#521: Create your Own Adventures
… as it turns out that trusting the gut is its own reward…
Thing #1 on This Week’s List of Gigs was concluded (mostly) successfully yesterday. Because I’m the perfectionist I never want to not stop being, there were a couple of things I would have done differently, but in the main we involved every single person in the room. I met new people, and laughed with mates who are now happy to call me a friend without prompting.
The point of last night was not to teach people. It was to ask people to think critically about why they write (whatever that might be) and to question what motivates success. I’m calling this morning a massive triumph because I pushed my body and the massive adrenaline hangover I’m now fighting into a 45 minute HIIT class and was not utterly woeful. I am however mentally exhausted.
It was utterly worth it, though.
We encouraged creatives to begin conversations with strangers. We gave out gifts to help people grow and bolster their creative practices. The best part of the evening for me was asking everyone to share a part of themselves with the room, as a means of demonstrating the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience we all bought to the tables where people wrote and created.
My biggest problems with this kind of event is there is rarely a halfway house between teaching and performance. I wanted this to be a space where people had the option to share, but not as an obligation. It was meant as a demonstration of how we, as strangers, gain more from connection and affinity than we ever do in competition against each other. Success should never come from conflict.
I hope everyone gained something useful from the experience.
I am already being asked if I will do this again, and it will be offered online as an amended ‘experience’ later in the year. For now, I need to work out what I’ll be doing in performance for tomorrow’s Estuary Festival event, in the same space. Reading poetry is a breeze now compared with the stress of this kind of ‘performance’. I am really proud of how I managed it beforehand too.
Honestly, this might be the best thing I have created since we began this journey.
You created a great inclusive atmosphere for thinking and sharing. The evening was punctuated with people having their own personal eureka moment. Taking pictures of the slides or madly scribbling to capture a shared thought.. My favorite part was noting the friendships formed since my first Essex Writers House event, genuine laughs and support shone through.
Well Done S
This is amazing S! Congratulations. I saw someone share a picture of some cards you used? They look super interesting. Hopefully I’ll be able to join you in the future 🥰