‘Zen requires us to trust the present moment, and respond to it from our depths. Creativity asks the same thing.’ (64)
Zen & Creativity
As writers, we are constantly told to ‘trust in the process’. That writing is about talent, luck, hard work and also a kind of ‘magic’. The writer must weather ups and downs. We must have faith in our work and in our ability to see it through.
As Lowry suggests, the creative life and spiritual life are a part of the same life, quoting Clarissa Pinkola Estes when she refers to the creative life as a ‘spiritual practice’.
For me, writing is a way of life. It is a part of who I am, I place faith in the act of writing and commit to a morning ritual; my daily writing practice.
Write.
‘Write with every ounce of your being… There’s no perfect time to write. There’s only now.’ (90)
Lowry delivers some hard truths — as most authors writing a book of this nature feel compelled to do — but this serves to remind the reader of why they write. And this is what sustains the practice. Write because you love it; because you are less ‘yourself’ without it. Just write.
On Perfectionism
This is about resetting expectations. About coming to the work with joy and an open-mind; letting the words flow.
Persistence
‘Keep going… Even when you don’t know where you’re going, go there. Trust that.’ (91)
It is impossible to sustain a sense of enthusiasm and, perhaps, clarity throughout an entire project. This is about trust. We must be willing to step into unfamiliar territory, willing to get a little ‘uncomfortable’ in order to see a project through.
Patience
It can be so tempting to equate success with how quickly a project is completed — the ever-increasing word count — but this should not come before the integrity of the work. As Lowry suggests, ‘the reader will know’ if the work is not honest, if the writer has hurtled towards the end. They will know.
Also see:
YouTube: The Write Read with Mary-Clare Terrill
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Reference: Lowry, B. (2016). Still Life with Teapot: On Zen, Writing & Creativity. Fremantle Press.