Step into the Firefly Forest...

...who knows what you will find?

Dear You,

Where are you right now? I’m gazing out at my view of the river, drinking chicory coffee for the first time (much better than I expected — dare I say I like it better than ‘real’ coffee?) and listening to a soundscape of rain falling in a faraway woodland.

I know I’ve been away for a while but I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be writing to you more often. However, I feel it’s only polite to give you a heads up about that — after all, right now you’re used to getting very sporadic letters from me, whereas now I want to be in touch a few times a month.

This is because I’m starting a new series of letters called ‘Through the Firefly Forest: The Creative Journey’. As you’ve probably guessed by the name, the focus will be on creativity while the theme will be the forest, that place of magic, mystery, danger and discovery — and also of the unconscious and unknown, loss and reward, transition and testing.

After all, how many good stories start with someone embarking on a journey through unknown woods? Think of Snow White leaving behind everything she knows, Little Red Riding Hood straying off the beaten track, or that band of Dwarves who braved the mighty Mirkwood with Bilbo Baggins. I honestly can’t think of a better metaphor for that feeling of uncertainty you get when beginning a new artistic project, whether that’s a sculpture, story or song. Which is why in this journey through the realm of woodcutters and wolves, we’ll be looking at things like inspiration, imagination, risk, rejection, fear and more…

And why am I doing this? Because lately, I’ve been through a difficult time of feeling blocked and discouraged in my writing. I want to get to the heart of it by exploring creativity in general and also, I want to give myself a reason to write to you more. Perhaps, also, you’ll find it helpful.

Anyway, I hope that you’ll grab your walking staff and join me on this journey, wherever you are in the world…

Love,

Deborah x

P.S. This is the forest rainfall in Virginia soundscape that I mentioned. It’s from the lovely ‘4am Around the World’ podcast by Louis Manest. Listen in for recordings of busy Seattle coffee shops, rainy nights in Tokyo as heard through a hotel window and even crackling Arctic glaciers in Svalbard…

P.P.S. Also, post a message in the comments to tell me what the view from your window is right now (I’m nosy).

Image by Tengyart via Unsplash