Kern Carter's Blog, page 55
February 28, 2022
Call For Submissions — Write Whatever You Want
I’m in a good mood today. I know that sounds wild with all that’s happening in the world, but hey, I’m an optimist and I’m feeling good.
Our writing prompts are what stirs our community and sparks all the wonderful stories that we share, but once in a while, we like to leave it up to you. This is one of those times.
So for this week’s writing prompt, write about whatever you want. You’ll still have to stay within CRY’s scope of vulnerability and creativity, but feel free to spread your wings and do your thing.
This free-for-all is for this week only. We’ll be deleting this prompt after next week so if you have some boundary-pushing ideas that you’re eager to try out, this is the time.
Same rules as always:You can submit to this or ANY of our past writing prompts. Just scroll through our previous newsletters. They’ll be marked “Call for Submissions.”If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.[image error]Call For Submissions — Write Whatever You Want was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
February 27, 2022
February 26, 2022
There Are Lives At Stake—Writing With Emotion and Logic
What is your responsibility as a writer?
Image by Bannon MorrisyWhen we say writers are superstars, we mean it. We are historians, entertainers, truth-tellers, mind-changers, fact spitters—all of the above. And as we enter into this particular period of fear, uncertainty, anger and confusion, we also need to be responsible. There are lives at stake.
Many of us are going to be moved to comment on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We’re going to share our opinions, pour our hearts out, and let readers know how we feel. But it’s in these very times that we writers need to be most careful.
People will be more eager to believe what they read. They’re searching for comfort in your words, or maybe they’re looking for something to feed their anger or justify their pain. And when they come across your article, they will be swayed one way or another. We need to be careful.
Think Things ThroughRight now more than ever, you need to think about your responsibility as a writer. Understand the power of your words and really think about what you’re putting out into the world.
When I say there are lives at stake, I’m not trying to be dramatic. Your writing matters. You have no idea at what point in someone’s journey they will come across your piece. Depending on what they read, it can calm them down or rile them up, it can offer perspectives they never considered or fan the flames of illogical thinking.
With that in mind, here are some things to consider before you hit publish to make sure you maintain your superstar status:
Separate fact from opinionSo many assumptions will be made for the duration of this event. As you write your piece, make sure it is clear what is fact and what is your opinion. It may be fact that “X” number of troops are positioned in “Y” location, but unless those troops act, it is your opinion on what they are doing there.
Think about your intentionEven when writing facts, think about why you are including those facts in your article. What purpose does it serve? Does it support your story or is it superfluous? Think hard about your intentions, then press publish.
Consider how your piece will be interpretedI know this is a tough one. People will interpret things based on factors you can’t control, including their own personal experiences. But as a responsible writer, a superstar writer, it’s up to you to articulate your words with care. You will sway people one way or another. Think about which way you want them to go.
In no way am I saying not to write with emotion or insert your opinion into your pieces. What I’m saying is to be responsible about it. People will read what you write and they will react because that’s what words make people do.
[image error]There Are Lives At Stake—Writing With Emotion and Logic was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
February 25, 2022
You Are A Creator, Whether You Want It Or Not
Photo: ‘No form without emptiness, no emptiness without form’ by authorFor me, any creative expression is a way to express what is true for me, in a given moment.
I see reflected in my creations what is true for me. What I photographed in the photo above is not just about the landscape. It is much more about a culmination of what I learned and experienced in life up to that point. In that way, it is a representation of me in one photo that displays my unique view. Nobody else sees it like this.
The beautiful thing is that the viewer can experience his or her own feelings and truth, looking at this photo. I can not and should not force any meaning unto the viewer.
Herein lies also a vulnerability. It is just my point of view (in this case literally), and there is always the risk that nobody ‘gets’ my point.
This risk for me is essential in my creative process. And the creative process is a reflection of life in general. Life in general is always about taking risks for the sake of being yourself.
Without taking risks we become a sort of automaton. Wikipedia defines this as follows:
A automaton is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.
Automatically following a sequence of operations is what happens a lot in life. Don’t get me wrong, of course, we do a lot of things routinely and automatically, and we have to in order to survive.
I am talking here about recognizing in yourself your true uniqueness and originality. That place where there is just you.
When living from this depth you don’t just follow a sequence of operations. Here you are the original source itself. You become the creator and the creation.
That is huge in and of itself. Let’s take some time to really let these words sink in. What happens then?
I think this is great news, to say the least. It means that you were always a creator even when you don’t think so. And that is also a great creation; to pretend that you are not a creator.
