Expand Rather Than Plan

Musing…

“If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail.”
––Heraclitus

Charise’s Turn:

What if you put less importance on a plan, and allow for an impromptu expression of creativity? “Impromptu” is the latest poetry prompt of David Lehman’s column “Next Line, Please” of The American Scholar. Based on events of a Tuesday morning, I sat down to write a nine line impromptu poem, in about thirty minutes:

So

When the paper isn’t on the stoop, 

violet heads have drooped 
overnight, buds of lilies are snapped 
from stems as if eaten or snatched
for spite, you know whatever it is––
spirit, sprite, thief, or deer––isn’t 
thinking of you in the slightest, 
which could be the largesse
in this little upset. 

                                    

Maybe this poem example can make the case that creative work isn’t so much about taking time, but more about giving space. A creative urge needs space to exist, to show up, to be known. A plan can be a good idea, but it can also be limiting. Whatever creative tendency you have, give it more space. Expand, and let the muse do her work. 

“The creative person has to dissolve all should and should nots. He needs freedom and space, vast space; he needs the whole sky and all the stars. Only then can his innermost spontaneity start growing.”––Osho 

Get Fired Up:

Set your plan aside to let the moment reveal itself.  

www.charisehoge.com