Cut-Up Poetry
One potent but straightforward creative mindfulness exercise is cut-up poetry. It's brilliant in its simplicity. Cup up poetry is one of my go-to techniques when I feel creatively stuck or just want to find my flow. I find the process of both cutting up words and rearranging them so thoroughly absorbing.
Cut-Up Poetry can ignite your imagination, and it was a favourite creative exercise favoured by songwriters including Kurt Cobain and one of my creative heroes David Bowie. So you're in good company if you decide to try this!
Ingredients
Anything with text on it: old books, newspapers, magazines, printouts, handwritten notes, recipes etc.
Scissors. A scalpel is helpful for thinner paper like a newspaper.
White glue or a glue stick.
Paper or cardboard.
Instructions
Cut out words from your stack of magazines, old books, your journal or poems you've written etc.
Look for unusual combinations of words.
Enjoy the process of playing with text and language.
When you're ready, glue the words to paper or cardboard with white glue or a glue stick.
Top Tips
Cut out lots of linking words, e.g. in, and, because, on, an, a, etc. They are handy for structuring sentences.
Recipes are great for verbs and adverbs, e.g. cut, make, stir, fill, put etc. Slowly, fast, quickly, first, lastly etc.
Look for nouns/object words and don't forget the pronouns, e.g., her, his, it, theirs.
Read the text and let the words 'speak' to you. What words resonate. I like to let my intuition guide this part of the process and see what words want me to cut them out. Seriously, you'll get a fantastic insight into your subconscious mind.
My own example cut-up poem. A creative mindfulness exercise that I personally find utterly absorbing.
The Benefits of Poetry
As a vehicle of expression, poetry, in general, is a great way to explore feelings and memories buried in the subconscious and identify how they may relate to existing life circumstances. Poetry can:
Be used to express emotions that might otherwise be difficult to demonstrate verbally.
Encourage self-reflection, exploration, self-awareness and help adults and children make sense of their world.
Help individuals redefine current and past events in their lives by opening up new ways of perceiving reality.
Importantly, poetry speaks to people and helps them see that many of their experiences shared by other people too. (Source)
David Bowie Cut-Up Poetry
“What I’ve used it for, more than anything else, is igniting anything that might be in my imagination”
— David Bowie
Cut-up poetry is about expression, discovery and process. Not perfection.
I would love to see pictures of your creations. Email your images and thoughts to info@georgiestclair.com or tag me @georgiestclair on Instagram
Have an inspired day!
Georgie x