Intelligence Intellect Creativity

Intellect Intelligence Creativity

I just finished reading The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery The PEI Years 1901-1911 by Mary Henley Rubio and Elizabeth Hillman Waterston and it got me thinking about intellect, intelligence, and creativity.

Montgomery is the author of Anne of Green Gables and many other stories.  Her personal journals have been published both after she had edited them and then in completion and since she lived from 1874 until 1942 I feel I absolutely must find the others and read them. Of course when I searched, my rusty trusty local library only carries the one book I have just read so now I have to decide whether to fork out some moola for the others.

There is a lot to discuss and share about the girl whose mother died 22 months after having given birth, whose father left her with his grandparents while he went off to another province, leaving her to be raised in an unloving, don’t you ever forget what we have done for you family. Seeing her life through her eyes is fascinating.  It was a stark life both emotionally and environmentally.  Prince Edward Island is one of three Canadian Maritime Provinces and while it has beautiful summer and fall seasons the winters can be brutal and when the annual storms from December to April raged it meant physical isolation for extended times.

But what I am thinking about this morning is creativity.  Maude Montgomery talks about the people in her life, family, friends, acquaintances, and notes those that are intelligent, intellectual, simple, coarse, common, and endearing.

But to get back to creativity – are writers born?  Many of my favorite writers say that from a very young age they had to write. Can you be creative and not intelligent?  Can you be intelligent and not an intellectual?  Can you be creative and not an intellectual?

Graham Collier in Psychology Today indicates from my understanding, that Intellect is Fact, and Intelligence is Feeling.

Can you increase your intellect or intelligence?  There is a lot of information on the internet dealing with this very question.  It seems yes, you can become more intellectual by learning, seeking out, and yes more intelligent, though it seems you can also be blessed with an intelligence gene.  In fact intelligence seems to be innate and intellect acquired.   So it seems you can be intelligent but not an intellect but if you are an intellect you must have some intelligence to have acquired it.

But where does that leave us on the Creativity question?  I don’t consider myself creative, at least not the kind of creativity where I am driven to create with intensity.  In fact it has crossed my mind that if there is reincarnation I may have been a successful writer in some past life but damaged my karma to such an extent that I am left aware in this life of the capability and to some degree hunger for it but lack just enough of je ne sais quoi to actually achieve anything.

Interesting huh?

Creativity takes a swerve

I have been wonderfully busy these last few weeks – being creative that is – however none of it is writing.  I have done a lot of thinking about writing and spent some time pondering if there are any new stories to tell.  Of course there are.  New twists and turns to entangle the mind of the reader in a web of intrigue and interest.

I have not come to any great conclusions because after all there might not be any great conclusions at least for my mind, in the here and now.  So I took my focus elsewhere and the idea was to create something that required concentration and to complete the task (I am a great non completer).

We took walks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of us

I began to knit – fancy dancey scarves like this

2 aran knit sweaters for the boys

a boy a bike and a spanking brand new sweater

Creativity thrives and now as I am almost finished the last sweater I will do for awhile (it is for a 95 year old friend – so I must not dally), it is time to think about words, stories, and adventures.   Have a wonderful weekend all!

 

 

Rhythm

Rhythm, a sequence in time repeated, featured in dance: an early moving picture demonstrates the waltz. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rhythm

Ya Gotta Have Rhythm

I’ve been caught up in a few projects lately, setting goals which look good on paper or screen, and wondering why I am not getting all the things done I want to or need to accomplish.  It seems that with the arrival of the vernal equinox there came a need to reflect, to assess, to plan.  At the same time it seems the chain on my wheel of life slipped off the universal cog, and while I continue to function I am out of step.

I have come to the conclusion that reflection, for me at least, is not best in the long run.  At least not when said reflection takes up the entire day. Day. After. Day.  I pondered days of yore when I was organized, and enjoyed the thoughts so much that I returned to them again and again.  Aren’t memories wonderful?  One can be so selective in choosing them.

Then when I noticed I seemed to be out of sync I spent a great deal of time thinking about that.  Wondrous thoughts like ‘I’m dancing as fast as I can’ came to mind, but really I wasn’t dancing, I was stumbling.

Now how can something like that happen to someone like me?  Fleet of foot, well balanced, witty me?

It finally occurred to me that I was missing Rhythm.  The Rhythm of getting up and getting started getting done.  Of course then I had to ponder what Rhythm does for us.  Aside from musical Rhythm which is obvious in its expression I considered the successful people I knew.  What did they do differently?  Was there a secret to their success?  And the answer?  Rhythm.

There are all kinds of Rhythm; some may remember the old fashioned birth control method, which didn’t work as often as it did work, then there is the toe tapping finger snapping feeling good kind, and then there is the very intrinsic, silent to the world but loud to the soul type.

This Rhythm gives us momentum as we dance across the floor of life.  This Rhythm is life.  It is energy.

I am not sure why I lost my Rhythm.  Does it mean I am not doing something I should be doing?  Is it Writer’s Block?  Or is it Life’s Block?  It is more than the inability to write anything worthwhile.  I feel like it is a shadow I am chasing, just catching it in the corner of my eye and then disappearing.

I am not depressed or sad.  I am my own enigma.  A puzzle.  The feeling is intriguing, and certainly entertaining.

I expect it will depart soon.  One can only be entertained by such things for a while.  I also expect that the secret to finding that particular kind of Rhythm is just in the doing.

Have you ever felt the same way?

