Don't Think About It

A reminder that all good ideas come from doing...

Catching Ideas. Can I just put it out there that drawing a pile of stars is freaking hard? I did my best.

I overheard a friend (who I respect) recently saying how she wasn’t a writer, because she wouldn’t know what to write about. It made me chuckle because I like to think that I AM a writer, and I don’t know what to write about either.

It doesn’t bother me, because I know I can FIND something to write about: BY WRITING. Ideas come from doing. I know that. Sometimes I need reminding.

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” Picasso

We can’t just look out at a lake and think about the fish. We have to actually put on the musty lifejacket, climb into the creaky rowboat, and start pulling on the mismatched oars. We’ve gotta feel it burn in our arms, and notice the rhythm between the drips and the dips. We’ve got to get out there and float. The red and white bobber will buoy for awhile before it finally dunks and dives, but it will break the surface.

You don’t really have to know anything about the fish in the lake. You just have to GO FISHING and then turn your wonder and attention on what you catch.

Nothing trips you up more than spending too long thinking about doing without just starting the doing. Everything narrows when you are thinking about it. It’s action that expands it. Our brains do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to creativity, but they work better in collaboration with our hands and feet.

I took a break from writing this summer, because life made it hard for me to make the time. Coming back, I feel my attention in that specific WRITING kind of way showing up again. It’s not just while I’m at the page, but through my whole day. Practice does amplify our ability to pay attention and make connections, and I think that’s where our best work is swimming.

Despite grief and fear, life is worth loving. The joy part of making any art isn’t about BEING an artist or even the actual ART you make. It’s in the real EMBODIED experience of discovering, crafting and refining. That undertaking is truly delightful. We can always come back to that.

Sketch by Jes Raymond

Speaking of over thinking, I’ve wanted to offer an interactive intensive for a while now. I want to facilitate more community with this newsletter. I really want us to band up to support each other in our practice. No one does this alone. Since next week marks ONE YEAR of me writing these letters, I think it’s time to say “Whoops, here we go” and just make it happen.

If you’d like to get out of your head and start swimming, or just want some community to practice with: Starting on Oct 1, I’m going to offer THE PRACTICE OF ATTENTION: A 3 Day (digital) Artistic Refocus Retreat It’s a series of short essays, images, songs and prompts, delivered through this newsletter. There is also an invitation to SHARE YOUR WORK with the group through the SUBSTACK PLATFORM.

Watch for another letter later this week with all the details. You can do this prompt series with any creative practice as they come out or save them for when you can dedicate time.

All you need to do to join the retreat is be subscribed to A Wilder Wonder.

It feels so good to write you all. Thanks for being here. Jes