I used to teach art workshops to Second graders in the local schools. For the first year or so my own artistic practice would go on hold for the 3-5 months I would be leading the workshops. I found the planning, prepping supplies, set-up, clean-up, etc. to be exhausting. But I loved the interaction with the young students. I decided, very much like you phrased this in your letter today, to reframe the workshops in a way where they would support and nourish my own art as I taught the kids how to draw, paint in watercolor, and make collages and mixed media drawings of something relevant to a unit they were studying. (Usually it was birds we focused on, but other units included camouflage, dinosaurs, water, and other topics. I emphasized drawing from life. In order to teach the students how to draw birds I found myself drawing birds in my journals. Without intending to, I realized I had a lot of illustration material for a book about birds. It took a few years to find the right format and eventually my own sketching led to the publication of The Robin Makes A Laughing Sound: a Birder's Observations. Working with the kids reenforced all I knew about art--make a beginning; work with what is on the page; keep going; you can turn your paper over and start again, but you only get one sheet of paper, so figure out a way to live with and work with your "mistakes," which often turned out to be happy accidents once you gave up the unattainable vision in your head and worked with what was in front of you. I also started bringing in work in progress--paintings I'd begun, but not finished. The kids would oooh and ahhh, but I would show them what I wasn't happy with and then I'd tell them to wait until next time I came to see how I'd altered the painting and dealt with my own "mistakes." It changed our relationship from expert-pupil to colleagues in this endeavor together. It empowered the kids and freed me, and it made me responsible for working on my own art between sessions. Win-Win. I think your Worm School plan has real promise. Best of luck.
"It changed our relationship from expert-pupil to colleagues in this endeavor together."
Yes! I'm hoping to do something similar with WORM SCHOOL — and I'm hoping it will free me up as well. Really appreciate your message of support; hope to stay in touch this summer.
As a writer and a visual artist, these words of wisdom really ring true today! I love your message, "Make a beginning; work with what is on the page; keep going..." I wish I'd had you as an art colleague as a kid!
Thanks for the enthusiasm, Mike! I remember when I was first contemplating turning on paid subscriptions, you were the one who said, Just go for it! Trying to embrace that attitude again this summer 🪱🪱🪱
Mason, this is a charming and creative idea — I’m in. The only thing I’d add is that you ask us (Wormies) to keep coming up with ideas to cheer you on in finishing your book.
Thanks so much for your support, Debbie! I really hope this can be an exchange of ideas/energy, rather than just me doling out lessons—so I will definitely be asking readers for their insights and encouragement!
Thanks, Jillian! Would love to hear your feedback as it progresses — it's an interesting challenge, trying to come up with lessons for people at all different levels/stages in their creative practice. Hope some of it resonates with you!
Just became a paid subscriber! Looking forward to worm school. One of my favorite Richard Scarry characters is Lowly Worm.
“Lowly is Huckle's very best friend. He may only have one foot, but there is no situation that Lowly can't solve... either through his imagination or his squiggly body!”
Thank you for this quote, Karen — spot on! And thank you for supporting the newsletter, I really appreciate it!! Looking forward to chatting more this summer 🪱🪱
“Good and ridiculous” describes my experience of writing. A minute before reading about worm school I had thrown down my pen in disgust ( editing stage) feeling much too lonely to continue and having uttered a very frustrated and irreverent prayer about quitting the whole project…where do I sign up “oh bag of worms that I am?”
Oh boy, can I relate! I have those moments weekly, if not daily. Really hoping WORM SCHOOL makes you feel less alone in it, and also gives you some tactics you can employ at moments of peak frustration.
To sign up, just subscribe to the newsletter! (I'm assuming you already are.) Free and paid subscribers will get the first lesson on June 3rd. After that, paid subscribers will get the full course and free subscribers will get a taste of it. Let me know if you have any questions!
I’m a proud subscriber and am psyched about WORM SCHOOL. Love the Kafka quote and reason for your newsletter name! That pic of you with your finished manuscript is PRECIOUS. I assume you've broken down what you need to accomplish each day, to get to the goal of finishing the book? I’m curious to hear the game plan! Do you have some kind of “treats” program in place? I’m finishing the script for my next movie and dealing with the issues in Act 2 is going to take A LOT OF SNACKS.
Thanks, Courtney! As for breaking down what I need to accomplish every single day . . . um, not so much? Is that how you work? I I feel like my process is more like: resolution + deadline + leap of faith / indescribably painful middle period in which somehow something comes out of nothing. But definitely lots of treats!!
