Remember to Float–Mystic Haiku from Paintings to Inspire and Heal
Mystery, Timelessness, Sacredness, and Unity
REMEMBER TO FLOAT is a unique experiment based on an ancient poetry form with three lines, five, seven and five syllables long. It started when I chose a painting from thousands in my portfolio, sending it by email to my creative partner. She chose one for me and each of us used five-minute magic to contemplate the image, listen for the 5 syllable first line to emerge, and write a haiku…a delightful meditation!
My last three books including CREATIVE COLLABORATION– Magic Ways to Create Cartoons and Stories Together; EXTENDED FAMILY–Fairy Tales with Art and Heart; and VIOLET MOON–Fairy Tales with Art to Heal the Heart were playful collaborations with Denise Ostler. We were addicted to writing fairy tales every day and when the last book was published, didn’t want to stop our creative flow, so the new haiku art experiment began.
I continued writing several haikus each day, going deeper into the energy of my paintings, touching magic I had forgotten.
What intrigued me the most was the magical merging of image and words: they became one. I found that writing haikus from pictures both focused my mind and relaxed it, connecting my intuitive, visual brain with my verbal logical one, a happy marriage! The brevity of a haiku taught me to get to the essence of an image in 17 syllables and seemed to create clarity and simplicity in my life as well as my writing. Filing down to the basic patterns in nature, emotions, experiences and beliefs, is both a discipline and a freedom.
My paintings and haikus are mystical. What does that mean?
Albert Einstein said: “The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical.” There is a sense of unity, timelessness, sacredness, and mystery in the mystical.
I hope this merging of imagery and words will inspire, heal and encourage you to create your own haiku. It’s easy: 5, 7, and 5 syllables in five minutes of meditation. Invite a friend to send you a random photograph or art image to get started. But beware; you may not be able to stop!
