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Haiku structure: Built
Like a joke, where one-liner
Meets the three-liner.

Here’s the information for anyone who is interested. It was rescheduled and is coming right up:

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Walks in the American West: Walking Under the Great Mountain with Natalie Goldberg
Friday, May 16 (Rescheduled from April 17)
9:00 AM-4:00 PM

Explore the Scenery that Inspired O’Keeffe and Hartley with a Renowned Local Artist!

Take a walk with longtime Taos resident Natalie Goldberg. Visit the old morada site in the middle of Indian land as you walk to the penitente cross; the first cross Georgia O’Keeffe painted in New Mexico. Learn a slow, meditative walking technique so that you are better able to receive the beautiful landscape. Visit Mabel Dodge Luhan’s property, and pass by places where Marsden Hartley worked on his Taos pastels.

The walk has a full vision of Taos Mountain across pueblo land, the cottonwood trail to sacred Blue Lake , the Rio Grande Gorge to the west and in the distance the Pedernal. We will also be able to see the town of Taos and pass by the spot where Nell in Natalie’s novel, Banana Rose has an epiphany. The walk is easy and all levels of walkers can come. The power of this walk is in the landscape and the historic value.

Space is limited. To ensure a place, call 505.946.1039.
Lunch and transportation provided.
$135. Members $120.

Meet at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Education Annex
123 Grant Avenue
Santa Fe, New Mexico

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Christina Dallorso Bush
Education Coordinator
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
217 Johnson Street
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
Tele: 505.946.1007
Fax: 505.946.1092
christina@okeeffemuseum.org

By contrast, last night while watching the Semi-Finals of “Dancing with the Stars” (I wanted Christian to be eliminated!) I doodled an illustration for an upcoming post.

As I was working on it, I thought, This is like knitting. That’s what it reminded me of, how some people seem to knit as a way to keep their hands moving.

I wonder if I tried to make a living from my art, would it ruin it for me? What happens when you take a darling pleasure and push it to become an imperative? Just thinking out loud.

Bo, I do often wish to get away on a retreat with one or two or so writers and work together-but-alone with them. I am seriously planning on hosting a retreat here with QM and another writer, hopefully in Fall. I’ve talked to my husband about him taking the girls up to the cabin, although maybe we’ll be the ones to go to the cabin. We’ll have to see.

My friend Bosquechica also hosts retreats at her place once or twice a year — half-day-long events dedicated just to writing. She has geese and an iguana and beautiful trees and plants, so that’s a bit like getting away somewhere lovely, too.

With my photography, I can have music on, or be chatting, or have a movie in the background, while I’m working on my photos. But not writing. I write best when it’s quiet and still around me. But I do like going to coffee shops and writing. I find I block everything out. Somehow, the noise and bustle around drops away.

I often wish I had more time for the Flickr community and exchanging comments about my photographs there, because it’s fun for me to work with images that way. The only time when my photography is like writing is when I’m working on a specific body of work - getting it framed, printed, hanging it. Then I become pretty one-pointed with the photos.

It’s fun to talk about the differences between the creative processes around writing and art. And to get different points of view. Thanks for sharing yours.

Working out of Writing Down the Bones was my first experience with writing practice, and has continued to guide me even all these many years later. I still find it a helpful resource for the new writers who wander in and out of my writing life.

The interview itself is thoughtful, thorough and well written. You have both done a fine job at conveying the power of your experience in studying with Natalie Goldberg, your respect for Writing Practice, and how much it has influenced your personal, professional and creative growth. Thank you, keep going!

I hope to try to plan another one, closer to the end of the year, in New Mexico with ybonesy. We might try to combine a red Ravine meeting with a short writing retreat. I hope it works out.

I never would have committed the time or money to do something like that before — something different than a class or a workshop. Going to the Taos workshops and studying with Natalie taught me the value of structuring that kind of time into my life. I try to create structure in terms of the whole year now.

The trick is finding other writers who are willing to go with us — to commit, and then stick to it. It’s a big commitment to our writing and it can be scary for some. And if we have significant others or families, we have to be willing to stand up for our need for that time. It can be hard. Are there any other writers you know who might be willing to rendezvous with you to write, walk, be in nature for a long weekend?

If anyone feels any guilt/concern/uncertainty about the amount of time writers need to be still, stare into space, lay on the sofa, watch birds in trees, listen to waves…read this book. No more guilt.

I had one of those days yesterday. I was completely depleted and needed to just sit and refill the well. I vacillated between feeling guilty I wasn’t getting more done, and remembering your comment (and Ann Patchett’s and Anne Lamott’s wise words). Finally, near the end of the afternoon, I just gave in, and gave myself permission to just be.

And her discussion of writing being a lonely field. Yes, isn’t it! So much living in your head, playing with the words and concepts and teasing life into them. I’ve always wanted to have a writing partner - a special friend that I could bring out into the woods in my ‘retreat camping trailer’ and just write together for a couple of days.

ybonesy and Quoinnmonkey, you have the internet equivalent, and that seems to do you well. But do you ever get away ( or want to) with another writer and just be together, writing your own things?

I was nodding and nodding as I read your comment. The Intensive was *so*hard. After the first one (and I realized what I was in for) I felt both equal thrill/anticipation for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ones, and deep panic and dread. Now, a year later, I know it changed my life forever. I’m deeply grateful for what I learned and the people I know.

Regularly, things now dawn on me that Natalie said. I was in some form of a blurr much of the time in the zendo, unaware of what was penetrating my thoughts. Like I said, very grateful. Very.

