… but I don’t even know what a skunk smells like?
How do you tap into your creativity? Whether we are embarking on a new project, or we are seasoned in our craft, we can often get into a pit of ‘stuckness’.
What should I write about? (or paint? Or sew? Or compose)? I feel like I have exhausted my well of interesting ideas and there’s nothing left to lift my soul, nor that of others.
I have strategies that might help, one of which I would like to share in this post: the focus on senses. This is a deep dive into the juicy pool of sensory pleasure and exploration, focussing on smell as an example.
Firstly decide how you approach this; if you can, go for a walk; otherwise, sit with yourself where you will have no disturbance, and recall an event. This can be a past walk, a visit to the zoo, a party, or even a day at the office. An actual event from memory may work better than a generic one. Focus on the word smell and break it down into different types; I identify five:
-actual
-memory triggering
-sensory layering
-anticipated
-unknown
Let me explain each one in turn. Then either sit with your memory or set forth on your walk with purpose. As you wander, pay attention to what you experience, as you wander.
Actual Smells
Firstly, there are the obvious smells in the here and now. Inhale the scent and savour the feeling and any memories that are evoked. Describe the smell, dig deep and draw out the essence of the smell. Write it down if you can, on your phone or in a notebook. There is no need for perfection, no need to edit, just note it down. Here is an example of one of my scribbled notes:
…the damp earthy smell of autumn leaves, drifting up, surrounding me with memories of collecting shiny conkers with friends; they looked good enough to eat - chestnut nuggets stuffed into coat pockets with a scarcity mindset only children have in relation to such treasures.
Memory Triggering Smells
The autumn leaves took me on a journey into my mental diaries, and found a memory. Often, actual smells blend seamlessly into memory triggering smells. Once you start to describe the sensory experiences surrounding you, memories are triggered. Write them down too, in as much detail as you can recall. Remember to lose yourself in the moment, this is not the time for rushing. Notice whether the memory is related to the smell directly, or whether a smell has led you to a place, or a person or an event? In my above example, I was led to a fun activity with childhood friends.
Sensory layering
The scent of one thing could lead to a memory of another, maybe similar, scent; you experience this remembered fragrance as if it were right beside you in that moment. Imagine walking past a fragrant magnolia bush; it triggers a memory of your grandmother’s favourite perfume. This could be a beautiful recollection of how you would always know when she was approaching, and her scent reached you first, followed by the kindness streaming from her crystal blue eyes and her warm smile. Tears settle in your own eyes as you remember. You remember how you never got to say ‘goodbye’. Write it down. The potential of your creativity is in your story.
Anticipated Smell
As you continue your walk, you are using all of your senses. I advise against blocking your ears and covering your eyes (that is not safe). Use your senses as a guide to the focus of smell. This is where anticipated smell comes into the equation. You see something and anticipate what you will experience next. You are about to pass a farm, you see it in the distance and you already have the sweetness of the hay tickling your nose; you are around the corner from the chocolate factory, already you react to that sweet, rich aroma that awaits you. You are minutes from the park gates where you know the familiar coffee trailer will be parked. The cheery vendor will have your brew ready for you because he knows; he knows that you have anticipated the rich, complex aroma of his brew and that you will not be able to resist his single-origin organic coffee;
like someone who enjoys a single malt whisky, you consider, hold on, I hate the smell of whisky, you tell yourself, although it does remind me of my Uncle Wilbert who bought one expensive bottle every Christmas. It lasted all year.
Now how have you arrived at your Uncle Wilbert’s idiosyncrasies regarding whisky? By anticipating the smell of the coffee at the park gates. Do you see how this works? Write this down.
By now, your creative cells should have started to get excited and sparked your synapses into party mode.
Unknown Smells
Have you considered unknown smells? You walk past a windowsill, upon which sits a jasmine plant. You recall how your sister, a keen gardener, espoused the sensuous fragrance of the night-scented jasmine. You have never experienced this but would dearly love to. You recall the holiday you had in Poland together; as you passed the flower stalls, brimming with a cornucopia of brightly coloured blooms smelling of fresh summer, she asked, have you ever smelt night-scented jasmine?
To this day, it is still on your bucket list of smells to experience.
Have you ever alluded to something that stunk worse than a skunk? I have no idea how bad that really is, but I have been led to believe that, in this case, ignorance is bliss. Unknown smells frequently visit our narratives and manage to sneak in dressed up as the known. Night scented jasmine evokes a sense of mystery meandering through a veil of heady summer evenings, a fragrance of femininity. Whilst the suggestion of a skunk, well, I won’t go there.
We incorporate unknown smells into our stories without reservation, and often with the assumption that we know the associated feeling, even if we do not know the smell. Others have done the work, and we accept it as received knowledge.
Tell Your Story
What is in your notebook, or phone? Perhaps you did not take notes, but simply revelled in the experience and the meditative mindfulness of focussing on smell, and where it took you? Perhaps you prefer to re-live that walk now, with the coffee you bought earlier, and write your experiences. Maybe for you, these sensory experiences have been brewing in your mind and are now ready to be unleashed upon the blank page. See if you can revisit the experiences from your notes or your mind. Sit awhile and reflect on them; perhaps other memories will arise?
Then write. Write with abandon and do not stop. Go back and flesh it out. Edit and shape and I guarantee you will be happy with the result. It is of no consequence whether you choose to share this particular writing with anyone else. You may decide to incorporate snippets into a work in progress? You may rework it into an essay? It may live in the private haven of your journal? However, harnessing creativity is like any other skill: you need to practise and train that muscle. This entire exercise not only improves your writing, but also your memory, mindfulness, gratitude and wellbeing.
The Takeaway Writing Tip
Use your senses, your memory, your sense of nostalgia and curiosity. Take yourself for a walk, real or metaphorical, and pay attention. Notice what you smell, what it reminds you of, what it triggers. Make notes and then join those snippets of fleeting thoughts into beautifully crafted prose, poetry or story prompt. Delve into your memory and practise harnessing your inner sensations, memories, and imagination, and fuse them into your emerging story.
Notice what you sense in the here and now;
Notice what you remember when a scent greets you;
Notice how one experience triggers memories of another;
Notice how you anticipate a scent before you smell it;
Notice how you own the unknown.
I am still always learning, and I know many others are too. There are some brilliant books on the art of writing, but how do you start? How do other aspiring writers go about things? I want to share my journey and grow with you. I want to show you what I am learning. I want to share the kind of things that I want to see out there - the initial practical actual steps people are taking at the beginning of their creative journeys.
Please feel free to comment and engage with me in the comments below, and if you enjoyed this post, I would love it if you would share it. Thank you for reading. Now go forth and create.
