[Originally published by email for subscribers]
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a pile of books, only to realize, you may never finish them all?
Hand raised, glance down.
I have 4 going right now. And while this usually makes me feel badly about my ADHD-ish brain, I’m trying instead to lean into my capacity limitations, and see just what unfinished-ness can bear.
The results of this little experiment have been amazing.
Several months ago I began, then stopped reading, The Goddess v. The Alphabet by Leonard Shlain. For what it is worth, the book awesome, I just got waylaid by other things.
Fast forward to present, and my creative work since putting the book down has revealed itself like a lively dance between right-brain ‘feminine’ thinking (you know the kind that that ignites creativity and weaves meaning from ideas, intention, relational dynamics and occurrences),and left-brain, ‘masculine,’ analytical, strident and clear written language and action.
The result has been loads of creative work including a series of “take back the alphabet” panels and the near-daily, nature-inspired SymbolWorks. Funny thing is, I never noticed the connection between the subject matter of that book and my creative practice until now. Thank you Dr. Schlain. Nothing like a duality to reconcile for fertile ground.
In short, I credit this unfinished business for helping me make some art, and move me closer to my goals. Now I wonder what else it can do?
Creative practice is a funny thing. Even without having read the whole book, the queries at the onset were enough to get things percolating. And that’s kind of cool.
How many of us engage with life through a lens of the things we’ve left undone? And can we approach these loose ends with grace, or even creativity?
I’m interested in hearing how this idea resonates with you. Is unfinished-ness okay? Can you make it a gift?
With gratitude,
Elizabeth
