Showing posts with label Creativity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creativity. Show all posts
I co-facilitated a workshop in Zambia this week with twenty refugee children.
The moment I saw their internal spark come alive was during the digital storytelling session that I was leading on.
The objective of the session was to teach the power of storytelling to influence positive change in their communities.
It was really wonderful to watch their creativity thrive, as they tackled their projects.
I wanted to write about this on the blog because I too am a creative at heart.
For the last ten years of my career I have been allowed to demonstrate this through copy writing, photography, graphic design and video editing.
I have been paid to do the very things that delighted me as a child; tell stories and make things!
I have made a professional career doing the very things that I thought would remain hobbies for the rest of my life!
And some how over the last four years, there have been opportunities to teach children and young people to nurture these same skills that I thought were worthless when I was a mere naïve teenage! (Dear creative community, forgive me for my thoughts I was young🙈)
I am grateful.
I've worked hard.
I've found joy.
Ultimately, God put me in those spaces.
God showed me that this was possible.
I am now moving to another country to do the same....to be creative...how!?
I am so grateful.
Thank you God for showing me that my existence and purpose is relevant.
Thank You for showing me my place in this large and interesting world.
Sometimes I forget but You never miss an opportunity to remind me.
"The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable." - Robert Henri
I have been struggling with procrastination
and perfectionism for a long time. I had no idea
the two were siblings.
Twins actually....and therefore constant companions.
When this struggle will end, I don't know.
Frequently, as I age, I find myself silently fighting within myself
I know there are many of you who are in the same battles,
every day, every hour and sometimes every minute.
So here are some encouraging quotes
from Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird on the topic.
May they encourage you to get on with your creative project..
And also go out and buy the book :)
1. 'I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief thatif you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping stone just right,you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anywayand that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feetare going to do a whole lot better than you,and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.'
2. 'Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leaveso much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us thatlife is being lived. Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground---you canstill discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up,edit things out, fix things, get a grip.Tidiness suggests that something is as goodas it's going to get. '
3. 'Perfectionism is one way our muscles cramp.In some cases we don't even know that the wounds andthe cramping are there, but both limit us.They keep us moving and writing in tight,worried ways.They keep us standing back or backing away from life,keep us from experiencing life in a naked and immediate way.So how do we break through them and get on?'
4. 'Vonnegut said, "When I write, I feel like an armlesslegless man with a crayon in his mouth."So go ahead and make big scrawls and mistakes.Use up lots of paper.'
5. 'What people somehow (inadvertently, I am sure)forget to mention when we were children wasthat we need to make messes in order to find out who we areand why we are here--- and, by extension, what we'resupposed to be writing.'
Hope you feel inspired.
Keep working away...
Keep publishing and learning.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
I created a video. 😀😀😀
I created a whole 6 minute video
6.59 minutes to be exact.
My boss asked me too...
My boss asked me to help someone out!?!
Me!....Me!? Me with my mobile phone. 😃😃😃
I was surprised and frightened at first.
Yet the word "okay" slipped out my mouth,
and responded to her request before I could stop it.
Then reckless adrenaline induced panic set in,
making my mouth dry,
and pins and needles in my fingers and toes
for the rest of the morning.
Next day we started.
Me and the subject looked for a location.
Natural light is always best for mobile phone filming.
But we only had five hours...
If we filmed outside...
center of town traffic would have ruined our sound
So some bad lighting choices were made,
we found an empty conference room.
The blinds refused to open,
used the room lighting instead.
Sadly, it's the type of lighting that
strips the warmth out of black people's skin,
Leaving an unflattering grayish tint.
What could I do though?
I am still an amateur mobile storyteller,
who had a five hour deadline.
Set up the tripod
Framed my shot,
using the rule of threes.
Checked the sound.
And 1 hour later we had interview footage!
Then pushing the discouraging anxiety monsters aside,
I sat in my office corner,
and clocked in some serious hours on Kinemaster.
Many discussions later,
after several back and forths.
I reluctantly sent the email
with the final project attached.
She uploads it on to You Tube,
and Voila!
We are done.
It is out of my hands.
It is very far from perfect but I still love it.
