Flair: Words

Musing…

“Lists are the butterfly nets that catch my fleeting thoughts...” ~ Betsy Cañas Garmon

“One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper pattern at the right moment.” ~Hart Crane

Charise’s Turn:

I have a fondness for words, for the choice of words in speaking, writing, describing. This isn’t really about vocabulary; it’s about a feel for the flair of language. When I write a poem, the words have to agree with the experience conveyed or they fail to communicate, they loaf around on the page. It gets to be a pretty ruthless task to eliminate the loafers, but they will suck the life right out of a poem. A word speaks when it catches your attention, when it seduces you out of a stupor, when it promises new meaning.

On a recent trip to Italy – in addition to taking a plethora of photos – I took notes of words that cropped up over the course of a day’s meandering. The only reasoning behind the list is that these words offer possibilities of metaphors I hadn’t thought of, words like “fresco” and “lagoon”. In my wanderings through Verona, I found a bookbinding studio where a young artist makes miniature leather bound books on copper necklaces. The paper pages beckon for inspiration, and I knew this would be a birthday gift to delight my friend Lisa. As she contemplates what to inscribe on the tiny pages, I look forward to her choices. Knowing her, maybe some Rumi or some ruminating? Nothing like experiencing the treasure of words…

“Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen?” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Get Fired Up:  
How do words come alive for you? 
Make a note of words (or phrases) that catch your attention – you can use them for inspiration in your writing, journaling, art, business, website, etc.  Develop your unique flair for language.  

www.coachingmoves.com

Flair: Sprezzatura

Musing… 

Sprezzatura is an Italian word originating from Baldassare Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier, where it is defined by the author as "a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it".

 -Wikipedia based      

 Definition of flair:  a natural aptitude; a uniquely attractive quality.

Kate’s Turn:

Sprezzatura: effortless grace, all easy, doing something cool without apparent effort, nonchalance. It brings to mind watching a magician or a figure skater or a flamenco dancer.  They make it look so easy. This is what people say when they see me cooking and presenting a scrumptious meal; it takes effort, Yes, but that is not how it appears to someone not so adept in the kitchen. What I don’t have a flair for, or a natural aptitude in, is public speaking – I need much more practice to pull that off nonchalantly. But I do have a way with words, and I love crafting the message. And I love how this word, sprezzatura, sounds when it rolls off my tongue. So I would venture to say that sprezzatura is both flair (natural aptitude) and practice.

Now if we widen our perspective, we see how Mother Earth has sprezzatura in her generous giving. It is most noticeable during autumn season, when her abundance pours out with effortless grace and apparent ease; we witness this in the abundant beauty and art of a farmer’s market display or brilliant autumn foliage. Certainly the life force flow is constant, her effort and energy perpetual, in her natural aptitude to produce life and beauty; her flair for giving is her nature. Applying this to creativity means I practice in areas that are uniquely attractive to me, so the manifestation, with my effort, appears to result naturally, with such ease that the practice/refinement is not evident.

“You were born with wings.  Why prefer to crawl through life?”  - Rumi

Get Fired Up:

What do you naturally have a flair for?  Your practice makes it look perfect!  Have as much fun with your sprezzatura as I am having with mine.

www.kroskalifecoaching.com