I have a friend who once pointed out that one of the signs of being involved in a cult is that there is a language that only other members of the cult understand. My “cult” is the Tamalpa Institute in Marin County, California.
“Tamalpa Institute, founded in 1978, offers training programs and workshops in the Life/Art Process, a movement-based expressive arts approach that integrates movement/dance, visual arts, performance techniques and therapeutic practices. This approach supports personal, interpersonal and social transformation, teaching new models for health, psychology, art and communication.”
Devising, enacting and evaluating scores is an important part of the Life/Art Process. It is something I have been doing my whole life but until attending Tamalpa I didn’t have either the languaging to express it, or a full appreciation for what an amazing generative and therapeutic tool it is. In the simplest terms here is the definition:
Score- an ACTIVITY over TIME through SPACE with PEOPLE.
I think of a score to be like a party invitation. Tells you where to be, for what, what time, what to bring etc. Like this:
What? Magdelene’s Birthday Party.
Where? At the Park by the Lake.
When? Saturday night.
What? Bring a potluck item and a blanket.
Why? To celebrate the day she was born.
In basic terms the original score for this experiment was:
What? A year long experiment in 12 days chunks
Where? Wherever Magdelene goes.
When? 30 (possibly 31) concurrent 12 day periods.
What? Follow and new undertaking for 12 days. During that 12 days come up with a new undertaking fro the following 12 days. Continue this for 12 months. Commit to learning about myself during this experiment, being aware of what questions and learnings come up.
Why? To commit to a project fro the sake commitment. To see what things can be learned from this process.
Or in real life terms read the first ever blog entry.
Since then the score has evolved to look more like this:
What? A year long experiment in 12 days chunks
Where? Wherever Magdelene goes, on the 12 days blog, and wherever a 12 days journal shows up.
When? 30 (possibly 31) concurrent 12 day periods.
What? Follow and new undertaking for 12 days. During that 12 days come up with a new undertaking for the following 12 days. Continue this for 12 months. Commit to learning about myself during this experiment, being aware of what questions and learnings come up. Writing these questions in journals and leaving them in places the experiment takes me for others to answer. Collecting the journals, sharing them on the blog.
Why? To commit to a project for the sake of commitment. To see what things can be learned from this process. To see how my experiment can effect others and to encourage them to participate on a number of levels (be it making their own score, writing in a journal, or reading the blog etc). And to see how far the ripples of this experiment can spread.
If after reading this, you read the first 9 entries of this blog, you will be able to see the natural progression from the original score to the following one. The score for the experiment will likely have changed somewhat by the time you read this. It is ever evolving.
Showing posts with label score. Show all posts
Showing posts with label score. Show all posts
April 20, 2009
April 16, 2009
Day 6 Pulpit Rock- Clarity
Last night at 2:00am things became much more clear. How this is all going to work is falling into place. I think I have finally worked out the score for the entire project.
The 12 days 2 inspire experiment is an ongoing 12 day experiment lasting a full year. I will choose an endeavour and commit to undertake it for 12 days. When I am done I will commit to something new. What will I choose next? I don't know, I am not there yet. During each day I will be mindful of what my current 12 day commitment evokes; questions, themes, ideas, conclusions, musings and more. From this I will pose a question that I will write in a journal. In undertaking my 12 day commitment I will find a way to send this journal out into the world. So that by the end of the experiment there will be roughly 365 journals that have roamed freely asking questions spawned from my own personal experiment in self discovery. When the journals are returned, I will enter them into this blog. I do this to commit to commitment for the sake of passion, love and discovery. And know that in doing so I will inspire the same and more in peoples lives in whatever capacity they choose to experience this experiment.
Last night I got an email from a man named Bob. He had found 12 days journal 1 and 2 at the top of Pulpit Rock. They were not very well marked and he thought I had left them up there by accident rather than by design. He also posted a note at the bottom of the trail. He was very very sweet in giving them back to me and the lengths to which he went out of his way to do so. THANKS BOB!! this gave me the chance to better label them. I will be releasing them back into the wild tomorrow...not sure how yet. They had some wonderful things written in them. I am grappling with whether to enter them into this blog entry, or waiting for it to come back by mail as per the instructions on the back of the journal....hmmm. I will decide by the end of this entry.
I was reflecting today about how many times in my life I have wanted to do something like this experiment, but didn’t for one hundred and one reasons. I got to speaking with my friend Anthony who was lamenting how he wished he would buckle down and work on his music. I thought about the times I have been uninspired, lacking in motivation, caught in paralytic inertia. These times have never been as a result of a lack of good ideas! I have plenty of those. It has always been a lack of action. I am not talking about the chores I put off because they are tedious and fairly uninspiring like laundry and taxes. I am talking about that half painted picture, which I know exactly where the next stroke of paint goes. Or the afghan squares that I have knitted only a measly 2 out of 24 needed (far cooler than it sounds I assure you, take a look it is so funky!)
“What have you been putting off, procrastinating, that you would likely get much enjoyment out of doing?” became my question for 12 days journal #4. This is to help remind me that when I feel depressed as a result of lacking motivation to do things I love, I need to push through. That the sense of accomplishment, excitement, feelings of inspiration, fiery mind, feisty spirit, lowered stress levels, not to mention the end result (be it a painting, an afghan or a 1 year commitment to self discovery) are so very very worth it.
Oh...ok... here is what was written, but from now on we have to wait until the journals come back from the wild....OK?....OK.
12 days Journal #1 “How do you express love in your life?”
“Love. I like to smile at people. To see their response. That’s love!”
“Dancing”
“Every thought- Prayer
Every Move- Mindful
Everything- With Spirit in Heart”
Sigh, I couldn’t agree more. You guys rock!
12 days journal #2 “What inspires you?”