I see ALL my limitations and mistakes.
But it's okay because I finished a whole project!
I didn't wait for inspiration.
I didn't wait for the call of the muse.
I just did it!!!
I have decided to make more videos.
I will also be drawing, writing and painting more.
Point is ....I will keep creating.
I am sorry my dear Muse,
I hope you'll forgive me.
But I have learnt from Ira Glass that consistency is important ,
So I am throwing our co-dependent relationship out the window.
Muse, you are part of the process,
but now you will no longer be the trigger.
And for you dear reader,
before you go venture off to other parts of the internet,
watch this video...
Also watch this one by Evelyn From the Internets too...
From now until the end of the year, I am supposed to spend 10 minutes free writing every day, so in true-aspiring-writer-fashion, I have been avoiding my notebook and pen this week. I attended a writing workshop last Sunday, it was part of the Writivism Festival. At 10.00am, I arrived on time for the workshop in my fave grey marble print dress and new L.A Girl matte pigment lip gloss 'Black Current' with daunting and catastrophic imagined expectations in mind. The night before I had dreamt about all the worst possible scenarios, so I was hoping both the dress & lip gloss would help my confidence, because the one fear most writers have is reading their work in front of other people (people who are very talented). I was frightened that I might have to read my rejected story out loud, since they had asked me to bring a print out. So the dress and lip gloss were meant to be my Armour, but thank God I never had to read my story.
Any who....I discovered that I actually have a lot going on in my mind and this free writing exercise during the workshop allowed me to sit and spew out all the unnecessary clutter, no longer restricted by grammar. Free writing is when you write down whatever is on your mind without editing yourself. You just write and write and write, within your specified time limit. Sitting in a room surrounded by fellow writers of different nationalities and cultures, I wrote possibly 150 to 200 words uncensored, real (and maybe a bit raw)in just 10 minutes. We were tasked to write about our names by the facilitator from Short Story Day Africa, Efemia Chela. And when she shouted "Time's up! Pens down." you can just imagine the struggle that took place between us the writers, our hands and the pens. We had all enjoyed our freedom without our internal editors breathing down our backs and were reluctant to give it away once again.
The Writivism festival took place at The Square this year, which is most definitely an interesting building. I can describe it in four words greyish, blackish bare and huge. You can't deny the fact that the place was constructed for creatives. It's a structure located in the industrial area of Kampala that one can mold into what they need for the time they are there. The festival was dynamic as always. Each time I attend I leave with my renewed enthusiasm for African writers. I attended the #MEIREAD session hosted by the Ugandan publishing house Sooo Many Stories and listened to a lively discussion on the book Black Ass with author A. Igoni Barret, now I MUST get that book! I am so happy that the festival gives us access to books that we might not find in our usual book shops; not only access to the books but a chance to meet the authors and understand their creative process. It makes my reading experience so personal, a purchase for me becomes an investment in the future of African literature. Our grandchildren will be overwhelmed by the choices, I am elated about that. I bought some books I am looking forward to devouring 😂 Shout out to Turn the Page and the Writivism Crew for ensuring they were available. I would have bought more but many of the books that were launched were sold out by the time I got there...
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| Yes, this photo was taken at night so I used a flash.. |
Can we also talk about the Salooni exhibition by Darlyne Komukama? It made me proud to be female and Ugandan. Dare I say.... I think our ancestors would be proud of these amazing photos? I do believe they REALLY would be.
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| from the Writivism website |
One thing I was looking forward too was the creative rush, imagine a sugar rush but substitute sugar for creative energy . The energy that makes us paint, animate, design, photograph, even write... is it the same as the muse? Although it doesn't feel like the muse. It feels more like jump starting your internal creative vehicle, because each person will still has to go away and do the work. The jump start just gives us the visionary spark of electric energy. There is something about being around like-minded people that makes your mind dig deeper for the story, and hopefully helps you produce your next best work if you remain committed and intensely focused. So I highly recommend festivals, workshops or writing retreats cause we all need that creative push every now and then, before we lock ourselves away in solitary confinement to passionately labour away on the next great hit.
