Have you ever had the experience of having a thought come into your head that you want to share? Or a particularly pleasing turn of phrase? But it’s only a sentence or two, and where would you share it?
Perhaps you don’t think of yourself as creative. That is so common and quite depressing. When we’re at school there’s always that one fellow pupil, isn’t there? The one whose essays are read to the class or their artwork displayed on the wall?
The trouble is, that doesn’t inspire the rest of the class. What it does is teach the majority that they can’t do this. They are not creative. They can’t write an essay, or be a poet, or paint, or sculpt, or create art. That’s so sad.
Here’s the truth – everyone is creative. If you dream when you’re asleep (and who doesn’t?), that’s your brain creating stories. If you daydream, that’s your brain creating stories. But getting it out there, very often just getting it past your own self-editing, that’s hard.
A special post box
Jane Spencer-Rolfe of Suffolk Writers Group has devised a project to encourage people to explore their creativity. She and Mai Black, the founder of the group, explained what it is for and how it will work.
Wild Words Suffolk is an inclusive project to encourage creativity, and inspire people to write and share in a completely new way, by posting in our Wild Words Suffolk Post Box, as it moves around the county.
Creative expression is good for well-being. Whether someone is a new writer, a published poet, or a successful author, Wild Words lets everyone feel the benefits that come with simply ‘writing it down’. Everyone can take part in this unique arts project, even if they have no previous experience.
The Wild Words Post Box launched at 11:00 on the 10th October, at the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts in Stowmarket. The No. 11 Café at the Centre is the first venue to host the box.
The plan is to move the Wild Words Post Box around Suffolk, leaving it in towns, villages and rural communities, for a week or two at a time. Places where people might have a moment to feel inspired, and then to write and post something creative in the Post Box, in whatever form they choose.
The best host venues will be public spaces where people are likely to sit with some time to think creatively, having spotted the Wild Words Post Box. Cafés, pubs, coffee shops, libraries are all good places – ideally it should be somewhere with a table to sit at while writing. The Post Box is locked, so once posted your Wild Words are safe.
Jane and Mai have set up a dedicated Facebook page, @WildWordsSuffolk. They plan to photograph some of the Wild Words posted in the Post Box to share them on the Wild Words Suffolk Facebook page. This pulls the Wild Words community together in one place, with a ‘gallery’ of the words posted.
Hopefully the Facebook hub will take on a community atmosphere and inspire others, who will want to contribute to the project as it develops and to become a part of it.
Anyone NOT wanting to share can easily opt out, which will be made clear on information near/on/with the Post Box. Posts can be signed with the writer’s own name, a pseudonym, or be anonymous.
Jane and Mai said:
The Facebook page will also be an information hub, where we will report on where the Post Box is, and where it will be going as it travels around Suffolk. It will also enable us to put out a call for places that would be interested in hosting the Post Box. People can get in touch with us if they would be interested in hosting the Post Box in the coming weeks.
We are looking forward to seeing what people want to get down on paper. We want people to feel confident to have a go at being creative even if they have never done so before. Wild Words is for new writers, established writers, ALL writers. There is a unique joy in writing. something in a person’s head can take on a different perspective once written down.
Wild Words Suffolk was created by Jane Spencer-Rolfe, and supported by Mai Black. Mai is the founding member of the Suffolk Writers Group, and a published author. Jane is an active member of the group, but is relatively new to writing, having been inspired to start through her membership in the Suffolk Writers Group. Wild Words has been devised and funded entirely by Jane and Mai, and has no outside funding or sponsorship; it is completely free to participate.
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