Tell the truth but tell it slant

Lessons move through every aspect of our daily lives. The combination of lessons that life presents us with are unique, individualized. One big lesson I've been working on for years is seeing truth.

First, what is truth? To me, it's seeing both sides of something. The light and dark. In my experience, things are rarely singular. There is a duality in everything. Seeing the truth is looking for the duality, being open to something being different than I first expected it to be. Truth is a state of being. So even in this moment, there is more than one thing present, even if the only state I recognize initially is peace.

So what does it mean to create the truth? Emily Dickinson writes, “Tell the truth but tell it slant.” For me, I need to begin by seeing something one way, then looking at it another way. Explore the sides, the corners, the perspective from above, below, inside, or outside. Whether it's looking at a vase of flowers for a painting or looking within myself to create a character for a novel, I need to practice seeing in different ways. Through various creative projects I've learned that noticing where my attention is not is as important as noticing where my attention is focused.

Creating is an act of courage. Seeing truth isn't always easy. It's connected to a feeling of vulnerability. So we need to create like no one is watching, just for ourselves sometimes. This can generate the openness and curiosity needed to follow a path you may have missed. Each time I've done this in my creative work, the arts became a way of healing something inside me I didn't know needed attention. It's a way to peace.

We learn through observation and reflection. To focus learning, develop a strategy for analyzing what you notice. Find ways to gain a deeper understanding of the stories you encounter or experience and how you want to share them.

“The truth about stories is, that’s all we are.” Thomas King

I love this quotation about story. I think about the stories we tell ourselves. The stories other people tell about us. The stories we tell others. The stories we hear from others. Story is a universal human experience. There are elements of story in how we live our lives and in every form of creating.

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”

― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter, and the Sorcerer's Stone

Do you ‘edit-out’ pieces of yourself from the work? What drives you to take risks, to dive deep?