Each day's workshop begins with a visualization exercise where participants are asked to lay down, close their eyes, and listen. These stories are bending my creative bones and getting me to think far outside of any box I have been in for quite some time. When I was a child, I remember loving creative writing and being able to easily concoct some faraway land with random creatures and exciting adventures. As an adult, most of my thinking and writing has revolved around my personal life and has been rooted in reality. Escaping to the world of fantasy has been quite refreshing really. Especially considering the reality of my personal life over the course of the last year. :/
On this one particular journey, I was to imagine myself taking a walk on my own brain. While strolling, a paper airplane falls into my hands from National Geographic. They want me to design a map of a new planet - My Brain.
After some time, another paper airplane arrives and because of my great work on the map of My Brain, National Geographic is now requesting that I design another map. This one of a land called, My Heart.
Mapping is a technique used by many artists in various forms. One artist drew a new heart map each month for a year and displayed all of the maps to show the progression of his "heart" over a period of time. Another artist displayed his life map on the ground and literally walked spectators through his story. This could easily be adapted for Writing Workshop. Rather than students brainstorming ideas in words, they could draw a map of their thoughts and orally share stories before beginning to actually write. Brilliant!
On this one particular journey, I was to imagine myself taking a walk on my own brain. While strolling, a paper airplane falls into my hands from National Geographic. They want me to design a map of a new planet - My Brain.
After some time, another paper airplane arrives and because of my great work on the map of My Brain, National Geographic is now requesting that I design another map. This one of a land called, My Heart.
Mapping is a technique used by many artists in various forms. One artist drew a new heart map each month for a year and displayed all of the maps to show the progression of his "heart" over a period of time. Another artist displayed his life map on the ground and literally walked spectators through his story. This could easily be adapted for Writing Workshop. Rather than students brainstorming ideas in words, they could draw a map of their thoughts and orally share stories before beginning to actually write. Brilliant!
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