Since it’s a book, I didn’t know if you have to arrive at a certain page count, thus my wondering if it breaks down to x number of pages per day. But I don’t work that way either. Re: something somehow coming out of nothing, I’ve come to believe we can’t consciously create what we are meant to discover in the doing.
Very excited for this! The last six months have been difficult. As someone who is usually a planner I’m facing an uncertain future and this just might be what I need to live with the chaos!
Oh, I hope it helps! Please keep me posted once we're underway — I'm hoping that the things I need to hear / the things I need to remind myself to do are equally valuable for others.
I always love finding new metaphors/frameworks for the creative process and how to approach it in different ways. Especially as someone who often gets paralyzed by indecision and anxiety and all that other fun stuff. It kind of feels like trying to hack your own brain.
This is a great idea, and I am all set for worm school! "Wiggling through a creative life"--it's like "just keep swimming" but better, because wiggle is such a fun word to say.
I also really need to read some Kafka, I like his vibes.
I love Worm School and cannot wait! I believe this will help you get your book done. I have already sent your other books to so many friends, so know that we all eagerly (and patiently) await your newest book. You are doing a great service to humanity and to creatives across the world by pushing through to get it finished. Good job! No pressure.
I love the worm school idea. Worms are not particularly fast, but they are focused on munching and making. I joined a couple of workshops in June, to get me off of my duff and--just as you said--finish this forever project that I DO wish to finish--or at least put parts out there--in 2024!
Yes, good point! I just always found that Kafka quote so evocative — plus, swimming requires some power, skill, and coordination; wriggling is available to all!
Absolutely brilliant idea! I can't wait! A bit of group accountability from likeminded people is exactly what I need to help me worm through my creative projects and I think you'll make an excellent captain!
I used to teach art workshops to Second graders in the local schools. For the first year or so my own artistic practice would go on hold for the 3-5 months I would be leading the workshops. I found the planning, prepping supplies, set-up, clean-up, etc. to be exhausting. But I loved the interaction with the young students. I decided, very much like you phrased this in your letter today, to reframe the workshops in a way where they would support and nourish my own art as I taught the kids how to draw, paint in watercolor, and make collages and mixed media drawings of something relevant to a unit they were studying. (Usually it was birds we focused on, but other units included camouflage, dinosaurs, water, and other topics. I emphasized drawing from life. In order to teach the students how to draw birds I found myself drawing birds in my journals. Without intending to, I realized I had a lot of illustration material for a book about birds. It took a few years to find the right format and eventually my own sketching led to the publication of The Robin Makes A Laughing Sound: a Birder's Observations. Working with the kids reenforced all I knew about art--make a beginning; work with what is on the page; keep going; you can turn your paper over and start again, but you only get one sheet of paper, so figure out a way to live with and work with your "mistakes," which often turned out to be happy accidents once you gave up the unattainable vision in your head and worked with what was in front of you. I also started bringing in work in progress--paintings I'd begun, but not finished. The kids would oooh and ahhh, but I would show them what I wasn't happy with and then I'd tell them to wait until next time I came to see how I'd altered the painting and dealt with my own "mistakes." It changed our relationship from expert-pupil to colleagues in this endeavor together. It empowered the kids and freed me, and it made me responsible for working on my own art between sessions. Win-Win. I think your Worm School plan has real promise. Best of luck.
Sallie — this is so helpful to read, thank you!
"It changed our relationship from expert-pupil to colleagues in this endeavor together."
Yes! I'm hoping to do something similar with WORM SCHOOL — and I'm hoping it will free me up as well. Really appreciate your message of support; hope to stay in touch this summer.
As a writer and a visual artist, these words of wisdom really ring true today! I love your message, "Make a beginning; work with what is on the page; keep going..." I wish I'd had you as an art colleague as a kid!
This sounds wonderful. HOORAY.
Thanks for the enthusiasm, Mike! I remember when I was first contemplating turning on paid subscriptions, you were the one who said, Just go for it! Trying to embrace that attitude again this summer 🪱🪱🪱
In the parlance of the modern younglings: I believe this new approach is an absolute banger. Wild applause.
Mason, this is a charming and creative idea — I’m in. The only thing I’d add is that you ask us (Wormies) to keep coming up with ideas to cheer you on in finishing your book.
Thanks so much for your support, Debbie! I really hope this can be an exchange of ideas/energy, rather than just me doling out lessons—so I will definitely be asking readers for their insights and encouragement!
Very excited for worm school!
