Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Writing Down the Bones


room studs
Anatomy of my Future Playshop
There is something powerfully transformative about the act of creation.   I have always known that the opportunity to create is my greatest motivator.

Each day, as I stand within the skeleton of the twelve-by-twelve DIY studio I am building, I feel a sense of awe at what can be built with one’s own hands, mind, and will.

If you are a DIY or HGTV junkie like I am, perhaps you have heard talk of homes that have good bones.  In the world of construction, bones matter.

I find it astonishing that these thin sticks I nail together in the right configuration of joints and ribs are so incredibly strong.  There is elegance in the simplicity… an understated beauty.

When the time came, yesterday, to cover the bones, for the exoskeleton is an important part of the structural integrity, I took a few moments to appreciate that which I would not be able to see moving forward. 

Having thoughtfully selected each individual bone, and cared for it during the process of building an inner sanctum for nurturing creativity, this was a moment to savor and celebrate.

This morning, as I write this post, I think of Natalie Goldberg’s classic book, Writing Down the Bones.   Freeing the writer within is about bones just as building a life is about good bones.  Writing down the bones is about expressing essence.  In writing about the essentials of our lives, we experience the creation of the world over and over again. 

I encourage you to write down your bones.  Free the builder within by becoming an essential part of our Squidoo community.  I can’t wait to see what you create with your own hands.




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17 comments:

  1. This is a great post. Love your analogy!

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    1. Thanks, Mary Beth. Your photographs have good bones.

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  2. The bones make all the difference in the beauty and the longevity of just about anything. It seems sad to be covering over your beautiful structure, but I do understand that was always meant to be. I also recognize that we can always appreciate the bones because they are there, doing their job without the deserved praise. I think you are wise to photograph them and thank them for their existence and protection. My American Indian grandmother would have rubbed every last one of them and thanked the trees for their sacrifice. I bet you did the same thing :)

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    1. I wrote special words of blessing and thanks that will be enclosed within the walls (known only to me and the trees that made that sacrifice). It is an act of silent gratitude. I will touch each bone one last time when I cover the inside walls. Your grandmother is beautiful inside and out. I wish she was here to help sanctify my space. Her spirit lives on everywhere.

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    2. What a beautiful way to express gratitude and sanctify the space.

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    3. Thank you, Charli. It was a blessing to insulate the walls with gratitude.

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  3. Diana, I can picture you standing there cherishing the bare bones view of that which you have created. The storytelling here is magnificent in its creative viewpoint. Thank you for sharing your creativity as well as a deeper view of you.

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    1. I can't even begin to express how it feels to enjoy something so deeply. Thank you for the lovely bones you have written down here, Ruthi.

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  4. Yes, it is amazing what we can do when the will has its way. Awesome job on your studio!

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    1. Thanks, Coletta. I've always been strong-willed. Perhaps not always a good thing! In this case, tho, it works out well. Where there's a will, there's a way.

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  5. Bones are so essential yet often neglected. You got to experience building something from the bones out and then share the insights with us. This is going to be sacred space when you are through!

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    1. Yes... we often take bones for granted (until they are crumbling, or broken, or hollow). This space feels sacred already.

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  6. Interesting timing. Just before I came here, I had just seen Writing Down the Bones on another lensmaster's page about writing. Wondering if there's a message in there for me...

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    1. Could very well be. I always pay close attention to synchronicity like that. Of course, I don't believe in chance.

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  7. Love Goldberg's book as well as your analogy! Well said, as usual Diana!

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    1. I appreciate how you express your essence, Mandee. Thank you!

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  8. That's a very apt analogy Diana. Goldberg's book Writing Down The Bones is one of my favorites. And yes, each day we write down the bones and then fill in with the rest of the structure. Isn't it wonderful to think of it that way?

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