“Joy is the sweet voice, joy the luminous cloud.
  We in ourselves rejoice!
And thence flows all that charms or ear or sight,
  All melodies the echoes of that voice,
All colours a suffusion from that light.”

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

(1772 – 1834)

 

 

 

Recently I was privileged to have a sit-down with a few creative forces: Kathrin Shorr, Sarah Sample and Mai Bloomfield. (Tim Burlingame was there, too, representing the testosterone side of things and his presence was greatly appreciated.) We had gathered for an all-too-short visit while Sarah Sample was in town. Her sister, the fabulous Kate Graves, had initiated the gathering and was unable to join us. As much as her absence saddened me, I felt she was there in spirit, and we all spoke lovingly of her.

 

I met all these folks many years ago along the musical trail. We’ve all gone about the living of our lives and somehow we still know each other. Kathrin Shorr and Tim Burlingame are the forces that make up Sweet Talk Radio. Sarah Sample is an award-winning solo artist. Mai Bloomfield does it all. She’s a solo artist, a member of Raining Jane and last year she wrapped a world tour with Jason Mraz. And did I mention all these friends have families and lives and commitments and lives and things that pop up and lives and all the other stuff that goes along with being human? Well they do. Just like you. Just like me.

 

Anyhoo – at some point our conversation turned to Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. I’ve shared my feelings about this book here, and it was lovely to be able to talk about it with friends. But more than that, it was so good to discuss the book with people who strive to live creatively. And to hear not only what resonated with this person or that, but to hear what each person hopes to do going forward. To hear someone say how much they want to create for the sheer joy of the process. To hear someone say how much they want to feel joy – period.

 

Joy is too often overlooked. I know life is a drag sometimes and all, but damn. If there’s no joy once in a while, what propels us to keep going? How do we convince ourselves to smile here and there if we don’t actually feel it in our souls? And how on earth do we expect to receive that smile, that joy, from others, if we can’t manifest it within ourselves?

 

Unfortunately, I don’t have any tried and true answers on the joy front. But I can tell you this: Joy is no stranger in my life. Maybe that’s because I make a practice of being grateful. Maybe it’s because I live my life as a creative person and find fulfillment in that process. Maybe it’s because I am deeply loved. Maybe it’s because I’m a simpleton. Your guess is as good as mine.

 

Then again, maybe my current joy is due to having spent a recent afternoon in a sunny garden with creative forces. Maybe it was the tea. Maybe it was the company. Might have been the banana bread. Whatever the reason, I very much hope this month is joy-filled. And that creativity abounds. Perhaps a little magic will be sprinkled here and there as well.

 

For all of us.