Related articles

• Get Rhythm (imhphotos.wordpress.com)
• Finding Your Beat: Rhythm Examples (english.answers.com)
• Synchronizing With Your Inner Seasons (pathwaysofwisdom.wordpress.com)

Daily Prompt: Call Me Ishmael – The First Sentence

I usually do not post on a weekend but the Daily Prompt caught my eye and of course I just had to respond.  DP Challenge: Take the first sentence from your favorite book and make it the first sentence of your post.

My very very first thought was my favorite first sentence is not in my favorite book.  Way back in October 2011 I wrote about three of my personal fave authors and called it Cussler, Koontz and Stockett, and the line said, “Death was driving an emerald green Lexus“.

The first sentence of my favorite book is “He should never have taken that short cut.”  It’s from Michael Crighton’s book TIMELINE and the poor book is barely hanging on to existence.  Well actually it is not hanging on at all.  Its soft cover is curled back from the spine top and bottom.  The back cover has about an inch square flapped firmly back and some of the pages are missing.  At first I kept putting the pages back loose leaf like and then one day a few pages disappeared.  That was okay as I thought I would just fill the gaps in from memory as I read and reread and reread.  This book has served me well for the last twelve years but I can’t put it to rest until I replace it.

I discovered a long time ago that bedtime reading cannot be anything I am currently reading for the first time because I simply cannot put the book down.  So bedtime fare is one of a few fave rereads (although sometimes I get so caught up in it….well you know.)

So my poor book, like a weary soldier continues to soothe my soul and mind and guard against that thief of the night, Insomnia’ and yes it will be retired once I find another copy.

my valiant knight/night

looks pretty weary huh?

held together by the last straw I think

Related articles

• Daily Prompt; Call Me Ishmael/ The Daily Post (terry1954.wordpress.com)
• Call me Ishmael (dealarchitect.typepad.com)

FITFS Following in the Footsteps of Darlene Foster Supermegawoman

Darlene Foster

  “Never let a day go by without a dream”  Darlene Foster

My favorite series is the FITFS – that is Following in the FootSteps of my blogging heroes.  These are all people I admire and in some way or really in many ways and would like to emulate them.

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to a Supermegawoman at least according to her grandson -“My grandson calls me “super-mega-woman-supreme” and finding out just a little about this amazing lady confirms the moniker is accurate.

 

According to the archives Darlene Foster first posted on her site June 19, 2010 and titled it “Hello Dreamers”.  Darlene’s platform through much of her work is about dreaming, but not Just dreaming.  Its about making dreams come true.  One of her dreams, Hot Air Ballooning came true that very month.

Author Darlene Foster

Two days after that first foray into wordpress land Darlene announced publication of her first book Amanda in Arabia.  See?  A dreamer making her dreams come true.  I don’t have to say it but I will – YOU INSPIRE!

Since then two other books have been published about Amanda – In Spain The Girl in the Painting and In England The Missing Novel.  Now being for YA and I am definitely OA I had not read the books, however, after reading a couple of adult reviews I now have them on my list.

She is pretty modest about herself and says, “A bit about me. I am a writer of children’s stories, an employment counsellor, an ESL tutor, a wife, mother and grandmother. I love travel, reading, shoes, cooking, sewing, music, chocolate, walking on the beach and making new friends.”

Now before you get all excited about her perfection I must tell you she does have a quirk or two.  It seems, and keep this just between you and I, her best friend is, well,  oh I guess I just have to come out and say it – her best friend is Flat Ruthie.  And not because she has no personality.  I mean her best friend is FLAT.

Flat Ruthie

Ya see what I am saying here?  AND last summer she also hosted Andy the Traveling Armadillo, who I have mentioned previously but if you need a refresher just pop over here.  So obviously our fave author here has, shall we say, a strange taste in friends although she seems to manage okay with those of the human species.  So you are safe to pop over, have a look, say a little hello and get to know this incredible, incredible, woman.  I have poached photos and words liberally and she has so much more to say and to show you.  Awww I haven’t even mentioned recipes and…and….oh boy..

 

You can contact me at darlene.foster@telus.net
My website is http://www.darlenefoster.ca

 

Author Darlene Foster

Related articles

• FITFS is back and Everyone Needs a Little Harper Faulkner in Their Life (bridgesburning.wordpress.com)

Can a Child be Too Bright?

Irene Ryan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Grandparenthood is a wonderful thing to be blessed with.  You get to observe and plump up your peacock bragging feathers at every brilliant word that falls from tiny mouths as though their brilliance is somehow a direct result of your genetic presence.  Somehow it is a time for wonderment and while you are pretty sure your own children went through the same development you were too busy working, cleaning, teaching, disciplining and just generally being a parent.  Observation and contemplation of small miracles are definitely a bonus when one considers your offspring’s offspring.

I have mentioned previously G2’s commentary on life and living and learning.  One of my faves of course is when his older brother taught him to never say the ‘F’ word and he didn’t even know what that particular word was but you got a scolding if you used the letter in any word until one he proclaimed, Granny fish begins with F and you can say it!’

I have noticed just how keen his observation skills are, rapidly developing, whilst my seem to be declining.

Granny (Looney Tunes) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So – we were in the car the other day and I noticed a woman walking down the street and as we passed I noticed her tired looking too blonde dye job, her slight gimpy walk and thought that she generally looked weary and more round than lean.

As we rounded a corner G2 shouts out excitedly – Granny did you see that lady?  She looks just like you.  SHE has your face and everything!

Of course this is the same child that looked at a pic in a magazine that showed a very attractive young female standing next to a seated very elderly lady.  Jokingly I asked him if the beautiful woman looked like me and very seriously he said no and pointed to the very ancient, must have been 90 lady and said that’s you Granny!

Related articles

• Remiss and a grey moment (canadacountrygranny.wordpress.com)