August Writing Challenge
Week 2 - Diving Deeper
Wow!
You did it. There are over 1600 comments on the first week of this writing challenge!
So many of you took the leap of faith and ventured out into the unknown. Your passions, heartaches and joyful expressions have touched my heart.
Thank you for participating!
I know there are a few of you who still want to participate in this challenge but have been struggling with it. As I said last week, there is no need to share publicly if you don’t want to. The purpose is to get outside your comfort zone.
I know how hard it can be sometimes to share what is so deeply felt. I’ve spent years taking very small steps to finally be able to share my heart the way I am able to today. When I think back to where I was, I could have never imagined I would be here today.
One step at a time. You got this.
Week 2 - Your Magic Painting
This week’s writing challenge is all about tuning into yourself and how you feel. The “Magic Painting Question” that I ask all my guests on my podcast is a great starting point for those who need some inspiration for tuning into their own feelings. If you’re new here or maybe need a refresher on the question, I have included a clip from my latest podcast below.
(Magic Painting Question begins at 41:20)
Share your answer to the question in a piece of writing under 150 words. Focus on the feeling you would want to feel.
A helpful tool can be imagining you’re speaking to someone who’s never felt this particular feeling before and you’re doing your best to teach them what it feels like.
This orients the mind into a teacher mode and drops any assumptions that others will automatically understand what you mean.
If it helps, imagine I’m interviewing you on my podcast and asking you to explain to me this feeling as if I’d never felt it before.
WRITING TIPS FOR THIS WEEK
Before you begin, take the time to really tune into yourself and the feeling you want to express. Give yourself the space for the feeling to emerge and show you what it wants to express. Don’t rush.
Close your eyes and imagine seeing a version of yourself inside your magic painting living this feeling fully. Go slowly and observe as if you were watching a movie. How are they standing? What are they doing? Where are they in the world? Allow your imagination to run free.
Once you feel deeply connected to this feeling and the movie you're watching in your mind, allow yourself to write everything and anything that bubbles up. *Remember: Write first. Edit Second!*
If you have already answered this question before and want to create a new answer for this week’s writing challenge, please feel free! This exercise is designed for you to deepen your own imagination, intuition and inspiration. Give yourself permission to be surprised by what comes up when you ask!
Continued Blessings,
Graham
#2 Week challenge accepted 🙏
Everyone who knows me well knows how passionate I get when I’m out in the nature looking at a beautiful sunset.
My magic painting will have to have a calm blue ocean that gives me a peaceful feeling. The sunset will have different colors of the pallet, brilliantly red and orange, purples . No matter what the colors when you look at a glowing sunset your worries fade away , it brings you peace in your soul , you feel calm and serenity deep inside . 💜💚
My magic painting would be a short video clip from a visit I supervised with a child & her non-custodial parent.
I opened the front door
And there stood HOPE
A 2 ½ foot bundle of joy
Adorned with curly blonde hair
Dressed in a sparkly pink t-shirt
Carrying her Rainbow Mermaid
At the back door
There stood Dad
A 6 ft pillar of despair
Covered with bruises & dirty long hair
Dressed in his clothes from lockup
Carrying his release papers
“Daddy,” the joyful moppet squealed
As he kneeled down,
She threw her tiny arms around his tattooed neck.
For two hours that day
Dad had HOPE