This post was initially a free writing exercise but
I have edited out around 100 words so I could post it. 😤
In the comments below, tell me, have you tried free Writing? How do you get your creative jumpstart? Have you bought any good books lately?
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| The Island and Jackee made us friends |
Day 3
My writing muse has no sense of time while on Bulago.
It wakes me up at 3.30 am. Don’t ask me what a
muse looks like because I have no idea! That's why I haven't assigned it a specific gender, all I feel is this persistent nagging
anxiety envelope me. Eventually I give up the tug of war between the thoughts
in my mind and accept the fact that I won’t be drifting back to sleep for a
while. My muse knows we have an important topic to deliberate. The early hours
of the morning are the best times to think through such things. The generator
is off so I use my trusted torch to light up the room. I decide to make my way
to the toilet quietly so as not to disturb everyone’s sleep, but I somehow end
up stepping on every single one of the creakiest of wooden boards along the
way. So much for being quiet….
When I return to
my bedroom, I grab a stash of Jackee’s literary magazines and place them next
to me on the bed. Once I’m adjusted into a sitting position, I start to flip
through each one, totally amazed at all the opportunities in the writing world.
On the boat ride to the island I had asked Jackee
about the possibility of doing a masters in creative writing. I was wondering
whether the experience would be worth it. Anything to do with harnessing inborn
creativity fuels me with energy for life and work, but a masters in creative
writing? Wouldn’t it be a big risk? Masters are a necessary extravagance these
days. The wrong choice can be a painful setback yet the pressure on my
generation to make the right career decisions is immense. We graduated right
into a global depression and every news story at the time told us that we would
inevitable end up earning much less than our parents. So why am I suddenly
thinking about an MFA like some rich family member with a guaranteed inheritance?
I decide that this moment of placidity in the house is
a good opportunity to get down on my knees and pray. I pray for guidance and clarity
of vision.
Today we will
have no classes and no assignments. It will just involve one to one sessions
with Jackee and Crystal about anything we wish to discuss in regards to
writing. I sent my story to them yesterday and I have no intentions of doing any work once
the sun rises.
In fact here is my official To do List :
·
I intend to finish my two books (I have
carried them in my bag for two months. They need to make a permanent exit. Unless
a book is intellectual it should be finished a month from purchase. )
·
Frolic in the pool in my new bikini so
that I can tick wearing a bikini off my bucket list.
·
Take the proposed nature walk around the
island.
·
Enjoy not feeling guilty about focusing on
myself.
·
And of course eat all Alex’s delicious
meals.
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| salivating... |
By 5.00 am I hear the pitter patter of rain begin
outside making me drowsy. After excusing myself from my conversation with God,
I sleep for another hour.
With breakfast done. Lynn (one of the participants) and I head to
the beach. She brings her laptop. I bring my books. But we get distracted and
end up turning our quiet time into a spontaneous photo shoot with Zahara. All
the years of watching every single episode of America’s Next Top Model have finally paid off! Tehehehe. Look at that effortless jumping. Cover Girl *wink wink*
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| yes that's Lynn jumping with me. |
My session with Jackee and Crystal starts a bit late.
It’s clear my story needs a lot of work but their comments make a lot of sense.
I am learning that one can only grow in their writing with the following three
things.
·
by reading good books
·
practicing
·
and good feedback from mentors, friends,
family and their target audience.
It’s rare to find people who will take the time to
really read and critique your work so this retreat is an opportune moment. I
noticed so many holes in my story through their conscious feedback.
Once we were done, I grabbed my To-Do list and started
following it…..
Did I mention that dinner was a barbecue by the beach
and presents from Jackee?
EUPHORIA!
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| Everything tasted as good as it looked in the picture. |
Day 4
I wake up rested. Last year I mourned the fact
that the experience was over so quickly, this time I am not. I am at peace
because I made it back and enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time. I
pack my bags and make my Bulago bed for the last time this week, then I head
for breakfast. There is time to stroll by the beach and have insightful
conversations with some of participants about the last three days. It’s been
magical.
Jackee says Seychelles next year. She had better
furfill her promise because I can’t wait!
