Kelli Russell Agodon's Blog, page 34

Happy Last Day of National Poetry Month - Enjoy this Broadside Poem...

Dali & Rhino





Well, National Poetry Month has come to an end.



I hope you all found time to write a poem or two, or thirty.



Here's a broadside poem for you from my next book, Hourglass Museum (to come out in 2014 from White Pine Press)--



Feel free to download it, print it out and enjoy.  (It was inspired from watching Salvador Dali interviews.)



The poem is called How To Be a Genius in Many Different Fields



Here's a link to the broadside:  http://bit.ly/AgBroadside



We are all geniuses in our field.



~ Kells



 

~ Don't Miss a Post ~ Subscribe to Book of Kells by EmailKelli Russell Agodon
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Drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind, except falling in love & getting arrested. ~Hunter Thompson

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~ Kells



 

~ Don't Miss a Post ~ Subscribe to Book of Kells by EmailKelli Russell Agodon
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Rules for Being Amazing by Robin Sharma

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~ Kells



 

~ Don't Miss a Post ~ Subscribe to Book of Kells by EmailKelli Russell Agodon
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Confession Tuesday - Blue Skies Edition

Dear Reader,


It is sunny.


Honestly, when you live in the Northwest, that should be all I have to write because we know what comes next. . .nothing.

When it's sunny here, we leave our homes, our jobs, escape outside.


We do not take sunshine for granted.

That is one of the lovely things about Northwest folks, we appreciate good weather.



We spend so much time inside and under grey skies (SO MUCH TIME! ALL FALL AND WINTER), we get a little blue sky and we lose our minds.  In a good way.



So I write this to you after a day of being out in the world, under the sun, Vitamin D filled, I wander into the confessional while planning tomorrow's activities outside--



I confess now that summer is coming, I will be here much less.


The blog is a wonderful thing in the winter, but in the summer, it's an unmet chore.
Sometimes when I'm being my best self, I write posts in advance, "schedule" them as they say.  But on my worst (best) days, I just disappear into a tent, up a hill on a mountain bike, into the world of orcas on a paddleboard.


I spend two to three seasons eating Vitamin D, so when the sun comes, I run to it.  Like a hooked junkie waiting for her fix.



~



I confess sometimes in the sunshine I can't remember my writer self.



I am anyone but a writer.


Though sometimes I have a line in my head while I garden.  Repeated again and again.  But I tell myself I am not a writer.  But I am.  Ultimately.  Especially when fall arrives.



~



I confess as a 40-something person, I much easier on everyone else.


My twenty-something self judged everyone.  And if they were different than me, then they must be wrong.  My thirty-something self, so underwater, so over-my-head, I judged mothers because if I was right, they must be wrong.

My forty-something self says: get the tattoo.  Drink wildly.  Overeat and enjoy.


My forty-something self doesn't care if your kids stay up past midnight, even if they are four.  Doesn't care how you potty train or don't. If you're attachment or not.  If you read to your kids at night or not.  Do you love your kids?  Good enough.



Are you having a good life?  Good enough.


My forty-something self doesn't want perfection just good enough.  It's wonderful being happy with less.  It is, it is, it is.


~

I confess I want less for myself these days.



Less work.  Less things.  Less responsibility.  Less care and more time to write, to do whatever I want to do.



I am lowering my standards (a la William Stafford) except in everything.



My To Do list has shrunk.  If you are not bleeding or on fire, then it's not my responsibility.



I love simplicity these days.

I love sitting out on the deck with already cooked shrimp, arugula from the garden and a glass of red wine.  Good red wine I bought on sale.



And time.



We live our lives as if it's some sort of hectic competition.  It's not.  It's about loving each other, living, enjoying, and taking in moments.



It's good when we can slow down.  Sunshine reminds me of that.  I dream I live in Key West even though I am an Northwest girl.  And it's okay.  All of it.



Step outside and appreciate the blue skies.  It's all good.

Amen.



~ Kells



 
~ Don't Miss a Post ~ Subscribe to Book of Kells by EmailKelli Russell Agodon
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I'm a Chain Reader (like Chain Smoker) but with books...

For the Readers--









~ Kells



 

~ Don't Miss a Post ~ Subscribe to Book of Kells by EmailKelli Russell Agodon
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Support a Poet: Allyson Whipple

Allyson Whipple's chapbook is


We're Smaller Than We Think We Are




And you can order it now.


Allyson Whipple is an amazing poet who also gives back--

For every chapbook sold through the 27th, she's giving $1 to BookWoman, Austin's feminist bookstore (and one of only 11 left in North America). The store always needs help, so this is a way for me to support a place that has supported her and her dreams for as long as she've lived in Texas. 




