Excercise your creativity through poetry, part I

Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.”

— James Russell Lowell

This post will not be reflective as the previous one, but rather fun and entertaining (I hope 😉 )

I ‘ve always been fascinated by the facts how mind works and its creative processes. Words and language are the tools we mostly use to express ourselves and it comes so naturally to us. In the same fashion, I believe that words and language can be our igniting spark to initiate creative thinking. And what about using words and language in different, innovative way? It can be beneficial for us in any case of creative process and problem solving. So here today I will share some of my ideas and little exercises I practice to start creative juices flowing.

React to given act

Remember Newton’s Third Law in physics? Every action has a reaction. That’s simply how Universe works. Thus, use the following statements to imagine a dramatic situation – express emotions, describe scenery, what each of your senses feel and try to write your story or poem. It’s a refreshing activity and your untamed imagination and power of visualization will move your creativity in positive direction.

Example statements:

You woke up alone, hurt and wet on the sand beach. What happend to you?

You heard a noise on the stairs, behind the closed door. What made that noise?

A smiling child runs into you. How do you react?

A crowd has gathered below your window. What do they want?

You are in the unknown country: nobody speaks your language, nobody understands you. How do you communicate?

The moment

Whenever you feel lack of inspiration, go back to some pleasant moment in life – something nice that you experienced for first time like first bike ride, first swim, first love, hanging out with friends, moments from your travel: those special events in your life can be an inexhaustible source of emotions for a touching poem. Re-living the moments again reconnects you with your true nature and helps you get that intensity you need to move forward with your thinking and creativity.

Acrostic alphabet

Write a poem, where the first letter of the verse in the poem spells out a word you choose, subject, message. You can go even further: write a poem where each starting letter of the line is a consecutive letter of the alphabet, from a to z.

In poetry it is called acrostic technique and poets frequetly use it while experimenting with their own writing.

Below is an example I did using acrostic technique:

Acrostic allowed animated alignment:

Bright blue bird borrows beatiful barn

“C’mere!” – Coherently cried crow, crawling cowardly!

—

Windy waves widely warned

X-rated xylophone:

“Yuck”- yawned yak

Zoological zodiac zen.

It’s funny what can really come out – no matter how quirky it might look and sound. Fun and humor are those additional spices that make the process of creativity even more enjoyable!

And when questions like what…? and how..? begin to bother you, remember the answer below:

O Me ! O Life! by Walt Whitman

O ME! O life!… of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless—of cities fill’d with the
        foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I,
        and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light—of the objects mean—of the
        struggle ever renew’d;
Of the poor results of all—of the plodding and sordid crowds I see
        around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest—with the rest me
        intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O
        life?

                               Answer.

  That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
  That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.