I’m just home post-Creativity class, the foundational course for my MFA in Creative Writing program. Tonight’s class featured The Aspen String Trio and us, the students. They played sections of a song, then followed-up each asking what mood the piece evoked.
The first song was entitled ‘The Girl is Mad at Me’; as we listened to each piece of the song we were to stay in tune to what we were feeling. Finally the entire song was performed and we were then asked to come up with a story. From the start I was all about Jane Austen: boy-object of desire, girl-angst, flowing dresses, garden parties, featured dance, and final embrace.
The next piece of music felt like a classic horror movie, like Vertigo, less blood more intrigue and madness. I envisioned dark corners, wide raving eyes, long candlelit hallways narrowing to a point, textured walls, scurrying mice, shadowy villain etched into the wall poised to pounce.
These pieces were polar opposites and as music always does created a scene…all of this with no words! After the second freaky piece we were asked to write haiku (I’m so out of practice), so here are both my attempts:
Spinning Halls Victorian Scary
Mirrored halls converge Plucking pulse racing
Brilliant shattering sharp bits with skirts gathered hastily
Shards dragging scar deep feet pound silent plush
I used to be able to come up with a haiku no problem. I’ve had to count and recount my syllables. School is definitely illustrating the fact that I very much needed to dust off my brain and put it back in rotation. I totally feel like I’m in kindergarten (I do believe that is the point of Creativity class), but that makes me feel better. I’m slapping some WD40 on the joint and getting back into action.
Tonight’s class=creativity orgy: live music, story-telling, poetry, free-writing, brain flowering. Beautiful! Oh yeah, and my mother got to come with me!
Cija's Quips 