The speaker commented on how in his line of work, it was his responsibility to present people with a different perspective, giving them hope that things can be different to what they are or are presenting themselves to be.

Writers have that same ability.

Whatever your genre of writing, a part of your business is perspectives. – Presenting yours, the prevailing culture, world view etc

When you think about it, this can be a very powerful tool to wield, a skill to master, and a responsibility to not take lightly.

She had been at her regular women’s group, and there had heard extracts from a book which tells the story of a New Zealand Christian couple who spent years doing missionary work* in China.

Before going to China ever entered their thoughts, they had felt that God had told them to bury the words ‘can’t’ and ‘won’t', and so they set about removing them from their vocabulary and mindset.

This choice became very significant, when sometime later they felt that God was asking them to go to China.

An understandable response would have been “we can’t” or “we won’t”, but as they had buried those words, their answer could only be yes. And so they went there, spent years there, had 6 children there, experienced many challenging things there – including interrogations – and finally returned to New Zealand thinking their time of missionary work was over. Only to find that God soon asked them to go back.

*Generally understood to mean acts of service influenced by and related a person’s faith, often in a country other than their country of origin. The decision to do such work is usually preceded by a sense of calling to that work from God.

I was struck by that concept of burying the words “can’t” and “won’t”. How liberating could that be for anyone with a desire, dream, or determined vision. How shaping and focusing could such a concept be for goal setting, ‘stepping out’, and following through.

A useful tool for a writer-in-waiting. A good backdrop for the photographer. A blank canvas for the artist…

I think I’m going to ponder this some more, and invite you to do the same.

I’m not really one for celebrating birthdays, and I struggled in the run up to the day to answer the question that came from a few as to what I was going to do. My general response was that I wasn’t that bothered about doing anything in particular, happy to go with the flow and just see what offers came along.  I did, though,  sense that it should be marked in someway, and that it definitely wasn’t going to be marked by me hoovering on my birthday

When the day came, I enjoyed spending quality time with my immediate family. My brother, sis-in-law (and bump) came round and made brunch/lunch. We started with fresh coffee and pastries, then had a full on West Indian version of a big breakfast, with an additional twist.

This was followed by relaxing on the sofa till almost 5pm, at which point  I left them chillaxing and went up to the National Theatre  to enjoy some  music, and some chilled out chat over wine and crisps with a good friend. – She had called around 10am to find out what was occurring, and “made me an offer I couldn’t refuse”.

Occasions should be marked, and what makes an occasion can be different for all of us, but in some way they should be marked  in order to help capture and retain the moment.

Writing is a great way to mark an occasion, sometimes just a few words – and at times even one – can sum up and encapsulate the moment, marking it forever in the minds of those involved, and those you invite to be involved. It’s like the punchline of a good joke, the ending of a good story, that spontaneous one-liner…

As a writer, I am trying to return to the habit of  having a notebook with me at all times in order to capture those occasions as they happen; the old man on the bus who talks loudly on the phone, the couple on the tube so obviously in love, the tension of the city when certain news breaks…

I have so often lost the opportunity to mark an occasion. as I haven’t written down what I’m seeing or thinking as and when it is happening. Leaving it till later, I find that when later comes, the moment has often passed, and I can no longer remember or capture what was happening or going through my mind at the time.

This is tragic for a writer or any creative person, as I would imagine the same applies for an artist or photographer etc. 

I am aiming these thoughts first at myself, then humbly suggesting they may have value to you. Feel free to comment, and also enjoy a look at a few more pics, taken to mark the occasion.

Hungry to be Heard by Jarra McGrath (click on picture for full explanation)

I’d suggest that we spend our days trying to be heard in one way or another.

Some of us use writing, some music, art, dance, photography etc and even our silence can speak loudly for us.

I would also suggest that in our daily life our jobs speak for us, our relationships with family, friends, work colleagues and even the passerby speak for us, our choices etc. Sometimes not in the way we would like or intend, yet speaking for us nevertheless.

I started this post because I had been inspired by a young lady who has had problems with her throat for which she had to have an operation. Since late last year, she has literally not really had a voice. I think she may have sung before, but at present that is not an option for her. (I will hopefully include more about her in another post).

I can only attempt to imagine how frustrating that might be, and how it might feel to have your voice taken away.