So if you want to support her, support a small press, support poetry, buy a copy for yourself.




Here's a poem by her:



You can see the silence

It's still too hot
for the neighbors
to walk their dogs.
It's just late enough
for the children
to have gone to bed.
And on Sunday
nobody becomes
a raucous
poolside drunk.
I can't take much more
than the air
conditioner hum.
I've been driven from
the bedroom of my
musician, who never
stops playing or
listening. Raw
notes emanate
all night long.
I'm tempted
to step outside.
But this is Texas
where the stars
won't cool you down.
This is Texas, where summer
heat makes gossip
rise like dough.
This is Texas 
where neighbors read 
your business
from your shadow.




And a great interview by her here:





2.            What advice do you have for other poets?

1) Write every day, but also know when you need some time off. The regular habit is very important, but it's also vital to know when you're burned out and need to direct your energies elsewhere. Don't beat yourself up if you need to take a break. You'll be better off for it.

2) You can fit poetry into your daily life. Even if you only get a 30-minute lunch break at your day job, that's enough to draft a short poem. You really will be surprised what you can fit even into fifteen minutes a day. 

 3) When revising, read your work aloud. That is the best advice a teacher has given me. Few people enjoy doing it, but it's essential. 



Read the full interview here: http://www.poetonpoetry.com/2012/05/poet-of-week-allyson-whipple-allyson.html



~ Kells



 
~ Don't Miss a Post ~ Subscribe to Book of Kells by EmailKelli Russell Agodon
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Interview with Eric Maisel, Author of MAKING YOUR CREATIVE MARK

Creatives-- A very new interesting book,  Making Your Creative Mark  by Eric Maisel has just come out and I have an interview with him below.




He has some really some good reminders for creative people.  I've bolded and italicized some of my favorite responses from him about creativity below.




One thing for sure is that art brings meaning to your life.  





Also, I just learned he's giving away a free 30 minute Creativity Consultation on New World Library's Blog here.  Just leave a short answer to his question there and you're entered in the contest!






Here's the interview with him.  Enjoy!





An Interview with Eric
Maisel

Author of Making Your Creative Mark




Eric Maisel
is the author of Making Your Creative Mark and twenty other creativity titles
including Mastering Creative Anxiety, Brainstorm, Creativity for Life, and Coachingthe Artist Within. America’s foremost creativity coach, he is widely
known as a creativity expert who coaches individuals and trains creativity
coaches through workshops and keynotes nationally and internationally. He has
blogs on the Huffington Post and Psychology Today and writes a column for
Professional Artist Magazine. Visit
him online at http://www.ericmaisel.com.







You’ve
organized the book around nine keys. Can you highlight one or two of them for
us?



I start with the
“mind key” because I believe that getting a grip on our thoughts and doing a
better job of thinking thoughts that actually serve us are supremely important
skills to master. Most people do a poor job of “minding their mind” and
choosing to think in ways that serve them. It is a completely common practice
for people to present themselves with thoughts that amount to self-sabotage and
to refuse to dispute those thoughts once they arise. If people did a better job
of “minding their mind” by noticing what they were thinking and by making an
effort to replace defensive and unproductive thoughts with less defensive and
more productive thoughts, they would live in less pain and they would give
themselves a much better chance of living the life they dream of living. This
is doubly true for artists who can doubt their talent, take criticism too
seriously, find a hundred ways to avoid the hard working of creating, and more.
There’s really nothing more important than getting a grip on your own thoughts!




Why
do you think someone would want to gamble everything on a life in the arts when
it’s so hard to make it as an artist?




Human beings crave the psychological
experience of meaning. We want that almost more than we want anything else.
There are maybe a score of ways that human beings regularly generate that
psychological experience: through service, through relationships, by excelling,
by seizing new experiences – and by creating. Creating is one of our prime
meaning opportunities and for many people the most important. Therefore folks
who decide to devote themselves to an art discipline aren’t making some sort of
calculation about risk versus reward. What they are doing is honoring their
need to make their own meaning. If you look at a life in the arts as a smart
career choice it doesn’t make that much sense; if you look at it as a
tremendous meaning opportunity, it makes perfect sense.





You
present what you call “the stress key.” What are some of your top tips for
reducing the stress that a life in the arts produces?




