This week I did something I've not done since college days in Australia: I sat in a silent room, with a whole bunch of other people, and wrote. For an hour. No - it wasn't an exam. 🤣
It was a BIG DEAL for me, cos I'm most definitely not a joiner. Groupy things frankly give me a bit of a headache and mild irritation. 😆 As I age, I feel more and more comfortable doing things alone, in my own way. But as I'm expanding and growing my physical business here in Thailand at the same time as my only child heads off to university in Europe, I'm aware that my old self needs to evolve to grow into some challenging new roles, upgraded responsibilities and new ways of living. And as part of that transition, I'm making a deliberate choice to expose myself to new people, new ideas and new opportunities.
And so I saw an event advertised on mainstream social media and I thought I'd put myself out there.
The event? Weekly Tuesday Chiang Mai Writing Together Meetup held at Yellow CoWorking.
What was it all about??
It was basically a committed time-space for people to collectively - but individually - write about whatever they want. In silence. Sort of a silent accountability situation. It was a free event with my only outlay being my time and the cost of a strong hot Americano in the break time.
We got together and had 15 mins of introductions from the 16 people who came. An eclectic range of ages, nationalities, experience and purpose which defied naming. And then we started. Many of us had brought our notebook computers, but others scribbled merrily on sheets of paper or crammed spiral books full of scratchy penciled lines. We all wrote without speaking, for an hour. Some wrote feverishly - clack-clack-clacking away, while a few others seemed to stare into space for ages before committing anything to paper.
After the first hour, we had a 15 minute coffee break, and then a second silent hour of writing. And we concluded with some general light-hearted feedback of how people FELT writing in a group of other people also committed to writing.
What were people writing? We had a couple of biographers writing their life stories, some hard-core digital nomad content writers, a few poets, an English teacher, and a few people just working on developing their practice by writing a random character or a scene. Me? I was working on project documentation for the investment phase of my Thai herbal business.
And I learned something, that other participants confirmed.
There was an energy in that silent room which pulled our focus - a collective vibe that helped people to simply write. Much the same, I guess, as the way the energy of a gym is conducive to actually exercising. It was half-way between a permission and a guarding of the time-space-interruption.
People also shared that they felt less alone.
It was the first time I'd been in a room of people, since college, individually working in silence on the same thing. There was no compulsion to share about the content, or to critique any one else's writing. There was no performance anxiety, no creative angst, no stress.
In the 24 hours yesterday's meetup since I've been reflecting...
- Sometimes personal development REQUIRES we choose situations which feel like we have put our shirt on backwards. Uncomfortable is OK.
- Personal development MAY invite you to rethink the people you surround yourself with, and the perceptions you hold about Groups and what kind of activities are for you;
- New faces, new people and new methods can be a circuit breaker in the midst of old, stuck habits that's aren't really working for you.
Did I actually write a lot?? Yup. I did. About 4 A4 pages and edited another 2.
Did I write well? Yes. Because I STARTED something I had been a little daunted by.
Will I attend again? Already firmly in my diary for next Tuesday at 1pm. 😊
Being a life-long-learner is so much more than just exposing yourself to new CONTENT. It can also include exploring new methods of working and learning, and exposing yourself to new people.
GRATEFUL to the facilitator, John Lindland, who is simply and effectively enabling others for no tangible reward.
GRATEFUL to my higher self for accepting that new challenges need personal development, and an evolution of the way I work and think.
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Stepping out of your comfort zone
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Cool experience! I've done writing workshops, but there was always sharing and prompts. And you're going back! Excellent.
I think a big part of why I went was that it wasn't about sharing and prompts - that it was PURELY supportive. It felt very open-hearted, and encouraging of everyone's agendas.
YES - planning to more regularly put myself into environments with the kind of energy which fuels my soul.
Dear @artemislives, sorry to jump in a bit off topic but may I ask you to support the HiveSQL proposal?
It lost its funding recently and your help would be much appreciated to keep the HiveSQL service free for the Hive community.
You can do it on Peakd, Ecency,
Thank you for your support!
OK - just done that - thanks for reminding me of my responsibilities.
I have to say that as a non-techie, I often have NO IDEA what I should support. Might be helpful for people like your good self to occasionally do a recap of important unfunded proposals languishing and needing support - in real layperson's speak. 😊 It would add serious credibility if, from time to time, proposals were explained by OTHERS who weren't the instigators nor the beneficiaries - cos 3rd party recommendations always have so much more cut through..
Thank you for your support @artemislives, I really appreciate it! ❤️
Though I can only admit my judgment is skewed, the next proposal I would recommend you to support is the Hivebuzz proposal. It is also struggling to get past the HBD Stabilizer proposal to get back funded and badly needs help.
The HiveBuzz team would be extremely grateful to you. 😉
With regard to the other proposals, although it is within my competence to explain in layman's words what they are and why they deserve support (or not), I think that given my current status within the governance, I should refrain from doing it, at least publicly.
What an interesting analogy. We have a local superstition here that whenever you feel like you're lost and going around in circles, you should take off your shirt and wear it backwards.
Some discomfort is required to nudge us towards the direction we want in life.
I once thought of a 'writing camp' where fellow Hive authors would come together for a few days in a lovely location and just write together and do some stimulating and creative activities.
How INTERESTING about the superstition of the backwards shirt!! 😍 Yes, we DO have to be willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable in order to be open to new things... it's sch a foundational part of personal development!!!
I think "writing camp" would be an awesome Hive get together activity.
Good for you! I remember doing something similar, in November 2019, during National Novel Writing Month, with a couple of Brasilians and Portugese. There were only a handful of us and some left early, it also only happened once, but it got me out of my comfort zone ( I usually write alone ) and I managed to make it to my 50k word goal that month, eventually leading to the dino stories and books that I'm working on these days.
Knuffel!
Knuffel t'rug!! We're getting ready to fly on 27th Juli - 11 days in Cyprus and then 3 weeks in NL. Leaving my daughter behind in Groningen.
It's interesting that the days SINCE the writing event I have been more focused on things, stronger not just in my writing tasks but in a number of other areas. I think it's a bit like learning to run - just DOING it, no matter how badly, helps you hit a certain pace and stride and after that it becomes more natural and THEN one can focus on quality.
Very interesting experience! The focus of concentration must be very strong in that room.
Honestly the energy of combined focus is really empowering - not unlike group meditation. It FEEDS the soul and one's creativity.
That's the most supercool thing I've heard all day. Love it! What a concept. So you don't have to share or there's no bloody workshoppung with others, just writing together? I love it..
haha... that's what I LOVED the best - no bloody workshopping and feigned interest - just sheer, pure ENERGETIC support. Very special. I plan to go regularly...
No butchers paper and textas and post it notes? Goodness. Are you sure it was actually a workshop?
Sounds awesome, I would definitely go to something like that!!
It sounds the workshop did you well :) It's interesting to read the feedback where most felt less-alone and wrote a lot better. Thankful to have read your thoughts on that new experience
I should really put this into mind and into practice too being one who doesn't really like being in the midst of people (I get headaches and feel tired so easily hehe).
Strange how we always THINK of writing as a completely solitary activity, and often struggle on alone, but that many people find increased energy and productivity when they sit together doing their alone thing. 😊 The only way I can describe that as energy.
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