Reverb:
December 18 – Try: What do you want to try next year?
Is there something you wanted to try in 2010?
What happened when you did / didn’t go for it? (Author: Kaileen Elise)
My "What I Want to Try" is based on what I tried in 2010 so it is PERFECT!
In 2010 I held my first in-person writing workshops/camps/JJS experi
ences. :-)
I have been leading writing programs on line and in teleseminar format for more than ten years now, but I felt a calling to take that skill set and bring it home to my face-to-face world here in Bakersfield, especially for my friends who know I am a life and creativity coach but don't necessarily know how that translates. I had created some teleseminar/online Writing Camps (I even have Writing Camp on Facebook now - feel free to "like" it if you love to write) and I have to say, the in-person Camps I held were oh-so-sweet and provided some of my most soul infused moments of the year.
My favorite moment of "going for it" went like this: my teleseminar students know I use windchimes in my work. It started as a way to keep the audio acrobat recording when we were writing silently. I used the chimes as a quiet, contemplative method of letting the writers know they were still writing in community even though nothing was being said. It works well (mostly.) Well, when I started doing in person poetry performances I would bring them out on occasion for the same purpose and I brought them along to Camp and hung them on a tree.
During one of our exercises I sent the Campers out in pairs to find a comfy spot to write together, separately.
I told them, "Listen for the chimes. When I ring them, come back up and join me at base camp."
I stayed at base camp and wrote myself. When time was up, I looked down the hill and couldn't see very many people, most were lounging beside trees or on the ground under trees and they blended in perfectly with the Earth. I rang the chimes and watched the writers pop up from their writing nests and turn toward the chimes, smiling. I felt completely content with tears filling my eyes. The thought came to me immediately, "This must be what heaven feels like."
Well, I want to take it to the next level and sort of bring-back-to-life an old dream I scrapped when I got pregnant with Samuel more than ten years ago. I had this idea of doing what I called a Passion Tour. I wanted to take my fivepassions.com concepts to the streets, meeting people face to face and teaching about living passionate lives. Well, there will be a new fivepassions.com soon (the other isn't here anymore, long story). Anyway - all of this brings me back to what I want to try in 2011.
I want to take my Writing Camps on the road in 2011 as well as hold more face-to-face camps and on-line/teleseminar camps. I want to visit communities and use Writing Camp as a forum for creative and spiritual connection.
I have a couple trips planned right now and my thought is to integrate Writing Camp with my travel plans, first in short one day or weekend camps and then expand as the process and experience itself compels it to grow. I am not sure if this is making sense on paper because this is the first attempt I have made to communicate it. (Brava for Reverb in taking me out to my edges!)
Just writing this gives me chills and makes me want to go run and hide, so I take that as a VERY good sign. ^giggles^
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