5.13 LiLi K Bright, ‘Multifaceted Creativity’
Welcome to series 5, episode 14 of the Prompted by Nature podcast.
Action point: Your action point today is a little more vague because I feel like I often do very specific action points that relate, usually, just to the UK. For this action point then, I want you to think about something that really annoys you, makes you angry, that’s happening in the world right now, and look into how you can use what you have to help with this situation. It doesn’t have to be financial. It could be writing to your MP or local representative, it could be talking about it with friends and coming up with ideas of how you can use what you have to help. For me, I’m getting upset this week about the migrant situation here in the UK and the way that our government speak about and treat some of the most vulnerable people on the planet. I’m writing to my MP to ask what he’s doing to counter this in parliament and holding him to account as my representative.
I also wanted to mention the Substack newsletter, which I’ve been having so much with recently. You can sign up for the free subscription via the link in the show notes or by searching ‘Prompted by Nature’ on the app or, if you’d like to go paid and get the e-zine and all the extras, I’m offering this at 30% off the monthly option until 30th April.
Onto today’s episode!
LiLi K. Bright is a writer and workshop facilitator who’s obsessed with city nature. They write climate fiction and ecopoetry, and their main poetry project is about migration, liberation, London, Freetown, Accra, and the painted lady butterfly, exploring textile arts as part of their creative process. They love supporting people to connect with nature and creativity by facilitating writing workshops, climate science training and nonviolent communication training.
In this conversation we discuss:
LiLi’s insights into multi-media approach to their creativity
The merging of science and art in their work and the ways in which these disciplines can interact
Their relationship with nature, who it developed and how it has shifted and changed
LiLi’s fascination with trees and birds
Wellbeing for writers and reframing ‘time management’
The importance of rest
How LiLi approaches their creative practice
How LiLi gains inspiration through social events and collaboration
The lesson LiLi would like to share
Their vision for the future
All link to the website and events that LiLi mentions in our chat are in the show notes on the episode page of the website. you can find LiLi on their website https://cherrytreewalk.com and Instagram @cherrytree_walk.
Conversations with would go well with this one:
1.8a Ian Solomon-Kawall: Biodiversity, Creativity and Safe Space in Urban Settings
2.1a Avni Trivedi: Reconnecting with the Wisdom of the Body
4.5a Cheryl Duerden: In a Land of Giants, Empathetic Forestry
5.1a Bryony Benge-Abbott: Exploring the Intersections
As always, I’m on Instagram @prompted.by.nature and the website www.promptedbynature.co.uk where you can find upcoming nature writing courses and day retreats here in East Sussex. The writing prompt for this episode will be up on Tuesday. I hope you’ll join me there!
Happy listening and I’ll speak to you soon. Bye!
*
Websites and events that LiLi refers to:
Speak the Word poetry events (online): https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/speak-the-word-poetry-events-33042426159
Queer Botany: https://www.queerbotany.com
Burnout recovery triangle = Slow down + Get support + Re-evaluate goals & priorities: https://brightlyk.com/2017/04/14/effective-creating-meaning-improving-mood-achieving-goals/
Rachael Stephen’s constellation system: https://www.rachaelstephen.com/constellation
Nonviolent communication resources: https://cupofempathy.com
Deptford Literature Festival: https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/projects/deptford-literature-festival/
More nonviolent communication resources: https://www.meenadchi.com
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Welcome to your writing prompt for my conversation with LiLi K Bright and the final epsiode of series 5. This one isn't so much of a writing prompt specifically as it is an invitation to do something different in your creative practice (as the title suggests!).
LiLi talked about the inspiration they gain from attending ecology and naturalist talks and events as well as joining writers hours and social events. I was hugely inspired by this as something of which I don’t do nearly enough is attending events and courses which will shift my focus in unexpected ways and help me to engage with like-minded folk.
Since my chat with LiLi, I’ve signed up for some free and paid events in the coming months that I hope will both inform and enrich my writing, providing different perspectives - both scientific and artistic - that will allow me to go deeper into my understanding of the mechanisms of nature and where they intersect with a range of diverse creative forms. I think when you’ve been teaching and creating and holding space for people for as long as I have, it’s really easy to become quite isolated. This hasn’t been intentional but I’ve always been very ‘do it myself’ even when I don’t have to be; sometimes this can be a good thing and sometimes it can work out to my detriment.
So for you then, think about how you might want to diversify and expand your creative practice, or gain insights into areas you’ve always wondered about. There are lots of free and low cost events out there now as well as paid for courses. I’ve popped a couple of resources below and on the episode page of the website if you want to have an explore.
So that’s it for series 5! I told myself I’d stop for this series after 13 episodes and I think you’ll agree, we’ve ended on a high! I’ll be back in a few short weeks after I’ve had a bit of a break to tend to my writing and facilitating. If you’re interested in attending any of my future events - online or in-person - just pop through to the events page on my website www.promptedbynature.co.uk Otherwise you can always find me on my Substack (where I’ve been really enjoying posting my weekly prompts and getting to know a few of you a bit better!) promptedbynature.substack.com and Instagram @prompted.by.nature. All links can be found in the show notes and on the episode page on the website.
In the meantime, please do reach out if you have any insights from any of these episodes and conversations or if you use any of the prompts and want to share how it went.
Happy writing, happy creating and I’ll speak to you very soon.
Helen x
Free course platforms:
https://www.conservationtraining.org/
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/nature-environment/free-courses
Also look into your local conservation charity if you're looking for nature-related courses. Sussex Wildlife Trust near me, for example, often runs tree and wildlife ID courses.