In this way, there really is no difference between art, artists, and life in general. We all create, all the time.
But what happens when we become conscious creators and stop pretending that we are not creators ourselves?
We still don’t live in a world like that. Mostly we live in a world where we are afraid to show ourselves and embrace the original creators we are. We are scared to be ridiculed and laughed at. Therefore, we refuse to embrace our vulnerability and don’t take risks for the sake of staying safe.
By staying safe we also sacrifice a lot. We become automatons who just live their lives as it were a series of sequences, and we look for other people to give us instructions.
It does take a huge amount of courage to stop looking outside yourself for answers and validation—to dare to be sovereign, which is enjoying your own autonomy.
Being an original creator, both as an artist and a human being is still the road less traveled. Let’s dare to walk down that road.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am really curious what you think. Is there anything you recognize in this story? Do you feel inspired by anything you have read?
Don’t hesitate to let me know. I find it very valuable to hear your personal opinion. If you feel called, feel free to follow me!
[image error]You Are A Creator, Whether You Want It Or Not was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
February 24, 2022
Radical Acceptance
Photo: Painting ‘Facing Your Demons’ by AuthorInspired by Carmellita I have written this article about dealing with painful feelings. Recently she wrote a great article called: Create Your Bliss Through Stillness — An Act of Radical Self-Care. She called on other writers to collaborate on this topic and I felt a call to do just that.
The title I used comes from Radical Acceptance, a great book by Tara Brach on an essential topic.
It is about the deep-seated feelings of unworthiness we encounter and fight all the time. A profound belief that something is wrong with us.
This is not an easy subject. There is a lot of shame and fear around these feelings.
I am no stranger to these feelings. As an introvert and a multipotentialite I struggled in this world to find my place. I encountered a lot of problems just getting a diploma and finding my true voice. All the while I experienced these deep-seated feelings of unworthiness. And all the time I was fighting with these feelings. Sometimes surviving by being arrogant and trying to be a flawless and untouchable person. Other times by flat out denying that I was insecure at all.
But eventually, I had to face my demons. These deep-seated feelings of unworthiness that I tried to get away from.
I think it is essential to become aware of these feelings and let them be. That is the road less traveled.
That alone is an immense task to undertake. To let these feelings be without pushing them away or holding on to them. To not act upon them.
The suffering arises when we start fighting these very difficult feelings.
One really important thing I learned was the simple fact that the trauma that caused these feelings has already taken place in the past. We cannot undo what has already happened.
When we radically accept that, something starts to let go.
A few years ago a transformation in my life set in. I was choosing to become and live my life as an artist. You can read what I have learned so far in part 1 and part 2 of a series.
I sort of consciously choose to evoke these feelings of unworthiness by actively proclaiming to the world that I was going to be an artist. What was I thinking?
I must admit that I never thought that these feelings would boil up that quick. Especially after all the work I did. But they did. These feelings won’t go away but our fight and suffering will.
Self Compassion
Learning to develop self-compassion. What does that mean?
The following I have cited from the website of Kristin Neff. She wrote a beautiful and important book called Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. You can find it here.
You may try to change in ways that allow you to be more healthy and happy, but this is done because you care about yourself, not because you are worthless or unacceptable as you are. Perhaps most importantly, having compassion for yourself means that you honor and accept your humanness.- Kristin Neff
I think embracing your humanness is a great gift to yourself—maybe the biggest gift you can ever give yourself.
Embracing your humanness for me means embracing my imperfections. To recognize and admit that hard and painful things have happened in my life.
So how can we learn to practice self-compassion?
I think one way is to meditate. For me meditation is not so much about relaxation, although that is a nice bonus, but much more about becoming aware of what is going on in my mind and body.
Here we can learn to notice and become aware of feelings, thoughts, and sensations that are always coming and going.
The big challenge here is to just notice. Not trying to do or alter anything. Not calming the mind or making thoughts go away. It takes a lot of courage to sit down and try that.
Photo: Made with Canva using my own image as the backgroundSomething beautiful happens when this becomes your attitude. These hard feelings of unworthiness can just exist in this attitude of not trying to change things. Your body and mind start to relax and you let down your guard.
I think this is a lifelong process. By radically accepting your painful feelings, you give yourself a great gift.
The gift of letting things be as they are without altering them in any way.
Thank you for taking the time for reading my article! I am really curious how this touches you. Can you relate to these feelings? How do you cope?
Last but not least, I really hope this has inspired you. Feel free to let me know in a comment. And if you want to read more, feel free to follow.
[image error]Radical Acceptance was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
