Tags
authenticity, creative writing, creativity, poem, poetry, sharing, writing prompt, writing workshop
Yesterday I held my first writing workshop of the year, and it was the perfect foundation on which to build a year of insight, creativity and community. I always complete sessions with a brief round of feedback where I ask participants to share three things; something they enjoyed/were surprised by, something that challenged/didn’t work for them and how they’re feeling now, in that moment. Several people acknowledged the power of writing together, and how the group’s presence was both a joy to witness in itself, and an inspiration for their own creativity.
I resonate with this point very strongly, for though I believe in the value of developing our own recognisable ‘voice’, writing together can help us to explore styles and themes we wouldn’t otherwise consider, and so bring a greater depth and freshness to our work.
One exercise involved choosing a quality to explore (in our group we chose; generosity, compassion, courage, love and authenticity) and write that word at the top of the page followed by – is… We then wrote a sentence offering our own understanding of what that word meant, before passing our paper to the right so the next person could add their understanding of that word, and so on. When we received our papers back, we had ten minutes to write a poem inspired by the list we now had.
Below is my poem exploring the quality of Authenticity
Authenticity
Be the author
of your own truth
and align those inner pages
with the declaration
on the cover
of your life
***
Do not edit or bind
rather write
and print
volume on volume
as you create
a welcoming life library
where the world comes
to linger for a while
in search of entertainment
or wisdom
or both
***
Do not fear the critics
who judge your tomes
to be lacking in vocabularial variety
and perfectly placed punctuation
for perfection is a word
we risk hanging ourselves on
as we strain up towards it
and inevitably fall
No – perfection
isn’t authentic at all
What are your thoughts on authenticity? It is a word I intend to explore throughout January, for reasons I will explain in a future post, so I look forward to reading your wise reflections in the comments…
Here’s hoping your 2017 is off to a great start!
Love, Harula xxx
wordsthatserve 
Kudos Harula. Clearly, you have a passion for both writing and teaching. I think for me it’s more a way to express feelings and connect with others. Authenticity for me is doing the best we can to be true to our inner self while not harming others.
Thank you for this thoughtful comment. I agree with you – authenticity needs to remain respectful and mindful of the needs and well-being of others at the same time as being true to our own chosen path, and that’s when it’s really tested – when those two aspects challenge each other and invite us to engage in compassionate, open negotiation. Authenticity is powerful because it’s vulnerable… Blessings, H xxx
Well stated and I agree so I guess we don’t need to negotiate! 🙂
Years upon years ago my mother and I took a poetry class together at the University. It was awesome sauce. I’ve never forgotten it.
I worry about my spelling and so hesitate to write anything by hand without my phone’s dictionary beside me. I’m going to think about this entry a little more.
Faith
What a wonderful experience to share with your mother – to take a poetry class together! Do you still have some of the poems you wrote during that class? Thanks for sharing that, and I look forward to more reflections if you do choose to think on this a little more. As for spelling, you certainly aren’t alone in worrying about that (a poster I put up promoting my creative writing classes had a mistake I didn’t see until weeks after it had been put up!), but I really encourage you not to let that worry interfere with the desire to write, if that desire is there. Blessings, Harula xxx
That could almost be a creed. Very cool. What an awesome writing group. Wish I were a part of it! I’ll bet you’re a heck of a facilitator!
Awww, it would be so fun to have you in it! Thank you 🙂 I love what I do…and for that I’m very grateful. Hugs, Harula xxx
Thanks for sharing, what a lovely poem and a great word to explore! It’s always uplifitng for me to read your work. Peace and blessings and may 2017 be an authentic year ahead! 🙂
Comments like yours remind me of the power of words, and the sharing of them. Thank you 🙂 I am uplifted by your response! Blessings on your year friend, and let that authentic beauty shine through… Harula x
You’re very welcome and deserving of the praise. I have found words and expressing them even for my own sake have provided me solace in my darkest and lightest times. May your words, love and light always shine forth. Peace and blessings 😉
this is reallylovely!!!
How kind – thanks very much 🙂 Very glad you enjoyed it! Blessings, Harula x
Dear Harula thanks so much for this post. It has inspired me to write even more. Thanks for sharing. I have just started a poetry blog here on WordPress in case you have time to look? Have a good day, Sam 🙂
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed this, and that it gave you inspiration for your own writing. Congratulations on starting your own poetry blog. I look forward to my first visit! 🙂 Blessings on your weekend and welcome to WordPress – Harula x
Thanks Harula have a relaxing Saturday!