Thursday 28 April 2016

April Reflections

How was your April? Did you manage to spot any bluebells, or go for a walk in the rain? Whatever you did with your April, I hope it’s been full of happiness and creativity. Here are a few little things to share with you this month…

Quotation

‘Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,

 And thus the native hue of resolution

 Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,

 And enterprises of great pith and moment

 With this regard their currents turn awry

 And lose the name of action.’

- Hamlet, William Shakespeare


Or, in other words – overthinking is the enemy. This is so true in regards to the creative process. Often we have great, expansive ideas that we feel are safer from harm and criticism in our heads. Perhaps, we think, if we never write them they can never fall short of this ideal. But to fret over our ideas is to lose action, as Hamlet says. Make May the month you choose to be bold, brave and take action on your creative thoughts!



Reading

This month I went back into the weird and wonderful world of Muriel Spark, one of my absolute favourite writers, with The Comforters. The central character, Caroline, begins hearing the tapping of a typewriter and an authorial voice narrating her actions and innermost thoughts. This was Spark’s first novel and you can already see her unique voice developing.

Writing

This month I’ve been seeing the benefits of putting into practice the mantra of ‘don’t get it right, get it written.’ Sometimes all you can do is write what you want to say in the most basic, boring way you know. This foundation allows you to embellish and reshape later on, when you can see clearly what’s missing and what needs to be said.


Focus on…Well-being Spring Clean
I mentioned this before in my Six Ways to Enjoy Spring post. Spring is a great time to freshen up mentally. Take stock of the habits you’d like to get rid of, or habits you’d like to adopt for the better. Start the month by making a list of how you want to feel this May, and the actions you can take to achieve that feeling. If you want to feel grateful you could send someone a letter of appreciation. If you want to feel calm you could download a guided meditation.

Three things to look forward to in May

  1. ‘April showers bring May Flowers’ – stocks, freesias, peonies, snapdragons to name a few.
  2. Planning a lazy, luxury bank holiday breakfast.
  3. Making pretty, pastel fairy cakes for May Day.


How has April been for you? What are you excited for in May?

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