Thanks, Jillian! Would love to hear your feedback as it progresses — it's an interesting challenge, trying to come up with lessons for people at all different levels/stages in their creative practice. Hope some of it resonates with you!
I’m sure it will!
Just became a paid subscriber! Looking forward to worm school. One of my favorite Richard Scarry characters is Lowly Worm.
“Lowly is Huckle's very best friend. He may only have one foot, but there is no situation that Lowly can't solve... either through his imagination or his squiggly body!”
Thank you for this quote, Karen — spot on! And thank you for supporting the newsletter, I really appreciate it!! Looking forward to chatting more this summer 🪱🪱
“Good and ridiculous” describes my experience of writing. A minute before reading about worm school I had thrown down my pen in disgust ( editing stage) feeling much too lonely to continue and having uttered a very frustrated and irreverent prayer about quitting the whole project…where do I sign up “oh bag of worms that I am?”
Oh boy, can I relate! I have those moments weekly, if not daily. Really hoping WORM SCHOOL makes you feel less alone in it, and also gives you some tactics you can employ at moments of peak frustration.
To sign up, just subscribe to the newsletter! (I'm assuming you already are.) Free and paid subscribers will get the first lesson on June 3rd. After that, paid subscribers will get the full course and free subscribers will get a taste of it. Let me know if you have any questions!
https://masoncurrey.substack.com/subscribe
I’m a proud subscriber and am psyched about WORM SCHOOL. Love the Kafka quote and reason for your newsletter name! That pic of you with your finished manuscript is PRECIOUS. I assume you've broken down what you need to accomplish each day, to get to the goal of finishing the book? I’m curious to hear the game plan! Do you have some kind of “treats” program in place? I’m finishing the script for my next movie and dealing with the issues in Act 2 is going to take A LOT OF SNACKS.
Thanks, Courtney! As for breaking down what I need to accomplish every single day . . . um, not so much? Is that how you work? I I feel like my process is more like: resolution + deadline + leap of faith / indescribably painful middle period in which somehow something comes out of nothing. But definitely lots of treats!!
Since it’s a book, I didn’t know if you have to arrive at a certain page count, thus my wondering if it breaks down to x number of pages per day. But I don’t work that way either. Re: something somehow coming out of nothing, I’ve come to believe we can’t consciously create what we are meant to discover in the doing.
Very excited for this! The last six months have been difficult. As someone who is usually a planner I’m facing an uncertain future and this just might be what I need to live with the chaos!
Oh, I hope it helps! Please keep me posted once we're underway — I'm hoping that the things I need to hear / the things I need to remind myself to do are equally valuable for others.
Love the title of this 👏
Thanks, Sarah! I worried maybe it was too weird/silly, but in the end couldn't resist 😜
I always love finding new metaphors/frameworks for the creative process and how to approach it in different ways. Especially as someone who often gets paralyzed by indecision and anxiety and all that other fun stuff. It kind of feels like trying to hack your own brain.
This is a great idea, and I am all set for worm school! "Wiggling through a creative life"--it's like "just keep swimming" but better, because wiggle is such a fun word to say.
I also really need to read some Kafka, I like his vibes.
Thanks, Nico, hope this helps with the indecision/anxiety — I can relate!
I love Worm School and cannot wait! I believe this will help you get your book done. I have already sent your other books to so many friends, so know that we all eagerly (and patiently) await your newest book. You are doing a great service to humanity and to creatives across the world by pushing through to get it finished. Good job! No pressure.
Thank you so much, Elizabeth, really appreciate the support!!
love the idea!!
Thanks! 🐛
I love the worm school idea. Worms are not particularly fast, but they are focused on munching and making. I joined a couple of workshops in June, to get me off of my duff and--just as you said--finish this forever project that I DO wish to finish--or at least put parts out there--in 2024!
Welcome, Donna! Glad to have you onboard—and very interested in helping you finish that forever project! Looking forward to chatting more.
Just enrolled in worm school! Do you have a back-to-school supply list for us?
Welcome aboard! No back-to-school supplies required, though there will be some suggested reading once we get underway! 🤓
‘Wriggling through it’ is the creative take on ‘just keep swimming’ which translates much better to times when you feel like you’re drowning
Yes, good point! I just always found that Kafka quote so evocative — plus, swimming requires some power, skill, and coordination; wriggling is available to all!
Absolutely brilliant idea! I can't wait! A bit of group accountability from likeminded people is exactly what I need to help me worm through my creative projects and I think you'll make an excellent captain!
Aw, thanks, Nicola — so glad you're on board! Looking forward to worming through with you this summer.