March is upon us, the month that ends the first quarter of the year. What are we going to do with this month? What will it bring? Two things: spring and daylight savings time. But what kind of attitude will it bring? Or perspective? Will there be a shift inside us that may take us down a different path?
I am following Julia Cameron’s 12-week creativity program. We read her book, The Artist’s Way, write three pages in our journals every morning, do the tasks at the end of each chapter, and take a break in each week for an Artist’s Date, where we go somewhere or do something that gives us pleasure and breaks us out of our routines for a short time. I’ve done pretty well, so far, although I haven’t had a burst of creativity yet. I have written a couple of new poems during this time, though, so maybe creativity is creeping up on me without my recognizing it!
It’s a thought-provoking program, and the tasks can be difficult, but we’re trying to re-awaken what is already inside us, so it’s worth the work, I think. I’m doing it with a small group, and we meet weekly to check in and encourage each other, but it can be done alone, too. Julia gives plenty of encouragement and guidance in the pages of the book.
My sister and I are engaging in an artistic challenge with a new theme every quarter, too. She is an artist, so her challenge will be artwork. Mine is writing. Our theme for the first quarter of 2022 is “Begin Again; Something New!” On a light note, I wrote the following poem:
Something New
What will it be?
Jeans?
Hair style?
A trip to somewhere I haven’t been?
A new attitude?
Being alone most of the time
makes me wonder what I can do
to spice up my life.
And do I want that?
Really?
Maybe a new perspective.
On what?
My life?
Where this country is headed?
Covid-19?
I am restless,
but also comfortable where I am.
Can I be both at the same time?
Something new.
I wonder what it could be
that will capture my attention,
get me moving in another direction.
What might that direction be?
Up?
Not down.
To the right?
Oh no, not that!
What do I want that I don’t already have?
I don’t want to be content.
I want to balance on the edge. . .
without falling.
And I want to risk it anyway,
feel the adrenaline
coursing through my veins,
take a chance.
Yes, obviously this pandemic
has persisted too long! ☺
© 2022 Dorothy A Joslyn
1. What is something new you can pursue this year? Write about what you can do to accomplish it.
2. What are you willing to risk to get out of the doldrums? Give up? Add in?
3. Has the pandemic given you any new perspectives, goals, or plans? Write about them.
4. If only the sky was the limit, what would you do?
Dottie,
i love your poem and I love the prompts. I’m so glad you’re challenging yourself. I affectionately suggest you make a deposit to your jar for your comment that you haven’t had a burst of creativity, since in the very next line you tell us you’ve written a couple of poems. How many poems do you have to write to consider it a burst?
Sarah
I’m glad you enjoyed the poem. It was fun to write. I guess I’d like at least one poem a week to consider myself “bursting” into creativity! Maybe that’s too high a bar! But, you’re right, I could be happy that I have some, at least, and am expecting more. Thanks for the reminder.