Can You Face the Fire?
“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,
but to be fearless in facing them." --Rabindranath Tagore
My writing doesn't always do what I want. Sometimes I find myself on a creative path that feels threatening and scary.
In order to make beautiful things, I have to accept these fears and all the discomfort that comes with surrendering control. I have to place myself in vulnerable places: in the path of the wildfire, so to speak.
The Columbia Gorge fires that swept Eagle Creek last month filled me with loss and disappointment. I feared that my own beautiful places would never be the same. And then, two weeks ago, I visited a ravaged forest in Grand Canyon National Park (see above photo). Wow, I thought. This isn't what I expected.
It was a staggering landscape, a fresh start that could only be created after these lands were burned. And the colors and shapes among those haggard, black trees reminded me that I don't always know what beauty should look like.
When I follow inner creative genius, I may feel the scorching heat of the fire but I can move forward nevertheless. Perhaps this story won't go where I hoped it would. Perhaps it will require fifteen gazillion revisions, or end in sadness when I wanted delight. When I bravely persist, even where creativity feels dangerous--I may turn a corner and find I've allowed something to come into the world that is stunning, wonderful, full of life, even after so-called disaster.
This creative kind of living, working, and writing--it fills the earth with creative fire. It is worth our work and struggle. Join me for this adventure!
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The Art of Play by Christi Krug is my very own mixed media art show at Cascade Park Community Library in east Vancouver. (By Firstenburg Center at 600 NE 136th Avenue.) I'd love for you to stop by during library hours (M-TH 9-8, F-S 9-6), view my work, and let me know what you think! Perhaps you'll even find an image to use as a writing prompt.
Wildfire Writing class at Clark starts October 5 and runs through November 16. Thursday evenings, Columbia Tech Center, 7 - 9 pm. We have some wonderful fiction writers and returning writers in the upcoming session - don't forget that you can take this class as many times as you like, much as you might take an exercise class repeatedly. Each session is unique in content while following a similar structure.
Wildfire Master class, p.m., (private) runs roughly every other Wednesday at 6pm on the east side of Vancouver, and has potential openings. Let's talk if you think you might be a good fit.
Wildfire Master class, a.m.,
(also private) is held every Thursday morning in uptown Vancouver at 9:30 and has a fall opening as well. You might be just right for this group! Call, email, or text me.
National Novel Writing Class I'm excited about offering a new opportunity! On Thursday nights throughout November, you can find support and tools for National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org). For 90 minutes a week, you can sprint this mental marathon while receiving prompts and encouragement and feedback from like-minded writers. The neat thing is, you can take Wildfire Writing immediately afterward, and learn or relearn juicy wildwriting techniques, too. Columbia Tech Center, 5-6:30 pm.
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