So as I thought more about this post I decided to do a search online under: “finding your voice”. I was hoping to find some piece of research to include that talked about how important it is to be heard. The majority of the results were related to finding your voice as a writer, actor or artist, and also some related to organisations or efforts to help those who have no voice or need others to speak up for them.

I then decided to try another search: “need to be heard”. This produced a mix of results from those related to people, groups, causes, and countries where there is some injustice that needs speaking about, to personal blogs where people express their ‘need to be heard’. (It was during this search that I found the above image by Jarra McGrath ).

I eventually ended up clicking a link which referred to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need*, in particular the ‘ego need’ – original classification ‘esteem needs’ – stating that it involved ‘the need to be heard, to be appreciated, and to be wanted’.

I studied Maslow’s model at school, and this had me delving into different articles on his model and his work, and slightly sidetracked from the focus of the post.

So how can I tie this all together?

I repeat my opening line that I believe that everybody wants to be heard. Add to that our ‘dip’ into Maslow, and the suggestion one of our needs is to be heard… Also consider my google searches:

• ‘finding your voice’ 103,000 for “finding your voice“. (0.31 seconds)
• ‘need to be heard’ 4,060,000 for “need to be heard“. (0.17 seconds)

And finally, I’ll go back to the young lady who was mentioned earlier and the original inspiration for this post.

Unable to use her literal voice, she has taught herself a new craft – crossstitch. She is making works of art that are expressing something of her creativity, and I would suggest that she has found a new way to find her voice.

Have you found yours?

*Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was an American Pschologist who developed this model (originally proposed in his paper ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’ and initially developed during 1943-1954). It’s aim was to look at, and provide an framework to understanding human motivation. His model was, and to a great extent is still widely accepted as a valid model and has been particularly used in the business world, for e.g. management training, workplace environment, enablement of employees to fulfil their potential.

If you want more information an online search will provide you with lots of links, or you could check out one of the articles I read here: http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm

They were celebrating International Women’s Day – a day previously unknown to me and from what I gather, not widely known in the UK. Well Kocoa and others from the EAN felt compelled to do something in honour of this day and last nights fusion of artists from different creative genres was the result.

I went along not only to enjoy and support the night, but to read some of my poetry.

This was a long time coming ‘stepping out’ for me. As a ‘writer-in-waiting’, writing poetry and writing in general has long been a part of my DNA – known only to a few, and very little shared (unless you have been the recipient of a card from me )

I am grateful for the opportunity that came my way and the hook up/push that came from my cousin. I am also grateful and encouraged by those in the audience who came up to me afterwards.

When stepping out into anything new, there is almost always a moment when one can turn back or ‘pike out’ as I would say. To ensure that moment didn’t happen for me, I told a few people that I would be reading poetry and having them say they were going to be there held me accountable for not letting fear or any other associated feelings ‘give me an out’.

I must say that as I got off the bus to walk to the venue in the pouring rain, I did think I could be home now but I’m very glad I wasn’t. As I could well look back on last night as when I really begun my move away from being ‘writer-in-waiting’.

*Eclectic Arts Network put on a number of events for creative people to be involved in and attend, so check out their events page. Also Kocoa is the front woman for the group KB Fusionnaires. This group has vibe, energy, artistic harmony and much more. Definitely to be checked out!

This is such a great walk at whatever time.

I knew about the London Eye, the London Acquarium, County Hall etc, but probably would have seen them as independant entities which occupy the same space.

It has been great to discover the ‘nooks and cranies’ it has has to offer: The skate board/bike space just after the National Theatre, the art displays sometimes outside the National Theatre, the street artists, from dancers to human statues, the little cul-de-sac of shops just before the Oxo Tower, the free art in the gallery along that walkway, the different stalls and festivals that happen – always a pleasant surprise as I hardly ever know beforehand that they are happening! All this is just the tip of the ‘iceberg’.

Just the diversity of people you will see milling about, enjoying a meal, or trying to weave through each other if you are a runner or cyclist are enough of a draw, especially if you are a people watcher.

I also find that the South Bank is a great place for inspiration. So if you’re creative in anyway: a writer, photographer, musician, artist etc you are guaranteed to find something that will get the ‘creative juices’ flowing and cater to the right side of your brain.

So why not take a stroll along there. I am certain you won’t be disappointed.

http://www.southbanklondon.com/