-
Create for You First
For all creators out there.
Remember: Create for YOU first.
The beauty of creation lies not in universal acceptance, but in the courage to express what is uniquely yours.
The value of your work is not measured by the number of eyes that behold it, but by the depth of feeling it stir in you and, eventually, in those who find a reflection of their own untold stories within it.
Happy leap day!
-
El Tiempo #LetrasDesnudas
Creo que el tiempo
nos pondrá en donde
debemos estar.
Con todo y dudas.Tú a tu vida
y yo a la mía
para continuar
esta danza cósmica.Creo
que no nos queda de otra
mas que confiar
en el soplo del viento.En las estrellas guía
y en el ritmo de las olas.Creo de verdad
que el tiempo
nos dará la solución.
Con serenidad.Nada de impacientarse.
Que esta próxima vez
tú y yo nos volveremos permanentes.Los textos de este blog pertenecen a la autora Alicia Strathern.
-
Poema Invernal #LetrasDesnudas
La nieve,
acumulada,
infinita,
desafía una larga temporada.Me entierra
entre el pasado
y el presente
difuso, deshojado.Me congela
el gris de las horas.
Todas uniformes,
todas interminables.Sin embargo
el sol sale.
Se asoma
en la neblina.Espero nuestro encuentro,
al pie de la ventana.Los textos de este blog pertenecen a la autora Alicia Strathern.
-
Planting Seeds As Creative Process
Planting seeds in the creative process is a major responsibility. It is the core essence of any endeavour that involves creation. Every effort is significant and paramount for further steps.
It’s also an act of faith. It’s believing that a small idea that was born in the abstract can turn into a tangible form for the world to use or experience.
However, the process itself is invisible to your eyes. The seeds you plant today will grow at their own pace and in the darkness. Brian Eno, musician, composer, record producer and visual artist, has an invaluable take:
My kind of composing is more like the work of a gardener. The gardener takes his seeds and scatters them, knowing what he is planting but not quite what will grow, where, and when.
Quote taken from improvisedlife.com
Not knowing is the aspect that causes the most uncertainty. This is the part where it’s tempting to abandon a creation and move on to a different endeavour. It’s difficult to continue when conditions are, at first glance, discouraging.
While the seeds metaphor is subject to multiple interpretations, the common denominator is to remind the gardener or the creator that growth will take place sooner or later. Every little step compounds to a result, and the waiting process can be satisfying and joyful.
-
El poema eres tú #LetrasDesnudas
¿Y si el poema eres tú?
Alguien recordó su existencia al pensar en ti.
A alguien le resultó imposible ignorar la huella que dejaste en detalles tan cortos.
Y luego, en algún lugar, te encuentras el poema y no te identificaste como protagonista. Creíste que estaba dedicado a todo mundo menos a ti.
¿Por qué te cuesta aceptar la inmortalidad de tu presencia en la vida de alguien más?
Los textos de este blog pertenecen a la autora Alicia Strathern.
-
20 great things about 2023
A great year is ending. Since 2020, I’ve been posting 20 things that have been making my year wonderful.
I’m really pleased to see that there’s a little bit of everything. This time, even food made it. Whoa. At the end of the day, experiences are what matters most. I’m glad I could capture most of them.
So here’s 20 great things about 2023.
- Celebrating my son’s second birthday
- Having my mom around for two months
- Creating art with my mom
- Playing my mom’s favourite childhood game with her
- Writing 100 pages of my new book
- Having fun in my writing classes and meeting some great and inspiring women.
- Seeing Depeche Mode live for the third time in my lifetime.
- This specific video from the concert. You can actually hear me scream!
- Enjoying Memento Mori, especially My Favourite Stranger and Soul with Me.
- Reading Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
- Reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle
- Getting to know Kurt Kobain through his personal diaries
- Trips to the zoo on Sundays
- Paul McCartney’s lyrics
- Tuna and salmon poke bowl
- Janet Jackson’s music
- Rediscovering some old songs I’ve always loved: Happy Together, Kiss the Rain, I Can Dream About You, The Hustle, Reasons, Hold Me Now, Don’t You Forget About Me.
- Sade’s music. Anything she sings is powerful.
- Alicia Keys’ music
- Discovering Neo Soul and Nu Urban Jazz.
-
Unos versos para ti #LetrasDesnudas
Los textos de este blog pertenecen a la autora Alicia Strathern.
-
Navidad #LetrasDesnudas
Ah, esa época
de canciones de nieve
y noches adelantadas
con leche y galletas.Ya dejé mi carta
bajo el árbol.
Espero despierta.
Espero el milagro.Aunque no haya puerta.
Los textos de este blog pertenecen a la autora Alicia Strathern.
-
Layers of Feedback: Going Beyond Someone Else’s Comments
Feedback has many layers. It’s easy to associate this word with what other people think about our work, our ideas, our performance and so on. It causes a certain level of nervousness as observations are presented in a way that you might not be ready to face yet.
I recently came across this illustrative quote:
Feedback is not a judgment of your worth or talent, but a way to help you grow and achieve your goals.
One of my favourite authors once shared a comment someone posted on Twitter regarding his brand new book at the time. “This book is bad. I didn’t read it, but I just know it’s bad.” Yep. There’s always someone…
This example is a reminder that you always get to decide how feedback impacts you and whether you take it or not.
On the other hand, if you think about it, other layers of feedback can be found within you, and they can give you clues about yourself. It’s not always about someone else’s comments. It also involves the environment where you’re creating your best work. The times when you feel your best self or even your worst.
Feedback is also in the quality of the contents you consume everyday. It is in your recurring thoughts. It is in your own body.
Are you noticing what all those different internal aspects are telling you?
-
Failure Culture: Reframing Mistakes to Grow As a Professional
Failure culture is an uncomfortable topic in any professional setting. Even if you are an entrepreneur. There’s an inner voice that constantly says “you can’t afford mistakes”, “defeat is not an option.” There’s a constant pressure to succeed almost flawlessly.
If you were to reframe failure, though, your work would gain more depth. In any creative process, missteps, ups and downs, and losses are bound to happen. That’s the nature of any initiative.
I remember the time when I was discussing marketing strategies with a former manager. We were going to launch a new product, and we had clear goals to reach. As we were wrapping up our meeting, I said: “If some parts of the strategy don’t go as planned, then we’ll learn a lot.” His response was unforgettable: “Yeah, but let’s try not to make any mistakes. We can’t do that.”
Failure culture is almost taboo. After careful planning and investment of time and resources into a business, why would you welcome it? You are aiming for great results. However, it’s worth reflecting on two key factors: the input that learning experiences can provide and the idea of embracing discomfort to grow as a person and as a professional.
As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”
