Sep 7, 2023·edited Sep 7, 2023Liked by Samantha Clark
I also love Csiksentmihalyi's book FLOW, and in particular I love how you write,
"Flow is subversive.
So, next time you are tempted to ask yourself what’s the point of creative work when the external rewards can be so scant and uncertain, remember this: It’s not trivial. It’s the path to inner freedom, even happiness." LOVE this!!!✨🌟💖🙏🕊️
Thank you Camilla, and lovely to connect with you here too! Yes, of all the stuff written about creativity it's Csiksentmihalyi that I keep coming back to again and again.
I also really like what he wrote about creativity arising out of a community of practice, that we must first be deeply immersed in a particular field before we can begin know what questions to ask, what to challenge or change, and that it's our respected peers who recognise and validate that work. No-one is creative or innovative in a vacuum. So what the community here on @substack is doing is an important part of that shared creative endeavour - a community of practice!
Bravo to Sarah Fay for shepherding me in your direction the evening, Sam. I have so enjoyed reading today's essay on flow and see how achieving this state positively impacts our mental health. I'm thinking about that word 'entropy' and think it couldn't be more apt a descriptor for what occurs in the restless, flighty and un(der)occupied mind. Mine, specifically.
And yes, that value question again. For you articulate so well why it is we are called to create, beyond providing us with an income. We are tending to ourselves; cultivating a safe, rich inner world through our making that we can carry with us regardless of how turbulent life on the outside gets.
And finally, those blustery Orkney days. Ahh. We go to Shetland every year and I CRAVE that weather. It blasts something stale right out of me every time. Freshens me up!
Lovely to connect with you here, Lindsay! Yes, absolutely. And it's not just about our own wellbeing either. I've just been reading Ai Wei Wei's memoir/autobiography '1000 years of Joys and Sorrows' in which he writes about how his father, a poet, was exiled by the Chinese government, as were thousands of intellectuals and artists. And of course Wei Wei was imprisoned too, for challenging the corruption and mendacity of the Chinese government, and had to leave China. So what strikes me is that 'flow' is deeply political too. There is, absolutely, a reason why authoritarians slap poets and artists in jail...
I hope you get to Shetland again soon! It's a bonny day here in Orkney today :-)
Hi Sam, I shall check out Ai Wei Wei's memoir. It sounds fascinating, so thanks for the nudge. I completely agree with you on 'flow' having the potential to be a radical act of resistance. We can think about that in the broadest terms, but it also applies to us in our everyday lives, as you talked about in your letter.
Shetland next summer, hopefully! I'm sure you'll know many of the makers there too. Absolutely love dipping in and out of studios on the Shetland Craft Trail when we're up, and stayed at the Red Houss on East Burra last summer for a change from family!
Brilliant!
I love this whole piece, and how you say “Flow is Subversive,” because it’s TRUE!
So glad you liked it Neinah - the book is well worth reading!
I also love Csiksentmihalyi's book FLOW, and in particular I love how you write,
"Flow is subversive.
So, next time you are tempted to ask yourself what’s the point of creative work when the external rewards can be so scant and uncertain, remember this: It’s not trivial. It’s the path to inner freedom, even happiness." LOVE this!!!✨🌟💖🙏🕊️
Thank you Camilla, and lovely to connect with you here too! Yes, of all the stuff written about creativity it's Csiksentmihalyi that I keep coming back to again and again.
I also really like what he wrote about creativity arising out of a community of practice, that we must first be deeply immersed in a particular field before we can begin know what questions to ask, what to challenge or change, and that it's our respected peers who recognise and validate that work. No-one is creative or innovative in a vacuum. So what the community here on @substack is doing is an important part of that shared creative endeavour - a community of practice!
That’s so beautiful! I love the idea of “a community of practice.”✨🌟💖🙏🏼🕊
Bravo to Sarah Fay for shepherding me in your direction the evening, Sam. I have so enjoyed reading today's essay on flow and see how achieving this state positively impacts our mental health. I'm thinking about that word 'entropy' and think it couldn't be more apt a descriptor for what occurs in the restless, flighty and un(der)occupied mind. Mine, specifically.
And yes, that value question again. For you articulate so well why it is we are called to create, beyond providing us with an income. We are tending to ourselves; cultivating a safe, rich inner world through our making that we can carry with us regardless of how turbulent life on the outside gets.
And finally, those blustery Orkney days. Ahh. We go to Shetland every year and I CRAVE that weather. It blasts something stale right out of me every time. Freshens me up!
Looking forward to reading more of your work.
Lovely to connect with you here, Lindsay! Yes, absolutely. And it's not just about our own wellbeing either. I've just been reading Ai Wei Wei's memoir/autobiography '1000 years of Joys and Sorrows' in which he writes about how his father, a poet, was exiled by the Chinese government, as were thousands of intellectuals and artists. And of course Wei Wei was imprisoned too, for challenging the corruption and mendacity of the Chinese government, and had to leave China. So what strikes me is that 'flow' is deeply political too. There is, absolutely, a reason why authoritarians slap poets and artists in jail...
I hope you get to Shetland again soon! It's a bonny day here in Orkney today :-)
Hi Sam, I shall check out Ai Wei Wei's memoir. It sounds fascinating, so thanks for the nudge. I completely agree with you on 'flow' having the potential to be a radical act of resistance. We can think about that in the broadest terms, but it also applies to us in our everyday lives, as you talked about in your letter.
Shetland next summer, hopefully! I'm sure you'll know many of the makers there too. Absolutely love dipping in and out of studios on the Shetland Craft Trail when we're up, and stayed at the Red Houss on East Burra last summer for a change from family!