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| Bye Bye. |
To book your place on the next retreat please send an email to jbatanda@gmail.com
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| when your creativity needs a holiday... |
Day 1
I arrive at the beach house in a Special Hire an hour
before the 8.30 am departure time. I am relieved. I silently mutter a prayer of
gratitude that the Kampala morning traffic did not disrupt my schedule or my
mood. The beach house is still the same
as last year. My eyes are yet to see the ACTUAL beach house they refer to on
the yellow dilapidated sign post at the entrance, but that’s another story for
another day.
Neglected outdoor furniture is randomly scattered across
the unkempt lawn. The familiar naked headless lady statue is plonked right in
middle of the garden. Seeing that statue always makes me wonder what the owner
was thinking when he bought it. I mean how many Ugandans actually own a naked
headless lady statue?
If my Jajja was here she would say,
“Did they not have enough money to put clothes on it?”
To which my aunt would reply with a twisted face and
elaborate hand gestures,
“Her stuff is just there… hanging out for all to see!”
Wow! Woooooow, I can’t believe I am attending the
Success Spark Writing Retreat again. This annual writing retreat is run by Jackee Batanda a Ugandan journalist, author, speaker and entrepreneur. Her company Success Spark Brand Ltd is a communications
and educational company.
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| Jackee Batanda |
Bulago is a 500-acre island, located in Lake Victoria with a
Villa called One Minute South offering seven bedrooms. Can you imagine
dedicating four whole days on an island to exercise those
creativity muscles and hone those writing skills? This is my second time
attending; I am a returning student.
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| One Minute South Villa, Bulago Island |
Last year, I used the retreat as an opportunity to temporarily
absolve myself of all my responsibilities as a daughter, a sibling, and a colleague;
my creative juices flourished as a result. This blog is evidence of that, it
was conceived while on the retreat. My
experience a year ago was so good I had to make it a permanent fixture in my
2016 calendar. However, on this occasion
I have failed to absolve my personal obligations tactfully. Unfortunately, as I
eagerly await for the rest of the retreat participants to arrive, I am carrying
an invisible bag of guilt in my chest.
Yesterday between 8-10pm, I received seven missed
calls, two Whatsapp messages, two Facebook direct messages and one missed Whatstapp
call from my big brother. When I say I ‘missed’ them, what I really mean is I simply
watched my phone buzzing and decided not to respond. My older brother says he ‘can’t
find his ATM card’ and needs some money, but I am leaving behind two other
siblings and a parent in the country, so I feel I have the right to ignore him.
Today, I have hatched a plan. I have decided to befriend my Guilt. We shall
travel together to the island and my theory is that once we get there, my Guilt
will instantly fall madly in love with it and leave me alone for four whole
days. Why? Because the island is so marvellous that he will completely
understand why I ignored my continuously buzzing phone last night.
So, together, we patiently wait for the other writing participants.
Everyone arrives on time except for our award winning
photographer Zahara Abdul. As soon as she arrives and all our luggage is
quickly and tightly strapped to the black rubber speed boat. We zooooooooom
across the lake to the island, with two or three brief stops. I don’t even care
about the brief stops; I am elated that I made it to the boat without having to
give my brother a single shilling! Even more elated as Jackee tells me there
are plans to have the next one in Seychelles next year. Literally BURSTING with
elation as we get further and further away from Uganda and all my responsibilities.
I don’t have time to glance at the scenery, because I am catching up with
Jackee, where has she been? How are the classes going? What are her other
writing students like? She fills me in on all her latest antidotes with her
elaborate facial and voice impressions, and dramatic pauses. I love natural
born storytellers.
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| Just arrived on the island! |
Freshly made lemonade greets us at the entrance to the
villa on the island, we empty our sand filled shoes and just pause. We are mesmerised
by our surroundings. The welcoming swimming pool shimmering in the morning light,
the antique filled house and creaky wooden floor boards. Each piece is unique,
it’s impossible to identify which shop or country the furniture was acquired.
All one can establish is that a lot of passion went into creating the ambience.
Everything, and I mean everything including the wood carved man on a bicycle
with a Nile perch strapped to the back, makes it a home, not a hotel.
