Bonito Living

There are some creative people who are definitively “before her time”; that’s the case of bell hooks – Gloria Jean Watkins- storyteller, sociologist, feminist, thinker. Her book Teaching to Transgress (1998) is definitely ahead of her time and the questions she raised there about passion, multiculturalism and transformation remain relevant.

What I really appreciate about her work is that she gave herself the possibility of speaking up (and writing) with her own voice. She resisted labels, she could write eloquently about critical theory, feminism, or being committed with civil rights and political engagement, or take on love from a healing and academic perspective… she simply did it.

This is perhaps the real influence of role models, to stretch our potential to make us think: why can’t I give it a go? This is a question that we seldom make to ourselves… after all, what is the main obstacle to do what we want to do? Is it money? Or the so called “comfort zone”? And yet as we have seen many people are pushing for changes, sometimes imposed some others simply by taking a risk, a leap of faith!

Can this leap of faith bringing us joy? And following our curiosity can take us to unexpected places. Indeed, when we talk about learning “curiosity” is the spark of learning. the oracle talks about indulging our curiosity as if it were something luxurious, and it is!

But for curiosity we need time, life in the slow line…. Have you seen how much a slug can advance in few minutes! I wonder if speed is counter productive for creativity and well being.

Perhaps this time of the year is time to accept that “we are changing” and give ourselves the opportunity to embrace and get through the change.

So for this week my creative exercise for us is about indulging our curiosity . For this I suggest to use a spider mind map where you put a phrase or a word at the centre and start to explore it: The question here is “why can’t I give it a go?” Try to draw as many associations as you can. Do not judge! Just let the curiosity to drive you.

Please let me know how this creatiBe exercise goes, and share your drawings or impressions with the hashtag #creatiBeOracle