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Jeannie Ewing's avatar

"Process? I just start. The art knows where it wants to go better than I do."

YES!

I've participated in a writing circle with a very gifted facilitator, and she always tells us, "Write the story that wants to be told through you." That's a very different perspective than "write the story you want to tell." I mean, both are good. Both are important. Both have their place. But one is about a scripted, rehearsed, planned act, while the other is...more open. Curious. Ready to be surprised.

Alex, I have been a planner nearly my entire life. Sometimes I wonder if I was born organized. Even early childhood memories are of me lining up my little ceramic cat figurines in a tidy row on my shelf, also straightening the books on my bookshelf, fluffing the pillows on my bed, picking up little pieces of trash on the floor.

I think having five kids has basically forced me to be more flexible, spontaneous, and amenable to messes. I still don't like them AT ALL (I scored very high on the orderliness/cleanliness trait in the Five Factor Personality Inventory). Like, messes give me PHYSICAL DISTRESS, but I have learned to live with them. Lean into them sometimes.

And yes, to be more open to spontaneity. To say "yes and..."

Man, I would have loved to go with you to listen to rooftop jazz. That's so up my alley.

Great reflections, as always, friend!

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Teri Leigh 💜's avatar

“They moved through creative problems like water around stones—not forcing solutions but finding the natural path of least resistance.”

Thank you for this. I’m recognizing that this past year on Substack for me has been a beautiful dance of putting aside the planner and following the art that reveals itself in front of me.

I liken it to walking g the yellow brick road that reveals one brick at a time. I just have to keep trusting that each brick appears right as I need it.

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