At 12.00pm the second batch of participants arrive, here
we are all together.
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| The whole group! |
After a sumptuous lunch made by Alex the chef (whom we are plotting to kidnap this time
around) we head straight into Character Development with Jackee and Plot Development
with the detail orientated and ever articulate Crystal Rutangye. Crystal is an Editor, published writer and a blogger
(her website is on hiatus). She is the ONLY Ugandan to graduate with a MLitt in
Publishing Studies. After 15 minutes, I realize she is a fabulous addition to
the Success Park Brand, her commitment to helping writers produce good work is
evident, in fact I decide to become her official cheerleader on the island.
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| Crystal Rutangye |
By evening Guilt has detached himself from me, he
found some abandoned wooden boat and sailed off into the orange yellow sunset
but before he left he said,
“Put your phone on silent for the next four days, it
will stop that dreadful buzzing. See you on Monday Darling!”
Day 2
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| The Glorious view! |
Gloria. GLORIA.
GLOOOOOOORIAAA. GLO O O O ORIIIIIIIIIIIYYYAAAAA
I finally understand the meaning of praise hymns. I could happily praise God all morning today. I
want to run across the beach in mismatched pyjamas singing-shouting this word. But
you know it’s not a good idea to frighten people when you are alone with them
on an island. In our group we have dancers, editors, engineers, lawyers,
presidential advisors, and a conservationist. These are the types of people who
regularly frequent overseas countries for work or study purposes. They cross oceans
on planes as part of their job descriptions!
Therefore these
people might appear in my professional life at some point and I wouldn’t want
them to say,
“Oh yes she was that mad case who ran across the beach
at 5am in morning, possessed by some kind of spirit…”
To avoid inspiring such future conversations and
maintain our cordial relations, I resist the urge go outside by opening the
curtains to revel in my ocean view. Yes I have an Ocean view*! Bambi… did I
forget to mention it earlier? Sorry not sorry. I stare at the harmonious waves
and let my breathing fall into rhythm with them. What I adore about this place
as I said earlier is it’s a home, there is nothing beige like and boring. The owner
poured love into every piece, this villa is full of the fun filled experiences
of all previous inhabitants. Each one of them left a little piece of their
happiness here, creating an invisible bubble of contagious positive energy. I
can’t help but smile.
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| can you see the man in the back? |
Breakfast is fresh Ugandan coffee or tea, our choice
of eggs, with sausages, bacon and sliced avocado and tomatoes. The staff are always
pleasant, from the minute we set foot on the dock they have remained
consistently accessible. It is only day two and the participants are already
discussing how best to tip them. Did I
mention I love this place? I red heart emoji this place.
We shy away from each other in the morning, so that we can
take time to write our assigments from yesterday. Around 9.00am we nervously
come together to read our pieces out loud to each other. The fear of rejection is laced in all our deliveries,
but it soon disappears with the escape of snort covered giggles or with each peal of
laughter at the end. The process of revealing our inner thoughts and struggles
about the journey to this island is self-healing. Just like that we are friends,
no longer acquaintances, that’s what the island and Jackee’s personality does
for us. We share our deepest worries about this journey and it subtly unwraps
our restrictive layers and barriers to successful creative writing. Jackee and
Crystal ensure that through our sharing we are learning the technical skills of
good writing. “Taking you from good to great.” She calls it. It’s effortless, my mind is not bogged down
with theory, and the bonding continues to build right through each session of
Self Editing and Settings with Crystal, and Point of View and Dramatic Tension
with Jackee.
The delicious three course lunch slows us down. It stalls
our thinking process during afternoon sessions even after ten cups of coffee. Despite
this discomfort nobody dares miss any of Alex’s meals. Nobody says they have
overeaten or that they are on a special diet. I think even if one of us was allergic
to nuts we would have gleefully eaten groundnut sauce and died at the table
just because dear Alex has taken the time to prepare it. When was the last time you had zucchini soup?
Have you ever eaten Pork Luwombo with baked matooke before? In fact, Jackee prepared a special drink to
boost her metabolism during the four days. We had a shared Ugandan mentality.
