Creative reflection and response
I am aware that the issues of justice, situation and causes we are exploring are provoking all kinds of thoughts and feelings in each one of us. An important part of what we are doing in looking at creative ways of responding to these things is trying to empower each other to find helpful and creative ways to process all these thoughts and emotions and to respond to them both personally and together as friends. We will all work through things in different ways – some of us journal or scribble notes; some of us doodle or splash paint about; some think out-loud- we only really hear our own thoughts when they have passed out through our lips and back in the ears; others bounce ideas of other people. Some keep scrapbooks, write poems, thrash out songs in an improv manner on the guitar, while others throw their arms and bodies into movement.
Whatever you do, find a way that helps you get things off your chest in a way that is sate and helpful, that helps you recognise your own reaction and creates space to reflect on other points of view, so that you can then respond to it creatively and positively. By safe I simply mean that much of what is going on inside of you is very personal by definition – it touches you in a place where you are vulnerable to experiencing and feeling things deeply. It could be unnecessarily painful if you choose to share these things with others who are unsympathetic to you at least initially. For that reason, if you want to share the process of reflection with another person I would find someone you can trust to listen freely and to judge sparingly. You know who these people are ~ they're your BFF, your inner circle, the family members you feel free to be yourself with, (maybe God even?) For the same reason I would keep a journal as a reflective space rather than a blog, (although you might want to use your blog as a place of response) unless of course you know and trust every one of the millions of people using the internet in a deep way.1
You might have noticed I am describing reflection and response as two different things: Reflection as the way in which you deal with your gut reactions and immediate thoughts to stuff; it's about knowing what you think and feel and why, and is very intimate. Response is what you then decide to share from your reflections with others; it's about deciding how you will express the result of your reflections in ways that might make a difference. Both are personal, but one is more internal and the other is external.
After you have doodled, journalled, scribbled, bantered with your trusted person, danced your heart out, basically done your thing, you may then want to do something practical and creative that expresses how you feel, or what you think.
You might write a poem, draw a comic, collect a series of photos that speak to you , choreograph a dance, script a drama or draw together an AMV. Tell a story, write a letter, write an exciting essay, blog your thoughts! The list is endless. My basic question is: in what way does it make sense for you as a creatively created person to respond to the challenge that you feel in your bones?
Here at it club we want to give each other the space and opportunity to respond in creative and personal ways- the art wall is one such space, the performance workshop is another, so bring your ideas, your photos, articles, etc Part of the fun of it club is also about bringing our personalities and creative gifts together in exciting and unique collaborations, so be prepared to explore ways of working together to create new things!
Psst! Remember if you are going to use the photos, works and words of other people in your response to respect their privacy creative work and person-hood by asking permission, giving due credit or providing anonymity where appropriate. If you are not sure about any of this ask me - M@
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