Mindful poetry - Anna Swärd

Mindful poetry for artists and other gentle, sensitive and loving souls.

I call it mindful poetry, a way of writing short and sweet poems about art and life. It has a structure that allows for free exploration without judgement or evaluation, to become more clear about what is going on under the surface. If you are an artist you most certainly know that it is never boring. It is a journey full of adventure, unexpected hardship, joyful explorations and maybe followed along by a harsh inner critic or loving family members wanting to have their say.

Sometimes you might ask yourself: if you had known all of this beforehand- how would you have chosen? My own answer, as I choose to study chemistry (never finished) and later economics is I wish I had been brave and knowledgeable enough to choose differently. Not let the choice be so influenced by my school reports and what some authorities thought would be the best for me. Not to be misunderstood here, I have had many years of more or less joyful achievements, just not to my full potential as I see it now.

I am getting better finding out what I need and what I long for, asking the right questions. In there is my true voice, my authentic self and my expression in the world.

Where are you on this journey of self discovery?

What would it give you to have a tool which in a short and sweet way can help you find more answers?

How about if it is easy accessible, immediately useful and fun to bring to a circle of friends?

I want to share with you this way of writing exploratory poetry brought to my attention by a friend trained in the Expressive Art Therapy tradition. It has a fixed format composed by 11 words in 5 lines. Every single line has it´s purpose from start to end. In the pdf down below you can read more about the format and how to do it.

May the elephant be your companion on your journey. Kind, faithful and with loving eyes that sees beauty.

PDF Mindful poetry pdf

Ps When you have tried this out and find that you like it: Feel free to share with anyone!

Here is an example from an ordinary day in the studio.

Hesitant. Unexcited markmaking. Where are you going? Around in circles. Clueless.

Clueless. Interesting statement. What does that mean? Puzzle not complete. Yet.

Yet. Something expanding. What is happening now? Glimpses of hope. Inspiration.