Equal Parts Work and Joy

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A Message from Milenko

The world is a less eloquent place this week with the passing of Madeleine L’Engle, a great American writer best known for her Newbery Medal-winning A Wrinkle in Time.

Madeleine and I met in 1984 as co-presenters at a conference, and I was struck by her expressiveness and ability to weave together science and spirituality. When compiling my first book, Lightworks: Explorations in Art, Culture and Creativity, I was honored to have an excerpt of Madeleine’s book Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art included. I reread her words this week and, again, was inspired by her insights:

“When I start working on a book, which is usually several years and several books before I start to write it, I am somewhat like a French peasant cook. There are several pots on the back of the stove, and as I go by during the day’s work, I drop a carrot in one, an onion in another, a chunk of meat in another. When it comes time to prepare the meal, I take the pot which is most nearly full and bring it to the front of the stove.

So it is with writing. There are several pots on those back burners. An idea for a scene goes into one, a character into another, a description of a tree in the fog into another. When it comes time to write, I bring forward the pot which has the most in it. The dropping in of ideas is sometimes quite conscious; sometimes it happens without my realizing it. I look, and something has been added which is just what I need, but I don’t remember when it was added.

When it is time to start work, I look at everything in the pot, sort, arrange, think about character and story line. Most of this part of work is done consciously, but then there comes a moment of unselfconsciousness, of letting go and serving the work.”

Madeleine eloquently describes a creative process most familiar to Pomegranate Center. The difference is, in our simmering pots we collect ideas that arise from community wisdom and knowledge. Then, like Madeleine, we sort, arrange and think about how to make a design from what was collected. When it works best, all members of the team–community volunteers, artists, designers, Pomegranate Center staff–reach that “moment of unselfconscious” when the work sweeps us into its own vortex. This moment is equal parts work and joy. We succeed if, in the end, many people can point to the project and say: “I added this to the pot.”

Thank you, Madeleine, for giving us words to work by. You will be remembered.

Milenko Matanovic

Founder and Executive Director

Posted on Friday, September 14th, 2007