Who am I with Space?
Feeling a lack of inspiration?
Not sure what to write?
Sometimes you need a different way of seeing things.
First, the problem. Writer’s block, not finishing a project, or procrastination.
Study an apparently unrelated piece of art, photograph or object which inspires.
So, this blog started with a competition from the Guggenheim museum, to write 5 words describing Simone Leigh’s exploration of black female subjectivity.
“I start with a question that I’m haunted by”
Start by asking questions about it.
Set your mind working. Limiting the questions to 5 words will encourage you to flex those mental muscles. So, for the work by Simone Leigh I began with:
“What is woman without space?”
Don’t try to answer the first question, just let the questions flow, till you reach one which calls your name and demands an answer.
”What am I without space?”
“Who am I without space?”
“Who am I with space?”
Play with the answer
Who am I with space? Creative. Like fire moving easily, lightly, making water look heavy and cumbersome, able to change direction and adapt.
Ok, so changing direction and practising flexibility, what does fire need? Fire needs heat, air and fuel (I did have to look up the fire triangle).
So, how can I adapt this for me? To be creative I need material, space and energy. So, I should focus on these if I wish to create something. The circling back to space at the start of the process.
Go grounded & practical
How can you apply this to the original problem? To write do I need to set aside time? Is the space a quiet period to think? Or is it not being pulled by other thoughts or actions?
