Exploring Life was launched in the fall of 2020 and is in the early stages of development. The articles are organized into five categories. Within each category you can browse articles by topic. Subscribe to the newsletter to be notified of new articles.
1. Creative Living
The central question of this work is, “How can we live a creative life?” It presumes that deep creativity is a pathway to self-understanding, self-improvement, and wisdom. Directly felt, raw, subjective experience is the primary raw material of a creative life. Our task is to create meaning, purpose, and significance, and then share that effort with other people in the spirit of collaboration. Living a creative life is a way to do some good for self and others at the same time.
Creative Aging
- Aging is a Fierce Advisor
- Aging: A Frontier of Belonging
- Aging: The Art of Acceptance
- Reclaiming the Right to Become Old
- Time is Your Most Precious Resource
Deep Creativity
2. Journaling Practices
Journaling is a collection of creative processes focused on capturing, exploring, and reflecting upon personal experience. The purpose of journaling is to improve self-awareness, cultivate self-improvement, learn from experience, promote mental health, nourish creativity, and to imbue life with meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. A journal can assume many forms, for example, a life journal, an idea logbook, or visual notetaking. At its summit, journaling is a contemplative practice, a companion, and a practical tool in helping you to find your way through the confluence of everyday life.
Poetics
- On Enduring Difficult Situations
- Refuse a Return to Normal
- Turn Away
- Within Your Vulnerability is Wisdom
- Your Own Voice
3. Inspired Projects
A project is any undertaking requiring a concerted effort over a significant length of time. An inspired project is grounded in a personal pursuit of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. Some inspired projects may last a lifetime. The experience of being engaged in the project is its own reward. The hallmark of these projects is the experience of flow in body, mind, and spirit in which you become wonderfully absorbed in learning, curiosity, and joy.
Authentic Piano Playing
Mental Resilience
4. Collaborative Work
Collaboration is a fundamental way to connect with others. It invites the courage to share your work with others in the spirit of building relationships with other creative people. This can be done in many ways, including a website, a musical performance, or sharing a poem. Genuine collaboration grounded in the spirit of friendship not competition. In its highest form, collaborative work cultivates community and belonging.
Life Inside a Pandemic
Interview: An Artist’s Journey Series
5. Life Lessons
The culmination of a creative life is wisdom. The fundamental purpose of deep creativity is to create a deeper sense of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment in life for self and others at the same time. The most we can hope for as we near the end of our lives is to be able to offer some valuable and practical life lessons in the hearts and minds of those we leave behind. Our body becomes compost for the earth, but the spirit of our presence can contribute to the lives of our loved ones that continue on without us.
- Under development