The True Secret of Writing
What is Practice?
By Natalie Goldberg
I use the word practice all the time. Students nod, but after some time it became clear that different definitions were at work. On the first day of a yearlong intensive, where we meet for one week of silent retreat each season, I asked students to choose a feasible practice that they could do for the whole year. At the end of the week they read their choices aloud: to stop eating fries and lose twenty-five pounds; run five miles a day and strengthen their quads; do an hour of sitting, then an hour of writing, then finish their novel. The lists went on like this. Full of achievement, forwardlooking, industrious. Read more »

A Good Reason to Dabble with Art
Discover the Hidden Gifts from Within
By Gina Quarles
Last week I decided I wanted to do something out of my comfort zone. I usually stay very busy with my website, blogging and the daunting task of editing my manuscript for my upcoming book. For some reason, something inside of me was stirring to come out. It was an odd feeling, but I decided to listen. Before I knew it, I had purchased a sketching kit. Read more »

Slow Looking
Eyes Open
By Peter Clothier
After sitting silently with the breath for a few minutes with eyes closed, cleansing the eyes and clearing the mind of cobwebs to create a new, wide-open space in which to perceive the visual world afresh—after this preliminary effort, the simple experience of opening the eyes can be, well... eye-opening. Read more »

Creativity
Are You Blocking Your Creativity?
By Maria Chatzi
What is creativity: a skill, a process, a state or a quality? To me, it's all of the previously mentioned. No matter what you consider it to be, in order to cultivate or let it flow or acquire it you need to give yourself permission to try things out and believe you can succeed as others can. The following is a true story that shows us how the power of our attitude and a positive self-image could bring forth the creative power within us. Read more »