The original Inklings met some Tuesday mornings at a local
pub in Oxford in the 1930s. It was a
group of writerly types who would read, critique each other’s work, and share
ideas. They each had their own spin on the written word and equal love of
stories. Everyone brought something special to the table. All of the members benefited in some way from the
exchange and collaboration- some became famous.
You may recognize a few of them:
C.S.Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield, and Charles Williams to name
drop a bit.
Thirty years later in a New York studio, creatives met regularly
to share their passion for music, art, and theater. The studio became known as The Factory and belonged
to experimental artist Andy Warhol.
Folks like Salvadore Dali, Truman Capote, and Bob Dylan liked to come “hang
out.” They talked, tested out new work, and partied together. Imagine the energy.
History is filled with evidence of collective intelligence
and proof that creativity does not occur in a dark silent solitary place. We feed the creative spirit when we find a
group of people who encourage and challenge us to do our best work. Imagination thrives in the right culture - it
is up to us to find that scene.
I have been reading (and loving) Austin Kleon’s book Show
Your Work! He expanded my thinking and vocabulary to include the word scenius:
The intelligence and the intuition of a whole cultural scene . . . the
communal form of the concept of genius. Kleon credits musician Brian
Eno with naming the concept- each of us has something unique to contribute
to one another and we nurture our creative spirit through trusted social exchange.
There is a collective intelligence in sharing ideas and making
connections. It is a generosity of
creative energy that brings about scenius.
This weekend marks the summer Inklings Retreat. Our critique group was inspired by the
original Oxford Inklings and we aspire to scenius. We have differing genres of writing, tastes
in literature, and perspectives on grammar (!) But we trust each other enough to share our
opinions and barely edited work. We carve out a weekend to connect, inspire,
share ideas, eat heartily, drink merrily, and cultivate the creativity within
each of us.
Feed your spirit by seeking scenius- it is somewhere waiting
for your special talent to spark magic.
