by Tara Joyce | Feb 10, 2009 | Self/Business Growth
Written by Benjamin Seaman
Do you struggle with what to write?
Why not start, like I’m doing, with an image:
Consider the Orthodox Jew. Every day on the subway ride to my office I sit among them, the young men and women of Yeshiva University in 
Washington Heights, in their conservative Jewish attire. The women wear these buxom wigs and horsy skirts. The men cut handsome frames in their formal slacks, spotless white shirts, close-cropped hair and yamulkas. The women have an easy gossip about them, while the men run their fingers back and forth across the pages of their Torahs. Or they chime in here and there with the women.
Paint the image as lushly as you can, and then let your mind wander. Where does it take you?
This is where the image takes me: I fantasize that the ills of my youth — precocious sexual activity, wandering streets unsupervised from New Haven to New York, adolescent close-calls with danger — that never touch these Children of Zion. They are safe. They have been trained to be safe. Religion, I heard once, is for people who cannot avoid evil all by themselves. The whole performance of Judaism, then, or any other religion, is by my light, a hedge against danger — to avoid harm, to avoid doing harm.
So many of us rail against organized anything, forgetting the hunger, disease and treacherous behavior between men that might have inspired human beings to invent a loving parent – God – who might tell us how to act.
So now that you’ve happened upon an interesting point, do you see a way to make it universal?
What occurs to me is that we are all Orthodox something in some way, clinging tightly to the humble codes passed down in our own families, codes that were meant to allow for a small circle of friends and a minimum amount of trouble with the law. We think we are so wild. But when we sit down to write, we freeze. We’re full of ideas that would pour out like wine from a proverbial Greek urn, but increase the audience by just a few and it’s What Would They Think? Then we beat ourselves up for having writer’s block and it’s like a young student of Yeshiva at a mosh pit, flagellating himself for not being willing to unleash that movement expression inside him.
Now give your audience some counsel
Easy brother, we get it. You’re not from around here. Start small. Move your hips like this.
Yeah, that’s it. This is how we unleash a creative spirit. It’s by embracing our inner goodnik — he is the vessel of our spirit — and inviting him lovingly to shake that thang a little bit. Following rules is fatal out here. What is it inside you that is burning to come out? When your wild mind bursts through the wall, seasoned but not diluted by an awareness of your audience, that crazy thing you do on the dance floor doesn’t bother us…it’s possible, even, that you’ve opened a path for us.
Benjamin Seaman is a psychotherapist, writer and painter, and of course, a small business owner in New York City. Mr. Seaman specializes in unleashing self-expression for individuals, relationships and business owners. You can reach him at www.benjaminseaman.com.
![I am Culture Creative, Hear Me Roar]()
by Tara Joyce | Feb 4, 2009 | Cultural Creativity
Written by Kim Candlish
I was on the cusp of puberty when Helen Reddy had her big hit, I Am Woman (hear me roar). It must have been pretty funny for my parents to watch me walk around the house singing, “I Am Woman”, or maybe a little bit frightful. For one reason or another this song came to mind when I was looking around this website and I came across the subject of Culture Creative.
So I asked myself the five questions to see if I roared.
- Do you detest the emphasis modern culture has on success and making it, on consuming and being rich?
Answer: Well, I wouldn’t use the word “detest” but I do think there is much too strong an emphasis on it, leaving the “have-nots” out in the cold. And I do like it when I have a little extra money to spend but I have come to really understand that it is not what really makes me happy.
- Do you care deeply about the environment and are willing to pay higher taxes and prices to improve the situation?
Answer: I do care deeply about the environment. Sometimes I think I can even hear the earth and nature crying. I am kind of on the fence about paying higher taxes since what I already pay is grossly mismanaged. I would and do pay higher prices for eco-friendly products.
- Do you place a lot of emphasis on developing and maintaining your relationships?
Answer: Yes, I guess so. Making time for friendships is the only way to have them. I find it hard sometimes, it means putting something I might want to do for my own gratification on hold to spend time with those I have relationships with that I want to nurture. I have found as I’ve gotten older that the time invested in my friends is a tremendous investment. One thing I have learned as I’ve gotten older is when it’s time to let one go too.
- Do you give a lot of importance to helping people and developing their unique talents?
Answer: I have a soft spot for the little guy. I know how hard life can be and how easy it is to fall. I do try to compliment people on small things, things that stand out to me as worthy. And sometimes small comments can go a long way. On the receiving end, I know that a positive comment can turn my whole day around, make me realize that yes, I can. So I try to do that for others.
- Do you demand authenticity – at home and work, from businesses and politicians?
Answer: I think we are an apathetic nation when it comes to our politicians. In recent years I have been asking authenticity of myself. That in itself has been a big enough standard to live with and live up to.
Reading on, I can see that I fit more into the Core Creative subcategory. It would be nice to see this philosophy expanding and actually having a place on earth.
Some will be more socially active than others, I will be one who will be doing her part in her little corner, touching people with a ripple effect that I will be thankfully, not aware of. I think I’m more like the mouse who roared and I am perfectly happy with my piece of the cheese wheel.
Kim Candlish is an artist, writer, mom, sister, daughter, seeker, spirit, garlic lover. Her blog, The Bodhi Chicklet, is read by at least three other people.
