Finding Our Voices

safely practicing speaking up

Dec 22, 2023

What does it mean to speak up in a silencing world? To make your feelings known? Your preferences/likes? Your characters' likes? Can you speak up for an idea or a theme? Can you speak up for yourself? Is it easier to speak for someone else? As someone else? For a cause? Or a group?

Would it be easier to try to let it go, whatever it is you think you might speak up for, what keeps you up at night? And how often are we silenced? How often do we decide it's just not worth it to say anything? And how much does that diminish our lives? Is it like a ding or a dent when we don't speak up? Are we actually shrinking?

Here's a great poem, Shrinking Women written and performed by Lily Myers. This tells me that even among younger generations, women are still shrinking. And no matter our age, we must start to recognize it and work against it to shift. Let's allow ourselves the chance to expand and enjoy the space we might take!

Irony: no matter how hard I tried, I could not enlarge this photo!

Brave Space Schedule

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Brave Space is on hiatus until Tuesday January 2nd 12pm ET
Wednesday 1pm ET
Thursday 12pm ET
Friday 12pm ET
I have some medical tests happening in early January so the schedule will be a bit odd.
Next Brave Sharing Salon will be Friday, January 26th, 12pm ET.

The last Brave Sharing Salon of the year was Friday 12/15, and 3 days later, participants were still feeling the power! I have to thank everyone for showing up which in itself is brave! And the sharing was inspiring. Because people shared daringly, honest, courageous, strong and risk-taking shares. People shared old work they had put away thinking it wasn't good enough. People shared new work that took new chances! People shared in the middle of long-term projects that can feel endless, yet by sharing feel bolstered. And people responded to the work and shared how hearing it moved them, what landed for them, what they will remember. And all of this makes a difference!

We were all inspired by it, whether we shared or not. Because sharing is itself inspiring as moments of bravery and vulnerability.

We are still working toward our goals and dreams. We are in the middle or beginning of our projects, and we worry we are doing this against all hope. At least I do. And for me and many of us, later in life, after giving so much to so many others, we are carving out this time to create and then to share.

I think we are like spiders spinning our webs from the thinnest filaments. These strands we make in/from our bodies with our lived experiences. Our webs are all unique, varied and strong. Sticky enough to make each unforgettable. They glisten with dew. By sharing we shine a light on the webs and appreciate how they glow.

If you don't think you have anything to say, think again. Listen for a moment to whatever's rising up inside.

If we've developed the habit of silencing ourselve, we can reverse this. If we've started to shrink into ourselves as we age, we can shift into expansion instead. Little by little, we can create change. Even if these habits were drummed into us from early ages, and even if they seem insurmountable, it's possible to change. Noticing is the first step.

We are living on the outside of a hierarchical society that sees us as less than and too much simultaneously. Where can we find level ground? A place to stand in our strength? A way to practice using our voices?

I offer Brave Space multiple times a week to help you get to know and trust your voice. I offer Brave Sharing Salons (the last Friday of every month from now on at 12pm ET) for those who come to Brave Space.

Writing Prompt:

You might want to check out this gorgeous poetry by Kiki Petrosino: First Girdle

Write a first - first girdle, first bra, first kiss, first love, first hurt, first fall, first bruise, first bike, first taste, first fancy party, first yes, first communion, first birth...

To begin, LIST your firsts, so you’ll have many to choose from… You can include your children's first, your partner's firsts, your characters' firsts.

Find sound pairs like the irs in first and girdle, hidden rivets, glob/grub, poor poreless, MAKE LISTS - for some this comes after a great vomiting of words at random, for others they keep lists all the time, for others writing and then looking for ways to invent the sound pairs afterwards by changing some of the words to fit like that into each other. Doesn't matter how you do it, play with your words!

Invent words like night-night lake. Use the landscape of childhood where lots of words are invented. Make a language for a character to use.

Invent a character with starfish hands, who are they?

Invent a character who is wearing a girdle or other uncomfortable garment. How does a strong stimuli like that affect a character in a story or onstage? How do our clothes affect us? Consider giving a character a crutch or a sling. Does it change the scene? Who of your characters hates to ask for help?

If you’ve been reading the Petrosino poem, consider its ambiguity. Is she going to cut the girdle or the flesh? What a dramatic act at the end! Write a monologue that includes a reason for speaking, an emotional journey, and ends with a dramatic act or a decision to perform one. (A decision is an event!)

Announcements:

2024 Winter Playwrights Workshop almost full! I have 1 spot available on Wednesdays from 6-9pm ET and 2 spots available for the Thursday section from 6-9pm ET, both on Zoom. Begins January 3rd and 4th respectively. If you have a full-length play or you're writing one and want to hear it with feedback in a supportive group that focuses on craft, my workshops are limited to 6 participants. 10 weeks, $500. MORE INFO HERE

Affordable Brave Group Coaching for Everyone! If you've been interested in discovering more about your nervous system and how to better regulate it, if you want to get to know and work with your parts, (inner critics, perfectionists...) then this is perfect for you! I have a few spots left Tuesdays starting January 9th from 7-830pm for 6 weeks. MORE INFO HERE

Til January 15th for NYC local playwrights, APPLY! NEW WORKS INCUBATOR

Looking to focus in 2024 on poetry? I highly recommend The Creative Crossover with Kelly Grace Thomas.

Emma’s BraveSpace.online Substack

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