textbook definition is:

mind·ful·ness:
noun
  1. the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
  2. a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

But, like all things, I encourage you to investigate this question as our weeks go on and find a definition for yourself!

For me, mindfulness can mean: the art of paying attention.

I’ve studied both Buddhist meditation (techniques and practices from which “mindfulness” largely arose) and yoga.  Both practices have helped me get to know myself, relieved anxiety and…..(surprise!)….helped me get into a more creative state.  Mindfulness, for me, has helped me both feel more inspired and find more tools of stamina to see works through to completion.  These techniques have also helped me get in touch with my subconscious on a regular basis (whee) so I can create from there and edit from the more conscious mind.

I look forward to supporting you and guiding you as you check in with self, explore this path and see if it helps your work, too! I think it will.

 

Laying the Foundation

Jon Kabat-Zinn is known as a foundational mindfulness teacher in the Western world.  You can actually study with him by checking out the video below.  This video is a guided meditation/deep paying attention/body scan technique (FYI, you can do this lying down OR sitting up in a chair 🙂

Key to this video….see if you can STICK with it.  It’s hard to pay attention!  But it’s a practice and a muscle we can build.

 

Reading Assignment | Mindfulness + Creativity 101

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/10/05/how-mindfulness-can-help-your-creativity/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bianca-rothschild/the-science-of-how-medita_b_5579901.html

Discussion Assignment

What does it mean to you to “pay attention?”  What are the challenges?

Writing Assignment | Breath in, Breath out, WRITE!

After listening to and going through the youtube video above, move to the pen or computer.

See if you can WRITE the story of your body.  A lot of mindfulness techniques drop us into the body and breath to help us find the present moment (and to move out of THOUGHTS and into FEELINGS…..and how great to write from feelings)  The breath is always in the present moment, the body is always with us.

Pick one body part that you feel has a story.  Maybe it’s a scar, your knees, your back, your hair….anything.  See if you can sit for a moment and breath (inhale/exhale) and “listen” to the story of this part of your body.  Listening deeply is one of the gifts of the mindfulness practice that so helps in creativity, too.

Write out the story of that body part, in any format you wish for this week.  It can be a poem, article, fictionalized story, but just try to stay true to what you hear, in honesty.

Sarah Herrington’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Writer’s Digest and she was named a Poet to Watch by Oprah Magazine. She is the author of a collection of poetry, Always Moving (Bowery Books, 2011) and several nonfiction books, including Om Schooled (Addriya Press, 2012), and Essential Yoga (Fair Winds Press, 2013). In addition to writing, she is an advocate for mindfulness and creativity and is the founder and lead facilitator of OM Schooled Teacher Trainings. Sarah is a graduate of New York University’s English and Creative Writing programs and holds an MFA in Creative Writing through Lesley University.  She is a grateful member of the Bowery Poetry Club community and has worked for Gotham Writers’ Workshop and Girls Write Now. She divides her time between New York and California.