How to Describe the Creative Process - Joan Lennon

One of the great things about being human is that the inside of my head is different from the inside of every other person's head.  Of course, one of the difficult things about being human is that the inside of my head is different from the inside of every other person's head.  And so it can be more than a little tricky, explaining to someone else what's going on in there when you're writing a story or a poem or a novel.  But one way to try to give an inkling might be ...

HATS.

Have a look at these and see if any of them express the ways the creative process can feel to you when a story is clamouring in your head:

"An Optical Illusion" by Ion Theodorescu-Sion, 1908 

(Wiki Commons) 

Two Catherinettes in Paris, 1909

(Wiki Commons)

(celebrating St Catherine's Day 25 November)

Unknown artist, 1810s

(Wiki Commons)

When we come to more modern images, I've run into difficulty with the complexities of internet copyright, so may I instead invite you to visit the wonderfully weird hats of Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy here.  Though I can give you this photo of a slide show which I took at the National Museum of Scotland to whet your appetite -

And the perennially pleasing Old Finnish People Wearing Vegetation by Karoline Hjorth and Riitta Ikonen can be visited here.

For you, the creative process may feel like tartan butterflies exploding out of your brain, or spikes of coral gradually accruing mass, or drifts of dandelion fluff blown on the wind.  And maybe, just maybe, there's a hat out there that expresses it perfectly.

Joan Lennon's website.

Joan Lennon's blog.

Walking Mountain.