I also have a writing friend who I’ve been writing with for years and she took the very first 4-season Intensive with Natalie. I remember following her Writing Practices during that time and watching her slowly change. She told me that she was still making shifts for a whole year after the Intensive. That she really didn’t know how deeply she had changed until it was over. The same has been true for me.

I’m amazed by how prolific you are with your poetry. And I can vouch that reading it, I’m left with a sense that you enjoy what you do. It’s not forced, doesn’t have any feeling of being contrived, like, Oh, gotta write another poem today. Yes, it feels like a darling pleasure.

This seems profound to me, Neola. It makes me wonder if it just must be, like one of those maxims, that we feel resistance to something so important. Like the saying, No pain, no gain.

We had a huge thunderstorm here last night — well, it was almost all lightening and thunder, very little actual rain. It was amazing, the noises. And now that I’m in this post, I’m remembering that one storm where the rain came dripping in, in a stream on my head and others who were sitting in the dark, backs to Taos Mountain. My gosh, how I remember that moment so clearly.

For me, writing is my darling pleasure, especially writing poetry. It has to be, since I’m not writing for anyone but myself, I guess.

That would be a good writing topic, What is your darling pleasure?

Great interview. Loved it.

Your last comment squeaked by me, QM, what with computer problems I’m having, and work. But wow, cool, I can’t wait to see the fine art photography. And the idea of combining the imagery and text — intriguing.

And yes, the old work did come to life when I pulled it back out. This electronic medium has turned out to be an unexpected muse.

And the dedicated time in the Intensive…I can’t stress how much that served to kick me in the pants and get me going. It didn’t seem that significant at the time, but having those solid weeks to be silent, literally, with no distractions inside or out, gave me the time I needed to just do it.

BTW, another Intensive takes place in ‘09.

Thank you for posting the poem, diddy. William Wordsworth. ybonesy, doesn’t the name Wordsworth automatically bring back Baca’s book A Place To Stand - WRITING TOPIC - A PLACE TO STAND (LINK) - where he would repeat the word Wordsworth when he was learning about poetry. I just remember Natalie reading that section of Baca’s book - Wordsworth - and it always comes to mind.

Same to you diddy and oliverowl. Owl, that story about Serena is just amazing. I love the spelling, Cirena, too. I’m curious, too, about where’s she from. You might have mentioned it when we were talking about it a few weeks ago. Now I’m curious.

Scot, thanks for dropping by!

diddy, I read the poem, but want to go read it again. I’ll do that now! Comment 54 on Got Poetry? (National Poem In Your Pocket Day) — (LINK)

Something that really struck me about this interview, was the part where about 15 years ago, she went to Kit Carson park in Taos and started working on abstracts because she really wanted to learn abstract painting. Then she recently pulled out that notebook and they are some of her best abstract paintings. And it was because she was really burning to learn to paint like that back then. (Time doesn’t always make us better.)

That actually happened to me a few weeks ago. I just moved into a new studio and was going through some old photographic work from about 15 years ago. Some of it did not ring true for me anymore. But there was this one body of work that just knocked me out. And I started beating myself up and saying, “Why didn’t you keep going with this kind of fine art photography? Why don’t you do that now?”

And really, I did it then because it was burning inside me so strongly then. I lived and breathed darkroom fine art photography during those years. And now my photography is different. And my writing is front and center. But that doesn’t mean my photography won’t once again knock me out one day. The processes of art and writing are so amazing. And I love the way she speaks to both of them.

ybonesy, I remember you pulling out your old doodles when we started red Ravine and you started posting them and also doing some new ones. The old work inspired your new work. Didn’t that old work feel alive for you, too, when you started posting it in an electronic medium? It was so exciting to see it find a home on red Ravine.

When I get more settled, I hope to post some of that old fine art photography work. I often combined text with photography. I like to work that way.

Definitely the case for me, QM, which is why I work so well under deadline.

Hey, QM, something interesting happened to me during the intensives. For the first and second workshops, I gave up on writing and starting doing art. I mean, I still wrote, but in all the off-time, where normally I would have been sitting in a gallery or cafe writing, I did art instead.

I don’t know if that was a caving in to the resistance (the kind that you mentioned feeling prior to the workshops) or if it was some kind of shift, but it was noticeable. Not worrisome, though, being as how I was having so much fun with art.

I guess that’s why I was intrigued by Natalie’s views on writing and art and how one is a darling pleasure, the other an imperative. I wish it were that clear-cut for me.

Well, at least I did. Each time it was time to go back to Taos, I’d feel this huge resistance. I have so much respect for the work that teachers do.

Teri, letting go of what we need to, holding close what is important. I found comfort in those words, too, when she said them again. There they were reminding me to take time in the middle of a busy day for what’s important to me. It was also really fun for us to hear about Natalie’s ordinary days and her everyday life.

What did you think of what she said about writing friends and community? I thought of all the crazy voicemails we sometimes leave for each other about our crazy writing lives. I also thought of ybonesy, how we bounce things off each other every day with red Ravine, the day to day support. Some days it’s enough to just know people are there.

G., I loved the line she used in the part about going to the cafe to write, then the lecture, where she says — I use things in the outside world to structure my inner life of writing. That seems so key to living a busy life and still being able to carve time out for writing and art. Sometimes I forget to do that and have to relearn it.

It’s also true for me that I sometimes get more done the busier I am. Isn’t that strange? You would think that if we had all the time in the world, we’d get more done.