Stepping outside my comfort zone

Happy Tuesday, friends. I hope you're all having a good week. ☺

Last Tuesday I wrote a post about some graffiti that urged people to dare to create. Ever since then, I've been feeling inspired not only to do more of what I love—writing poetry—but also to step outside my comfort zone and look to other forms of poetry that I haven't yet explored.

One of the forms I've found inspiration in is spoken word poetry. YouTube is replete with videos featuring wonderful poets working in this form. One of the most talented (in my opinion) is Sarah Kay, a spoken word poet from New York City who teaches others how to perfect the craft. I watched several videos of her performances—all excellent—before I came across the video I posted here, an animation of Kay's poem "Hands," which was created by artist/designer Sachin Limbachia. In many ways, "Hands" shows how small things—in this case, holding hands—can tell so much about a relationship.

I'm curious about what you think of the video and Kay's words. Have you ever listened to spoken word poetry? Do you like it?

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Wishing you all a wonderful Tuesday. ☺

UPDATE: My friend Madeline commented below that she found that the animation distracted her from Kay's words. Although I think Limbachia did a wonderful job with the artwork in this video, I agree with Madeline's assessment. Spoken word poetry is meant to be performed; there's a lot of value in seeing the poet as he or she speaks. Here's a video in which Kay is performing "Hands." What do you think? Which version do you prefer?

Do you dare?

Happy Tuesday, friends. ☺

A couple of nights ago, my family and I took a walk out onto one of the local piers. As we neared the beacon at the end, I saw this graffiti and felt compelled to take a photo.

I don't know who penned these words, but I feel as though they were meant for me. They make me think about my own creative passion, writing, and remind me that if I'm not willing to take a risk—if I refuse to tackle that difficult subject or submit that poem or write about that thing that's been haunting me or try a different style of writing—then I can't expect to get far on my writing path. Creating is about being brave. It's about daring to take risks and daring to step out of our comfort zones.

I think this quote by community activist Mary Lou Cook says it all: "Creating is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun." (Emphasis mine.)

How about you? Do you dare to be creative?

Wishing you all an adventurous Tuesday. ☺

A new adventure

I started another project today, one that I'm really excited about. It's a story idea that I mentioned in a previous post, one that seemed to come out of nowhere, not just in flashes, like so often happens for me, but in its entirety. I know how the story starts, what happens in the middle, and how it ends, which is unusual because my story ideas are usually incomplete, missing one or sometimes even two of those vital components. I don't have all of the details yet, of course, but the big picture is there. The details will emerge as I write.

This story is a departure from what I usually do, and the idea of trying something a little outside of my comfort zone is very exciting!