|
|
|
|
| |  | Michael Fox CPCC,
founder of m�agine!,
is a professional
coach and trainer,
author and creative artist, whose work has been featured throughout
the world.
Michael is a
Certified Practitioner
of the
Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator.�
Do you know someone
who might benefit
from our weekly email?
|
|
|
The roots and fruit of your
expressive soul's family tree...
|
You might be a writer or a painter; a lyricist or a musician; a philosopher or a poet; a creative or an observer.
What ever your passion, your creative spirit likely has its own "family tree." How cool would it be to trace your creative or intellectual DNA back to its progenitors.
Try this...
First, either create your own illustration of a family tree or download a pdf of the one above, right here. No, wait, right...here. That's it.
Second, identify your three most prominent sources of inspiration. You might name three authors; or, the retired school teacher down the street, a contemporary poet, and a dead painter; or, a priest, a minister, and a rabbi--no wait, that's a joke for another time; or, even a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. Well, you get the idea.
Next, see if you can--with a little research--repeat the exercise for each of your three chief influences. If any or all of your muses are still alive, write them a note and ask them directly. If any or all of them are dead, at least they're unlikely to get mad at you for borrowing from their work. Don't be surprised if your three primary influences share a common muse between them--a source previously unknown to--but resonant with--you and your creative expression.
Finally, take it back yet another generation; and then another; dot, dot, dot. (That's an ellipsis, as in ad infinitum.)
For example, if author C.S. Lewis is nestled in your family tree, you'll likely discover that English writer G.K. Chesterton was among those who inspired the creator of Narnia. Or, if Beethoven is among your creative forefathers, you might be surprised to learn that Napoleon...yes, that one...was the catalyst for the composer's renown 3rd Symphony, the Eroica. Or, if Jesus--described in scripture as a "branch of David," a "beautiful branch," a "righteous branch"--is named among the boughs of your family tree, you'll find Isaiah among his muses. And the Holy Spirit, but that's altogether a different, bigger, story.
So, what's the point of this exercise? The deeper your roots, the more bountiful and sweeter will be the fruit of your own creative expression.
What if, for example, Lewis was distracted by Tolkien's Hobbits the day he read page 158 of Chesterton's Orthodoxy? Or what if Chesterton misinterpreted something among the work of his own muse, George MacDonald? Just maybe, you'll pick up something from MacDonald that Chesteron ignored and Lewis missed; perhaps you'll find an undiscovered theme running throughout the work of all three authors, a theme that could not have been known to earlier generations.
Cool. Very cool indeed.
What would it look like to dedicate a vacation day to research the genealogy of your soul's creative expression? And, if you do...
What surprised you most in researching your creative DNA?
Did you find something that explains or clarifies your own life and thought and work?
Create a collage of your expressive soul's family tree. Let it fill a wall in your office.
What's next?
Concept inspired by Austin Kleon's, "Steal Like an Artist."
|
|
Michael Fox
m�agine!
530/613.2774
407 Myrtle Drive
Farmerville, LA, USA 71241 |
|
|
In addition to personal and professional coaching,
m�agine! specializes in spiritual transformation coaching,
employing its proprietary models
--Values, Vision, Voice and Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength--
as well as
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator� curriculum
published by CPP, the People Development People.
Michael's books include
Complete in Christ,
Complete in Christ Spiritual Transformation Workbook,
and Biblio�files.
Coaching fees are based upon a sliding scale. Contact us for details.
For additional information, visit our website at maginethepossibilities.net.
Limited scholarships are available for spiritual transformation coaching.
On the flip side, if you are able, please inquire about opportunities
to fund scholarships for those who cannot afford coaching fees.
View our archives!
|
|
|
|
|
|