We paid in D. O. L. L. A.R.S, for this experience....
We shall eat and we shall enjoy every single meal
placed before us. And we shall threaten our bodies if they dare appear
ungrateful!
All photo credits go to Zahara Abdul/ Success Spark Brand Ltd
If you'd like to book your place on the next retreat please send an email to jbatanda@gmail.com
* It's not an ocean its lake Victoria but 'Ocean view' sounded better...
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| Where imagination can run wild...Maisha Gardens |
" Keep alert to your imagination" ~ Doreen BainganaOver the weekend I went to Maisha Gardens for 'Maisha Moto : In Conversation with Doreen Baingana'. She published her short story collection titled 'Tropical Fish' in 2005. It revolves around the lives of family in entebbe Uganda. Please do get her book if you can.
"I stole from my life"~ Doreen Baingana
Doreen says fiction is a great way to explore different perspectives on life without judgement. I totally agree on this point. Sometimes a story is the best way to teach people some good life lessons. It's a format that has been used for centuries. She says she would like to see more fiction about Africa told through the eyes of Africans. She pointed out a particular niche where we lack a clear voice on our continent, travel writing. In fact she started of by sharing a piece she wrote about a recent trip to Nigeria.
While judging the Caine's Prize she felt non- native speakers brought an added flavor to the English language making their stories richer and more enjoyable. When someone asked about whether Africans are forced to write the typical African story to ensure they get published, she simply reiterated the fact that that no matter the story if the writing is good, " I don't see how you will get rejected! Make sure the writing is superb. "
She is currently working on a novel, I am eagerly awaiting it's release..
By the way Maisha Gardens is stunning!! Some gorgeous piece of paradise right next to Cassia Lodge.
Anytime you get the chance it is totally worth visiting, even if its just to snap a few lovely pictures.....
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| This is me trying to be interesting... the pressure on Instagram...LOL.... #HappilyFlawed |
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| Had to get that Selfie with Doreen Baingana |
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| To start off Doreen Baingana shared a beautiful piece of writing about her recent trip to Nigeria |
 |
| Me! |
Dear God,
This week I learnt a few things…
- When you say you’ve got it, you really do have it!
- I must get in the habit of listening. I must be still and listen to you, no judgements. (SIDE NOTE: I would have loved to see Noah’s face when you told him what you required him to do.)
- My thoughts matter. I know… it’s REALLY cliché but “ Stay positive” and keeping them clean is real. Very real.
- You are taking my commitment seriously.. How!? I can’t explain but It’s official, you’re a keeper. Not just something I am obligated to do, but a choice.
I experienced some negativity from someone last week. You advised me to sit still; “Don’t react!” you said. I thought you were
crazy! But okay, you’ve been around, and you do know your people, so I did what you asked me to do. To my dropped jaw surprise, within five
minutes the person tried to make up for their behavior. Now I know you did not
control their reactions, but your advice saved me from judging someone harshly.
They were under pressure; a bad reaction from me would have made it worse.
Thank you. I will listen to you more often. Clearly you know what you are
doing.
On the subject of my my internal thought process….. I do.
Yes I openly admit I do expect the worst. The conversations I have in my head need to be
disinfected with a good cleaner. They
are a defense mechanism. They help me prepare for the worst. I learnt this from the book I am current reading
called Daring Greatly. What it says
is true. In the moment we humans experience joy, our next thought is
something bad will happen. I am one of those people that believe that doom and
gloom is out there somewhere waiting to pounce on me. We usually say “The Devil
is at work…..” I can’t experience a happy moment without looking over my back.
I need to stop doing this. If I am going to trust you, then I have to try and
stop doing this. I can’t stop the bad
things from happening, but maybe I need to trust that am old enough to know how
to deal with them the best way I can? What do you think? I shall wait for your wisdom.
And thirdly, I am so surprised at the ways you use to
communicate. Why am I surprised though? Creativity came from you! I mean you
are the ultimate. Seriously, Let’s continue. I made a commitment which it seems
you heard, and you made one too.
Once again thank you for my lessons.
I can’t wait for the next letter.
Maria
#HappilyFlawed
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