Wednesday 24 September 2008

A saucer of milk

At the welcome party in the Beldam Gallery I met Celia Brayfield. When I saw her she was wrapped up in a conversation with a brittle girl from India or Pakistan, but I was so excited that I couldn't wait my turn.
“Do you think you can actually teach someone to write creatively?” the girl asked my prospective teacher after I introduced myself.
Celia: “Do you think that's a polite thing to ask someone who has dedicated her whole life to this?”
“No,” the girl stammered, “but I was just wondering, don't you just have to be creative? What is there to learn?”
Celia smiled sweetly and informed: “So who are you? Are you a published playwright, a successful author?”
“No, why?”
“Well,” Celia explained, “if there's nothing to learn, what's holding you back?”
The Indian or Pakistan girl shifted from one foot to the other. “Maybe I'm just not a creative person.”
“Rubbish! Everyone is creative! You just have to welcome your creative side, to tempt her to stop hiding herself. So what you need to do is make her feel comfortable and safe, put a saucer of milk in front and say "here kitty kitty kitty"... and then perhaps she will come out and show herself.”

Well, Celia, London is a huge saucer of milk for the creative kitten in me, and I can't wait for my courses to start!

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