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you are more precious
than you allow yourself to
even contemplate
- © Jenny Bienemann
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Haiku your own Milieu!
Each week, we feature a Haiku from the Haiku Milieu community.
Look around! Write a Haiku!
Submit it here!
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T H I S W E E K ' S G U E S T H A I K U:
Our guest Haiku:
I want to go home
it's not a place but a time
somewhere in the past
- Jason McKay
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TAKE A LOOK A THE DRAWINGS ABOVE BEFORE READING...enjoy!
So, it was quite a week at the day job.
You know, the day job, the place that gives us so many things in addition the means of keeping the roof over our heads: new friends! A sense of purpose! Meaningful endeavors that connect you to the larger world! With the added advantage of unlimited access to source material for songs, haiku and artwork, and all for the one low price of...the entirety of your time, attention, and patience - not to mention physical endurance - during project season.
So let’s say last week was the seventh of a six week sprint of 14 hour work days. I don’t say this to elicit your sympathy, I know you know exactly what I’m talking about. I’m telling you merely so we have a starting point for this story.
The job was done, but we still had another week or so of 12 hour days putting the project to bed. Except now that it was over, you're running on fumes.
Weary after yet another video meeting, this one rallying the troops for the next big project with no pause for breath from the last one, I felt very far from the process of creation, and even farther from creating anything but more "work product."
I felt like I was losing myself.
The difference this time was, I could see the choices before me: I could either give myself a moment of creation, or a downward spiral into despair. Making something would take more effort in the moment, but swirling into despair would take days to recover from.
So, I pulled up my big girl pants...and followed the advice I have shared in my "Bringing Your Songs to Life" workshops:
USE WHAT IS AT HAND.
I got a piece of copy paper with printing on one side from the recycling pile. I folded it in eighths, and placed it on a stack of other papers. Then I picked up an ordinary pen from my desk.
MAKE SOMETHING.
I stood up, laid pen to page, and made nine different vignettes. I photographed the page, and used a filter to make the nuances of the lines more available to my imagination.
ENJOY WHAT YOU MAKE.
I found one image compelling, and began to think about how it made me feel, letting it intensify. Memories, emotions, ideas began to flow.
LET IT BE
Then, I turned my attention to the things at work that had to be done, things that I now had energy to do, because I had given myself a moment to create.
Maybe it took all of five minutes, but you know what?
It worked.
If you feel like it, let me know what works for you.
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Aaron Mitchell's song, "Every Shooting Star," from the 2021 Local Honey Haiku Milieu show.
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ENJOY THE VIDEO - THEN READ AARON’S BLOG.
If time is the first barrier to creation, the second is the fear of mistakes.
Today’s blog and the power of mistakes is the next logical step in our conversation about creativity.
My friend Aaron Mitchell is a painter, singer, songwriter, band leader, dad, and business owner. His life's work is creating space for the creative process. He founded and runs a creative arts incubator, The Outtaspace.
During one of the many wonderful concerts Robin and I have attended there over the years, Aaron and I struck up a conversation about how the mistakes sometimes become the thing that “makes” the work of art, and what a gift it is to be creative at all.
As I write this, it is Aaron's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY dear Aaron! Everyone else, get over to The Outtaspace and be inspired.
The Magic of Mistakes
Aaron Mitchell, Founder/Owner, The Outtaspace
I had a great conversation with a highly talented friend one night about creation. The best part of the conversation was that we talked about the process of creating. The ups and downs, the twists and turns and ultimately the overarching beauty of it all.
I mentioned I had hesitancy about a live video recorded of a musical performance I did that was to be released for a virtual show. It was a new song and I had forgotten a lyric. Luckily I was able to recoup and finish the performance. I talked about how I thought I could have re-recorded a better version and potentially produced a nice visual to go along with it. Although eventually that's what I will do I decided to let the original performance be used and felt good about it. The reason I felt good about it was because when I watched it I felt that it was very real, raw and fresh. But what I loved most about it was the moment of vulnerability that presented itself to an audience. And what was even better than that was the support I received from the audience. We shared a moment and through that moment we connected.
ANYONE who ever created ANYTHING knows one thing and there's no way around it—-There will be mistakes! We try our best to take all the steps to avoid those mistakes, especially in the public eye. We practice, we work through ideas and we take the leap to share. However, as humans we still can't help but make mistakes.
Creators also know it's close to impossible to create without grappling with growing pains, blocks, hurdles, missteps and/or mistakes somewhere along the way. Just like in life mistakes are inevitable, what's most important is the next step. Do you learn from the mistake? Do you grow? Does the mistake turn into something else? Maybe something magical?
The minute the brush hits the canvas, the pen hits the paper, the fingers strum the guitar or the vocal hits the mic there's always a chance something might not work out as planned. The lost lyric, the missed cue, the shaky brush stroke or even worse; the spill, the butterflies, the trip, the slip; whatever it may be. There's always potential for mistakes. But there's also room for magic.
Magic is the moment of mystery and the unexpected. I can vouch for mistakes I made while painting on canvas that ultimately changed the destiny of the painting and in turn led to a new idea and/or potentially better or more interesting outcome. I can vouch for the vulnerable moments that led to connection and I can vouch for the idea that nothing can be created without mistakes somewhere along the way. All creators yearn for the years of hard work to pay off, where mistakes are kept to a minimum. Admittedly I do work towards the same, however I have grown to understand, accept and acknowledge the potential of magic in mistakes.
CREATE. MAKE MISTAKES. CREATE. MAKE MAGIC
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Jenny Bienemann music, Collaboration Blog, Jenny & Robin gigs and more at jennybienemann.com.
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