“What inspires me? I think it is pretty cool that this book w/ this question is sitting in a pretty inspiring spot!! Connection inspires me. To nature, to others, to animals. All connections. All that is in this world”
“Strawbale houses”
“Meeting my needs. Seeing someone make the best with what they have. Music“
”Impermanence.
the mystery unfolds
the magic appears
and I am inspired to watch
one present moment
evolve into the next“
”Color inspires me. My color is yellow.“
”Nelson inspires me to leave. Pulpit rock inspires me to see the beauty in Nelson“
What inspires me? This project, I am so glad I chose to do it. ;o)
The 12 days 2 inspire experiment is an ongoing 12 day experiment lasting a full year. I will choose an endeavour and commit to undertake it for 12 days. When I am done I will commit to something new. What will I choose next? I don't know, I am not there yet. During each day I will be mindful of what my current 12 day commitment evokes; questions, themes, ideas, conclusions, musings and more. From this I will pose a question that I will write in a journal. In undertaking my 12 day commitment I will find a way to send this journal out into the world. So that by the end of the experiment there will be roughly 365 journals that have roamed freely asking questions spawned from my own personal experiment in self discovery. When the journals are returned, I will enter them into this blog. I do this to commit to commitment for the sake of passion, love and discovery. And know that in doing so I will inspire the same and more in peoples lives in whatever capacity they choose to experience this experiment.
Last night I got an email from a man named Bob. He had found 12 days journal 1 and 2 at the top of Pulpit Rock. They were not very well marked and he thought I had left them up there by accident rather than by design. He also posted a note at the bottom of the trail. He was very very sweet in giving them back to me and the lengths to which he went out of his way to do so. THANKS BOB!! this gave me the chance to better label them. I will be releasing them back into the wild tomorrow...not sure how yet. They had some wonderful things written in them. I am grappling with whether to enter them into this blog entry, or waiting for it to come back by mail as per the instructions on the back of the journal....hmmm. I will decide by the end of this entry.
I was reflecting today about how many times in my life I have wanted to do something like this experiment, but didn’t for one hundred and one reasons. I got to speaking with my friend Anthony who was lamenting how he wished he would buckle down and work on his music. I thought about the times I have been uninspired, lacking in motivation, caught in paralytic inertia. These times have never been as a result of a lack of good ideas! I have plenty of those. It has always been a lack of action. I am not talking about the chores I put off because they are tedious and fairly uninspiring like laundry and taxes. I am talking about that half painted picture, which I know exactly where the next stroke of paint goes. Or the afghan squares that I have knitted only a measly 2 out of 24 needed (far cooler than it sounds I assure you, take a look it is so funky!)
“What have you been putting off, procrastinating, that you would likely get much enjoyment out of doing?” became my question for 12 days journal #4. This is to help remind me that when I feel depressed as a result of lacking motivation to do things I love, I need to push through. That the sense of accomplishment, excitement, feelings of inspiration, fiery mind, feisty spirit, lowered stress levels, not to mention the end result (be it a painting, an afghan or a 1 year commitment to self discovery) are so very very worth it.
Oh...ok... here is what was written, but from now on we have to wait until the journals come back from the wild....OK?....OK.
12 days Journal #1 “How do you express love in your life?”
“Love. I like to smile at people. To see their response. That’s love!”
“Dancing”
“Every thought- Prayer
Every Move- Mindful
Everything- With Spirit in Heart”
Sigh, I couldn’t agree more. You guys rock!
12 days journal #2 “What inspires you?”
“What inspires me? I think it is pretty cool that this book w/ this question is sitting in a pretty inspiring spot!! Connection inspires me. To nature, to others, to animals. All connections. All that is in this world”
“Strawbale houses”
“Meeting my needs. Seeing someone make the best with what they have. Music“
”Impermanence.
the mystery unfolds
the magic appears
and I am inspired to watch
one present moment
evolve into the next“
”Color inspires me. My color is yellow.“
”Nelson inspires me to leave. Pulpit rock inspires me to see the beauty in Nelson“
What inspires me? This project, I am so glad I chose to do it. ;o)
April 11, 2009
Day 1 Pulpit Rock- Up that hill!
Damn why did I leave it so late in the day to write this? I was inspired all morning about this experiment, and now I have moved on to being inspired about home renos. Ok lets see if I can tap back in. The hike felt great, the first of 12! I felt great about myself afterwards too. I have this positive outlook about my body when I am active. I can imagine myself to look one way one minute, then sweat and get my heart pumping and instantly imagine I look a whole other way afterwards. Nutty. I got inspired on the walk to take pictures and add these to this journal. To possibly look into blogging this journal. To make a sculpture from 5 different kinds of wood, carved to squares with rounded edges, diminishing in size by a sacred or ritualistic amount. Cool functional sculpture. I got inspired with tonnes of new 12 days ideas. Going to Vipassanna. 1 day to travel there + 10 day silent retreat + 1 day travelling home= 12 day experience. Trick will be finding one that works with the 12 days formula. Well no not trick, fun challenge. I came up with the idea of putting the 12 day schedule into my calendar. Plus many many more things, mostly esoteric and therapeutic, that I am sure I will include a version of here in this journal some day soon. Hmmm, not a bad recap at all!
Tomorrow is Easter, Chris is hiding eggs while I write this. Perhaps the kids will do Pulpit with us tomorrow....we will see.
Oh and one last thing...I better find out how this damn MacJournal program works to take full advantage of journaling! Ok off to read the help section!
Tomorrow is Easter, Chris is hiding eggs while I write this. Perhaps the kids will do Pulpit with us tomorrow....we will see.
Oh and one last thing...I better find out how this damn MacJournal program works to take full advantage of journaling! Ok off to read the help section!
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