Indrani Perera

poet, publisher & mentor

Tag: creative

  • A Snail’s Pace

    IP - A Snail's Pace 1

    IP - A Snail's Pace 2

    IP - A Snail's Pace 3

    It's been a long time since I sat and looked at a snail. Got down on my haunches and waited patiently for it to poke it's head out if its shell. So long in fact I can't remember the last time I did it. Or ever doing it at all in fact.

    The blessing of spending time with very young children in nature is they notice the small things. All the tiny details. They are alive to all the things in the world and they are curious about them. And they have endless time in which to sit and gaze at a snail.

    Go spend some time with small children and experience endless time. Warning: side effects include increased wonder and appreciation.

     

  • The Five Seasons of Imagination

    IP - The Five Seasons of Imagination 1

    IP - The Five Seasons of Imagination 2

    IP - The Five Seasons of Imagination 3

    I've been wondering about the nature of creativity. When I've read articles or books on the subject they all emphasise the writer's routine. And when I say routine, I mean what they do every day, no matter what, to write. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the way Hemmingway or Angelou writes and feel inadequate. I mean who has the energy to rise at dawn every single day or the money to pay for a hotel room in which to write?

    The idea of the same routine day in day out is very linear and growth oriented. It treats us like machines, able to endlessly churn out sentence after sentence of glittering prose. But we are not machines. We are beings. What about the days when we are tired and just want to sleep? Or the days when we're too busy juggling chores and kids' homework? Or the days when we're going out with friends?

    I think these books and articles do us all a great disservice. Yes, we do need to write frequently to build up material and improve our craft. But I don't think we need to write ten pages every day followed by a run around the block and a green smoothie. After all, we are not in flood every day. There are also lean times of drought. And everything in between.

    Instead of thinking about creativity as a beast to master and whip into shape I think we need to treat it like the seasons of nature and allow for periods of growth and rest. I view creativity as a seed that starts with an idea. First we plant our idea by grabbing hold of it and giving it our full attention. Then we nurture it with curiosity and excitement. Once it starts growing we feed it ideas and information. Any mistakes we make along the way are compost to enrich the soil. When it has reached maturity it's time to harvest it by sharing with others or consuming it ourselves. Once the harvest is complete, it's time to grieve the place in our lives where the idea has lived for so long. And finally, we are fallow until the soil of our imagination is fertile once more.

    We can be kinder to ourselves when we view creativity in this way. Instead of beating ourselves up for not being productive, we can recognise which season we are in and fully embrace and celebrate that particular season and its gifts. All the seasons are necessary for our creativity  - planting, nurturing, growing, harvesting, grieving and resting. To promote growth over all others depletes the tilth of our imagination.

     

  • A Process Zine

    IP - A Process Zine 1

    IP - A Process Zine 2

    IP - A Process Zine 3

    Here's a little peek at the process of writing a poem (Still: Books) to a theme (It’s up to you – what inspires you in 2020) for submission to a poetry journal (Not Very Quiet).

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    1. get excited about a new (to me) poetry journal
    2. discover the theme and get sad; not excited about 2020 at all
    3. create some fun things (see Pocketry Almanack), meet first nephew (so squishy) and become inspired
    4. leave poem to last minute
    5. sit down to write poem and get stuck
    6. write a poem about being stuck
    7. get stuck again
    8. write out a list of what inspires me and a list of what I am interested in
    9. tart a poem about the element gold and get distracted researching it
    10. do other stuff (wash clothes, make dinner, clean bathroom basin)
    11. read a fantastic poem that sets my mind on fire (Connor O’Callaghan’s January Drought from the Poetry Foundation email newsletter)
    12. use the poem as a template to write a poem, shoe-horning in lists from 8 above
    13. dither about referencing original poem in my submission
    14. email poet mate to ask her opinion
    15. receive response – fears confirmed, must cite
    16. conscience salved, begin submission process on Submittable in spite of sense of impending doom (#letsgetrejected or #totrure or #whydoidothistomyself)
    17. children on verge of melt down. reluctantly shelve lap top
    18. listen to children
    19. get overwhelmed by heatwave, lie on the lounge room floor
    20. sneak away to library, press submit
    21. wait

    ~

    I often fall into the trap of looking at a finished piece of art and seeing only the incredible end product. Of course there's no way to see behind the scenes of a poem (or any work of art for that matter) unless the poet invites you backstage to poke around in the props box and interview the actors. You can't see all the drafts, the tears or the tantrums. All you see is art.

