Unable To Drop It
When were you unable to drop something? What was it? Why couldn’t you let it go?
What Came Out of The Journal Circle?
We spent a few minutes writing our response to this question in the Journal Circle. These are the themes that came up in our discussion afterwards.
- Creative ideas – the nudge of inspiration that keeps popping up until you do something with it
- Injustice and unfairness – when something doesn’t feel right, we might be unable to drop it until justice is done
- Decluttering – it can be really difficult to get rid of certain objects
- An argument – some people rub us up the wrong way, and proving they have something wrong can become more important than it ought to be
- Publishing/releasing – hitting send meets resistance when it comes to dropping it and letting the world access it
Where does your mind initially go with this question? Have a play with it and let it inspire something creative.
Ways to use this prompt
You might have an intuitive sense of how you want to respond to the prompt. In which case, go for it. If you’re feeling stuck or you’d like to open it up further, try one of the following…
A Journal Practice
If you have a journal practice (or you’d like to start one), use these questions to prompt your reflections.
You could set a timer or a word count and write freely within those limits. If you’re struggling to get started, break the question down and try free association with its different aspects.
A Playful Experiment
Remember that no one is watching. The aim isn’t to produce a finished result. Rather, it’s about giving yourself permission to play with forms and ideas. It’s a playful workout for your creative muscles. Something that, like physical exercise, benefits you across different areas and seasons of life over time.
And as with physical exercise, success is about showing up and consistently going through the motions.
The more freedom we experience in that way, the more open we become to seeing, experimenting, and connecting the dots. Creativity is not the same as productivity!
Play Safe
Notice what helps you feel safe and free to play. I know some people who give themselves permission to burn or shred their word afterwards. Its temporality lets perfectionism and any anxiety about others seeing it fall away. You might use particular frames that keep it low-stakes and experimental.
Here are some example starting points. Use them as inspiration to get you going…
Draw with only straight lines
Consider what you felt unable to drop, and capture it with rigidity and certainty. Use literal straight lines in a drawing, or take this concept and apply it another way.
Create a found poem
Tear a page from a magazine, newspaper, or leaflet, and ringfence the words/lines that speak to the idea of letting go, dropping, and holding on. Block out everything else with a pen or tape.
Explain your response to an alien (first time on Earth)
What do you realise you have to explain about the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs behind the thing you are unable to drop?
Write a haiku
Write a three-line poem (5, 7, 5 syllables) about the thing you were unable to drop.
In three quotes
Find three quotes that speak to what you couldn’t or can’t drop. Pick quotes that give you what you need in relation to it, whether it’s encouragement to keep holding to it or permission to let it go. Build other images and words around them if you feel inspired.
Leave it there
This question was inspired by our current season’s theme, “Leave it there”.
Is there something you want to leave behind? Do you want to get better at letting things go? Or maybe, the opposite, persisting with important things even when others tell you to drop it. Have you stumbled across something left somewhere, deliberately or accidentally? Do you want to leave nice things for others to discover? Maybe you’d like to get better at spotting and ignoring bait that others want you to react to. Or you want to trust your preparation and know when something is good enough, rather than sabotaging it through overpreparation.
It’s a phrase that offers a wide range of possible interpretations and angles.
We are creating this season’s Coming To Our Senses zine around this theme. It would be great to have you involved in some way, big or small! Send me a message if you’d like to explore what that might look like with me.
Share Your Discoveries
If you would like to share an experiment, creation, musings, questions, or discoveries with us in The Haven, add a post on the Activity Feed. It would be lovely to see what you’ve been up to! No pressure, of course.
