Rest, Reflect, Create: Unlocking the Power of Receptivity
My sojourn into slowing down and embracing inspiration from art, books, and life.
Welcome back to Writing Under the Palm Tree. We’re honored by your presence.
This week, we’re discussing the underrated space of receptivity and how it is often overlooked or undervalued for its more active cousin creativity.
But first, a poll. I would love to hear from as many people in our community as possible.
I am wading through this quote right now:
“Our sources of inspiration are our guides. They take us towards our magic.”
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This post will be shorter because I’ve been sick. This time feels different—more bogged down and heavier. It’s been hard to slog through, but I will be fine. Right now, I need to rest more than I usually do. I am not good at readjusting to a new pattern.
The truth is, I like to know when I am going to write, go for a run, be with my kids, go to the gym, and I want those times to stay the same. Of course, life always has other plans. The sooner I make peace with that, the better.
Even with the coughing, sneezing, and rough, raspy throat, I strived to be in a creative space. The opposite ended up being true. Instead, I was pulled towards the creative enterprises of others.
I’m learning (slowly) that that’s okay.
Although I believe absorbing art that stirs the soul is a prerequisite to creating it, I still become restless if I do not keep up with my internal writing timeline. Overdependence on this internal timeline is not a healthy condition for creativity—I do not recommend it.
What I am going to do instead is fully immerse myself in this receptive space that is laid out open and airy in front of me. I will step into it and see what filaments of magic fill the air around me.
What I am reading/have read recently (affiliate links):
Max Barry’s Lexicon was recommended by The Atlantic as one of six books you should read right now. This book will sneak up on you, and rock you. In this book, when words are in the wrong hands they are vicious and volatile. Words are the original magic—and when bent to bad ends—the original poison. The main foundation of his storytelling is dialogue. It’s brilliant. It builds the world. It illuminates the characters. It’s incisive by revealing actions, convictions, and contexts. It’s a masterclass in natural, dynamic, at times unpredictable storytelling.
Best American Short Stories - It is the best for a reason. I am learning how masters of craft work their magic. There is a particular tapestry woven beneath each story that covers and then immerses you in the narrative’s world. Stories can swing from the emotionally precise and cutting to the sumptuous and fantastical. I am about to finish reading the collection, and I already know I am going back to see if I can trace the stitchwork of each piece. I’ll have to look closely because the details of each story and the delivery are often subtle and seamless.
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte - I am actively working through the novel. It is a multicourse meal that does not go down easily, which is the point. It is part satire, but it reads almost too grounded and too human, in parts, to be purely satire. The interconnected characters are a study of how we can unravel as individuals from one or a series of events, and the social media pressures and larger societal pressures that accelerate that unraveling. This novel is teaching me a lot about how to weave elements of our modern era into my storytelling in a way that isn’t clinical but has a beating heart. This is helpful for me as editors have told me, I can be too clinical when incorporating modern elements into my stories.
What I am watching/plan to watch:
Night Agent, Season 1, on Netflix - I often watch shows and movies like this and forget about them not too long after or confuse them with a similar show or movie. This one is different. I think it is the co-main character. She is focused, highly capable, and not about the BS. Her quick thinking and skepticism have kept her and the male main character alive on multiple occasions. When it comes to honest, engaging, and deep character-building, this show is teaching me a lot. The dialogue is at turns witty and out of left field funny while feeling natural and real. As someone working on a character-driven thriller, this show has me taking notes on characterization through dialogue.
Nickel Boys - Speaking of characterization. I have heard from a variety of critics and fans of Colson Whitehead’s novel of the same name that the movie is a distinct experience all its own. In parts of the movie, you almost physically embody the character. Truthfully, I want to love this movie. A part of me wonders whether RaMell Ross’s inspired choice of first-person camera POV will rip me away from the very layered message of Colson Whitehead’s masterpiece. There is also my very real fear of coming away from the movie re-traumatized and more cynical about the state of things. Only time will tell. This is a movie I fully intend to immerse myself in.
Those are the highlights of what I am receiving and analyzing these days.
In terms of immersion, I am also wading through certain podcasts, news reports, and oh so many wonderful Substack articles and posts. I am keeping the news reports to a minimum daily roundup while I calibrate what’s healthy for me within this moment of history we are all living through.
What art are you receiving and immersing yourself in these days?
Feel free to share your artistic rituals in the comments below or reflect on them in a journal (if you keep one).
We’d love to hear from you.
Your voice is more powerful than you may know
As always, I will leave you with this saying from my birthplace, and I have to say, this one is one of my favorites.
Knowledge is like a garden; if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested
May knowledge bring about beauty and clarity in your life.
May it take you to new heights of creativity and connection, as you search for the words, the images the brushstrokes to tell your own story or illuminate your path.
In Solidarity,
Olu
PS. My growth point this year is to be more vulnerable in sharing my poetry and the process behind it. I put a lot of work and mental energy into my art. And I only share slivers of what I am doing. One of those slivers will be published in Wildscape Literary Journal in April 2025. It’s a poem about my birth home and what I lost when I left. It’s deeply personal. The words in it have run through my bloodstream for quite some time.
PPS. That said, my first paywalled post is coming up this week. It will be part of a raw and revealing series called “Poetry in Process.”I use poetry to reflect, remember, overcome, heal, and understand. The words I write help me find my way back to myself. These words are less filtered and, in their way, viscerally and vulnerably contemplative. Therefore, I will share them within a more secure space behind a paywall. Thank you for being on this journey of discovery and reflection with me, and I sincerely hope you will join me in this next phase. I would be honored to have you by my side.