The word “optimism” appears liberally in the tour literature when describing the Renaissance in Florence, Italy.
So the connection between optimism and creativity is not information only provided by modern neuropsychology research. Whatever inborn genius existed, the belief in human capacity created an environment in which genius could practice and flourish.
The connection between this and the importance of becoming or staying a resilient writer is clear: we forget that the practice is the creativity.
You’ve heard and read this before, of course.
But it might be important to surround yourself with some reminders, so that when pressure for the finished product intrudes, you can return to the beauty of the process and regain resilience.
I was as moved by Michelangelo’s series of ‘Prisoners’ sculptures (so named by others) as I was by his David. They reminded me of the depth, intensity and beauty of process. Michelangelo’s famous comments that his work entailed “finding” the God-created sculpture inside the rock are a poignant reminder of the searching nature of our journeys.
I’ll be putting my postcards up on the wall of my writing desk. Do you have any visual reminders of the beauty of process that you might use?