Life produces
stress, the artistic personality produces additional stress, creating produces
even more stress, and living the artist’s life is the topper! An artist must
learn how to deal with all of these stressors—and how to deal with them
effectively. There are many tactics an artist can try—the key is actually trying
some! You might try “writing your stress away.” Research reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association
suggests that writing about stressful situations and experiences can reduce your
stress levels – and can actually lead to improvements in immune functioning,
fewer visits to the doctor, and an increased sense of well-being. You can
reframe a given demand as an opportunity, turning your “stressful” upcoming
gallery show into a golden opportunity. You can have a fruitful conversation
with yourself and answer the following four questions: 1. What are my current
stressors? 2. What unhealthy strategies am I currently employing to deal with
these stressors? 3. What healthy strategies am I currently employing to deal
with these stressors? 4. What new stress management strategies would I like to
learn? An artist needs to honor the reality of stress and make plans for
dealing with it!






Is there one habit or practice that
really makes a difference between getting your creative work done and not
getting it done?




Yes. The most
important practice an artist can institute is a morning creativity practice
where she carves out some time bright and early every day, five, six or seven
days a week, to work on her novel, practice her instrument, or get right to her
painting studio. There are three important reasons to institute a morning
creativity practice. The first reason is the most obvious one—you’ll be getting
a lot of creative work done! Even if only a percentage of what you do pleases
you, by virtue of working regularly you’ll start to create a body of work.
That’ll feel good! A second reason is that you get to make use of your “sleep
thinking”—you get to make use of whatever your brain has been thinking about
all night. Create first thing and capture those thoughts that have been
percolating all night! The third reason is that, by creating first thing,
you’ll have the experience of making some meaning on that day and the rest of
the day can pass in a half-meaningless way and you won’t get depressed! Getting
right to your creative work first thing each day provides you with a daily shot
of meaningfulness. That’s a lot of goodness to get from one practice.






I’d
like you to chat a bit about what you call the “freedom key.” What sort of
freedom are you talking about?



Many different
sorts—let’s look at just one, the freedom not be perfect; or, to put it
slightly differently, the freedom to make big mistakes and messes. Not so long
ago I got an email from a painter in Rhode Island.  She wrote, “I'm a perfectionist and I want my artwork to be
perfect. Sometimes this prevents me from getting started on a new project or
from finishing the one I’m currently working on. I think to myself: If it's not
going to be the best, why bother to do it? How do I move past these feelings?”
One way to get out of this trap is to move from a purely intellectual
understanding that messes are part of the creative process to a genuine visceral
understanding of that truth.  You
need to feel that freedom in your body. As an intellectual matter, every artist
knows that some percentage of her work will prove less than stellar, especially
if she is taking risks with subject matter or technique.  But accepting that obvious truth on a
feeling level eludes far too many creative and would-be creative people. They
want to “perfect” things in their head before turning to the canvas or the
computer screen and a result they stay in their head and never get started. You
have to feel free to show up and make a big mess—only then will good things
start happening!






Another
key that interested me is what you call the “relationship key.” What sorts of
relationships did you have in mind and what can an artist do to improve his
relationship skills?




All sorts of
relationships! And relationships in the arts are frequently very complicated.
You may be very friendly with a fellow painter and also quite envious of her.
You may actively dislike a gallery owner or a collector but decide that he is
too valuable to cast aside, maybe because he is your only advocate or your only
customer. You may respect your editor’s opinions but despise the rudeness with
which she delivers them. There may be no such thing as a genuinely
straightforward relationship anywhere in life but relationships in the arts are
that much more complicated and
shadowy. The main improvement an artist can make is to actually think about the
matter! 



You can decide how you want to be in relationships but only if you
actively decide. You get to decide if you want to be honest and straightforward
even if others aren’t, if you want to be polite and diplomatic even if others
aren’t, if you want to be quiet and calm even if others are stirring the pot
and making dramas. It may not prove easy to be the person you want to be at all
times and in all situations, especially since the marketplace has a way of
throwing us off our game, but you can nevertheless hold the intention to try your
darnedest to be the “you” you would most like to be. This takes thought and preparation!








MAKING YOUR CREATIVE MARK by Eric Maisel

April 15, 2013 • Creativity • 240 pages • Trade Paperback

Price: $15.95 • ISBN 978-1-60868-162-4




~ Kells



 

~ Don't Miss a Post ~ Subscribe to Book of Kells by EmailKelli Russell Agodon
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Confession Tuesday: Collect Moments, Not Things

Dear Reader,



I confess I didn't confess yesterday because of the bombings at the Boston Marathon and I felt my confessing about the self-doubt I sometimes have as a poet and writer seemed minor.  (Um, it is.)

So I skipped yesterday's confession, but am here today with some confessions leaning towards life, living lives-- our lives, as writers, artists, and human beings.


To the Confessional--





I confess I am amazed how many times we live our lives with this belief there are unlimited days.



When tragedies like bombings at the Boston Marathon or the Sandy Hook shooting, they are reminders to me what a gift each day is and how we need to live our lives to the fullest.



