AThere’s an internet meme I came across with a quote from Buddhist teacher, author and nun Pema Chodron set against a wild and stormy Himalayan backdrop.
Let your curiosity be greater than your fear. I usually find inspirational memes really irritating, but this one got through somehow. As I write this, about to set off towards the mountain of another project that’s too big for me, there it was! These words more or less sum me up.
First comes the idea, the project, the sense of adventure. This is exciting. It’s like falling in love. Something chemical happens in the brain; you’re hooked. For me the approach to a new project feels like my approach to a new poem. They have in common a state of receptiveness, playfulness and being open to the most fantastical of possibilities. I have learnt to lean into the idea and start to move in that direction, however far-fetched it may seem, and begin to have conversations with friends and potential collaborators. Those first steps are significant. Somehow a good idea can then take on a life of its own and a
