Sounds True: Insights at the Edge Mark Nepo: Writing Is Listening with Your Heart and Taking Notes
Sep 10, 2019
Mark Nepo, a New York Times bestselling author, poet, and philosopher, shares insights on creativity and the societal role of art. He discusses the evolution of his creative views and the need to separate creation from commerce. Mark emphasizes the importance of embracing the 'messy, magnificent journey' of being human through art that serves as a witness to our experiences. He advocates for authenticity in expressions, the pursuit of timelessness, and how writing is an act of listening to the heart while exploring deep emotional truths.
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Deep Immersion Over Perfection
- Mark Nepo shares watching his father, a master woodworker, build ship models with deep immersion rather than focus on perfection.
- This taught him the value of wholehearted presence and that excellence follows immersion naturally.
Dual Aims of Expression
- Expression has two noble aims: to articulate the unsayable and to bear witness to reality as it is.
- Sometimes art must convey ineffable essence; other times it must confront harsh truths directly without metaphor.
Begin Journaling to Express
- Start a journal and spend a few minutes daily or every other day describing what you see and feel in detail.
- This practice helps cultivate bearing witness and expressing invisible feelings with words.
