September 11

The creative imagination is a will-o’-the-wisp. Wooed best by enticement and not by aggressive assault, the imagination responds to being coaxed and cajoled. Just as in romance, too serious, too fast, and the fun fizzles out. We need to flirt with an interest, approach it with a sidelong glance. Children’s books might be a better first date with a new interest than enrolling in a master’s program. More is very nice as something to look forward to and not so nice as part of the phrase “More than I could handle or absorb.” Adventures should be manageable, not overwhelming. It is one of the paradoxes of the sustained creative life that the more lightly we take ourselves, the more serious work we will probably be able to do. The more we bear down on ourselves, the more constricted we will feel, and the more vulnerable we will be to creative injury.