    As I was writing the poem I wanted to share on this blog I scribbled down the steps I went thought to create it. That initial list turned into a poem, which then turned into a zine which also includes some of the notes I had made while writing the poem along with the other poems I wrote before I could attempt the piece for submission.

    My intention was to demystify the process of creation and invite you backstage to see how I wrote a poem to a theme. To share the messy and unpredictable nature of creativity. For me it was necessary to write a poem about how I felt about writing the poem before I could actually write the poem! In a way it was blasting the road bocks I had put in my way.

    I also went down a couple of interesting side tracks before pulling myself back on the path. In hindsight I can see they were red herrings but at the time I wasn't too sure of the final destination and so the exploring and discovery were a necessary part of the process.

    How do you deal with the vagaries of the creative process?

     

  • Art Is Everywhere

    IP - Tas Art 1

    IP - Tas Art 2

    Whenever I travel I like to visit art galleries. It's so inspiring and uplifting to be surrounded by beautiful works of art. Even though I'm a poet who paints pictures with words, I'm a visual person who draws strength and inspiration from seeing beautiful objects such as rocks, trees, paintings and sculptures. I like to keep a foot in both worlds – man made and natural. 

    When I was in Deloraine in November, I visited an incredible gallery on the main street. It's in a huge old warehouse and is divided into mini studios / galleries each one featuring a different artist. There was a range of art and craft including: weaving, jewellery, paintings, sculpture, beads, photography and more. I fell in love with these beautiful oil paintings by self-taught artist, Larry Berg.

    You can even see the artists at work on their projects. For a process fiend like me, this was the coolest thing. I like to peek behind the scenes and get an insider's look into the process of creating things and the way other people work.

    IP - Tas Art 7

    IP - Tas Art 9

    IP - Tas Art 10

    IP - Tas Art 11

    When my daughters were young, I did a lot of hand sewing. I used blanket stitch to make lots of little felt toys for them to play with. I still like hand sewing and think of it as a foundational craft. It can be used in so many different ways for so many different projects. I use it to make leather boots and to mend my clothes. More recently I have been hand sewing little bags out of silk I have eco-dyed.

    These gorgeous pieces were created by members of the Stitching and Beyond Inc group from the Hobart area. They are textile artists who explore innovative approaches to the fibre arts. And their work, as you can see, is stunning.

    IP - Tas Art 3

    IP - Tas Art 4

    IP - Tas Art 5

    IP - Tas Art 6

    There were some amazing fabric pieces by Leanne Ames using rust in interesting ways. Leanne uses knotting, natural and eco-dyeing processes to create her beautiful pieces. I still have a fondness for eco-dyeing even though my mania for it seems to have abated somewhat.

    I'm feeling very inspired by all the beautiful makers I met through their incredible works. Thank you!

     

  • Making Shortbread

    Making Shortbread 1

    Making Shortbread 2

    Making Shortbread 3

    Every year my daughters make Christmas presents to give to friends and family members. This year we were a bit stuck with what to make. After all, there's only so many tea towels, aprons and bags someone can use. Ditto with bookmarks and art work. We were stumped until Miss 13 came up with the idea of baking something for the grandparents. Genius! Who needs more stuff when you can have scrumptious, homemade baked goodies?

    Once we tasted our friend's amazing shortbread, we knew that was what we wanted to make. As promised, the recipe was super simple with lots of fun of rolling out dough and cutting shapes. The house smelt amazing and although I can't eat the shortbread I can admire it from afar.

    I hope you've had a wonderful festive season, whatever you celebrate.