Here are a few thoughts on our lives, already in progress:



F*ck the Kardashians.  No, f*ck the media outlets that focus on the Kardashians as if your life wouldn't exist without knowing what they are doing in their lives. The Kardashians are living their lives. Ignore any media outlet that reports on celebrity lives as if it is news.  It's not.



Forget trying to live up someone else's values, goals, ideals.  You are not someone's project.  You are here to create and live your own life.



Ignore the thousands of companies who try to tell you you're not good enough, pretty enough, man enough, complete enough, then sell you their crap.



Ignore the new car, the remodeled kitchen, the new 14 karat gold lawn gnome your neighbor just bought and use your money to buy you experiences.


Go on a trip.  To a small town in your state where you've never been.  Or to Europe.  Just go somewhere.


The most valuable way to spend your money is to buy you more time.  Meaning:  work less, spend less, enjoy more.



Stretch outside your comfort zone.  Yes, it can feel weird at first, a little scary.  But once you do it, you won't look back.



Turn off your computer and go outside and sit in the sun.  Or the shade.  Or under a cloud.  Just get outside.  Now.



This is your life already in progress.  It's ticking away.  Don't let the culture around you try to prioritize or feed you your news, values, thoughts, beliefs, opinions, life.



Step away from your daily routine and live.



Amen.




~ Kells



 

~ Don't Miss a Post ~ Subscribe to Book of Kells by EmailKelli Russell Agodon
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Poem Writing Exercise for National Poetry Month #NPM

Volunteer
Muse offers Inspiration--





So, here's today's spark--



This was a writing exercise from Julia Darling of the UK--



Poetry can be a brilliant way of exploring the things you don't know. Let me
explain. Often we write too literally, too logically or self-consciously, when
it is the imaginative connections - the leaps of faith, the connections between
images and words - that are interesting to the writer and the reader. Poetry is
an odd combination of creative energy and technical ability. In this exercise
we are trying to let ourselves free fall, then working on the poem to give it
shape. I like poetry to be useful, and I think that by writing about what we
don't know we can explore all kinds of ideas within our minds, and help
ourselves, too.



1 Write the instructions for doing something you have no idea about, for
example:



How To Fly

How To Disappear (as in Amanda Dalton's lovely poem of that name)



Or even more specifically:

How To Speak To Lions

How To Start A Revolution

How To Make A Wedding Dress

How To Build a Space Ship



The only rule is that you don't know how to do the thing, so if you work in
rocket science, you can't do the last one. But you could choose something
emotional like How To Speak To The Dead, or even How To Fall In Love, because
none of us really know the answers to these things.



2 Make a list. If you were telling us how to fly you might write things such
as, make wings using sugar, water and wire, find an open space, and so on. Your
list might have quite bizarre things on it; as always with poetry, go for the
specific not the general.



3 Play with the list. List poems are fun, but they need to work on another
level, too. Why does the writer want to fly? Where do they want to go? Try to
make your poem build up, have a kind of swell, so that all the images gather
together to make a whole.



4 Think about the shape of the poem on the page. Is it ragged and inconsistent?
Does it need a trim? Make a decision about punctuation. Do you need any? Where
are the line breaks? Read the poem out to find out if the vowel sounds are
pleasing. Poems should have a kind of music, and feel good to say aloud.



Here's a link to Julia's How Topoem, however, if you're like me, you may want to read it AFTER
you've written your poem. 




~ Kells



 

~ Don't Miss a Post ~ Subscribe to Book of Kells by EmailKelli Russell Agodon
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Seattle Author: Writing As a Long Walk Down An Unmarked Path (Interview)

Here's an interview I did for Seattle Wrote,  a blog featuring Seattle Authors. 




You can read the full article by following the link at the end and also read interviews with other Seattle authors...




Q: When did poetry become part of your life? Have you always written poetry?
A: Poetry has always been a part of my life, but I didn’t really begin writing poetry seriously until I was an undergrad at the University of Washington. Up until then, I had been very interested in writing fiction and short stories. While I always loved taking classes exploring poetry, it never really occurred to me that I could also write it and I’d enjoy writing it. My junior year in college, I took a poetry class and it changed everything.

Q: What provides the inspiration or passion for your poems?
A: The easy answer would be: anything and everything. My current manuscript explores how art influences our lives, but I also find science, wordplay, and the Northwest’s natural world also influences my work. I think it was Woody Allen who said, “80% of success is just showing up” so I find my inspiration comes when I meet up with the blank page each morning and allow myself to see what happens.



You can read the whole interview:



http://www.seattlewrote.com/2013/02/seattle-author-writing-as-long-walk.html





~ Kells



 

~ Don't Miss a Post ~ Subscribe to Book of Kells by EmailKelli Russell Agodon
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