Another week, another road map to creativity (as described in Try 101: The Manifesto).
A programming note: my teaching life is about to rev back up (in many ways, it already has), so I’m going to be giving myself a little more time to complete the prompts. This is a good opportunity to reiterate (and remind myself) that Try 101 isn’t a race, it’s not about crossing tasks off a to-do list. It’s a way of life — a lifeline to the maker within us (me, anyway). Keyword: invitation.
Here’s the next set of invitations; as always, you are invited to play along:
Prep + Mise en Place
(1) Write a list of 30 things you love right now. If you’re feeling generous, share your list in the comments section. I’d love to see what you love right now.
(2) For your journal or commonplace:
- Revisit this month’s list of creative preoccupations. Update it, adding, subtracting, and amending as necessary.
- Do a short, focused free write (aka: riff + fill) about one of your preoccupations — maybe something that has fallen off the list. Can you write your way back to a rekindled curiosity?
Prompts
(3) Here’s this week’s (nonfiction) prompt:
- Family Essay. Write a family story, preferably one that has more than one version. Try to express — explicitly or implicitly — what role this story plays in your family’s shared identity.
If You’re Bored or Stuck
- Read a book or a magazine. Hard copy, non-digital. Go slow.
All of these prompts (and then some) are to be found in the Try 101 syllabus, an open-source plan for living your most creative life. I’m taking the next year to complete the syllabus and share the results. I’d love to have some company along the way!
Happy trying.
