connecting the dots

march 19 | weekly warm-up

Reflect on the Tree of Life exercise from last week and choose an aspect of your past that reflects a theme that is present in your life right now. I’m sure there are some influences and connections you can easily name right away. This exercise is for the ones that are not obvious to you. To explore the connections, ask yourself a series of questions, but don’t attempt to answer them. Just ask as many questions as you can. If you do attempt to answer them, do it in a separate journaling session and don’t force the answers. Perhaps more questions will come up. Whatever you do, continue revisiting the exercise until it offers you the connection you are seeking, however it shows up.

At any given time, when I search my memories for examples that display a theme I want to explore in my work, I either draw blanks or I come up with blurry bits that don’t seem relevant enough to be used in any productive way. My mind resists specificity and details. When I meet a new person or experience a new situation, the physical details are the first things I forget. I remember how I felt. I remember how the person made me feel. I remember the mood, the atmosphere in the room, and usually the rest is blurry. So it’s no wonder that when I go back in my memory, physical details are elusive.

I can come up with themes and patterns all day, but looking at my life experiences to find stories that reflect those themes? This is an area of development that I’m continually working on, and this week I want to share a helpful exercise.

Keep in mind, making connections between your past and your present won’t always come quickly, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. When we ask our minds to make new connections, the answers live deeper in our consciousness, and we have to go through more layers to get to them. We have to take our time, let our questions and ideas marinate, and see what comes up when we are simply observant and willing to let it take as long as it needs to take.

If we are being intentional storytellers who are dedicated to the craft, we can teach ourselves to make these connections more easily by staying with the questions. This week’s exercise is about developing the habit of asking ourselves questions—in writing, not just in our heads—even when we sense that we have no idea how to answer them. The answer is not the point. The point is to build confidence in the creative process. This trust empowers us to bridge the gaps and create new narratives for our lives.