I’ve been looking for ways to comfort myself during strange times. I shared in the post Flowers on the Table, my keeping fresh flowers on my kitchen table to brighten my world.
Another things I’ve been doing is playing with a set of Magnetic Poetry words I found a couple months ago thrifting; and writing (albeit bad) poetry on a magnetic bulletin board.
The challenging and yet cool thing is that my poetry is limited to the magnetic words provided in the set, however Creative Limitation/Creative Constraint is known to be a good thing (*see the Postscript section below for an AI summary of the research on this topic).
Most of it has been forgettable but I really like this piece and thought I would share:
THE FEROCIOUS ETERNITY by tierneycreates
but perhaps
above a vast sacred sky
seeps only the fresh clean
liquid of time
yet with delicious rhythm
we wake
we listen
and we embrace
the ferocious eternity
of a universe
I haven’t written any additional poems since this one as I do not want to take it down right now. I find it strangely comforting and empowering.
Speaking of ways to comfort/empower yourself during “strange” times, if you don’t already follow her, my blogging friend Laura of Laura Bruno Lily has a powerful creative piece she did as part of the Fall of Freedom program where creatives express Activism through art. Here is a link to the post which contains a video of her piece:Fall of Freedom 11/21 – 22, 2025.
If you are struggling with our strange times, please share if you like, what you are doing to to comfort and/or empower yourself, in the comment section below.
While traveling in September, I ran across a framed print of the 1961 Norman Rockwell painting, The Golden Rule, and it definitely gave me a pause for thought:
*Postscript
As a creative person you’ve likely already heard about the concept of “Creative Limitations” or “Creative Restraints”. If not, here is an awesome summary by Google AI of research and thoughts on this concept.
Limitations foster creativity by preventing overwhelm, forcing a more focused approach, and encouraging innovation within boundaries. Instead of being paralyzed by limitless options, creators can use constraints to find novel solutions, distill ideas into their most impactful form, and become more resourceful. This happens because limitations act as a “creative anchor,” stimulating the brain to make new connections and discover solutions outside of standard methods.
Limitations spark creativity by:
- Prevent decision paralysis: An abundance of choices can be overwhelming, leading to “analysis paralysis.” Limitations simplify the creative process by narrowing the field of vision, allowing for deeper focus on the task at hand.
- Encourage innovation: When faced with a restriction, creators must find a new path to achieve their goal. This can lead to more unique, original, and efficient solutions than they might have come up with if they had unlimited options.
- Force efficiency and focus: Limitations, such as a time limit or a limited budget, can force creators to prioritize what is truly important, leading to a more streamlined and impactful result.
- Stimulate the brain: The brain grows by forming new connections. Constraints can act as a catalyst for this growth, pushing the brain to create new branches and associations that lead to creative breakthroughs.
I know this is why I love working with a set group of fabrics or fabric scraps when making a textiles project. One of my favorite scrappy projects was Seattle Scrappy where I was given/challenged with creating a piece from a bag of my friend’s scraps.
I only used those scraps for the quilt top. I used a recycled thrifted cotton bed sheet for the back and hand quilted it with thrifted Perle Cotton thread I already had in my stash.
tierneycreates 
I haven’t come up with anything “creative” specifically for stress management, but Steve and I are involved in community activism, which helps.
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I think that is pretty darn awesome 🙂
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Oh Tierney, this is wonderful. Your poem is one I am printing out and placing on my idea wall behind my computer screen. Such inner revelation. Your reminder of those poetry magnets (have had those grace our refrigerator over the years from time to time) helped me to better understanding why I found myself flooded with seemingly random poetry inspired by a restrictive list (albeit a long one) of banned words…The inspiration was not only for the need to speak to the moment, but also that of the poem(s) themselves needing to be created.
Thank you for the mention of my FoF project, I am touched.
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I am honored that it is worthy of a print out! Made my day reading this 🙂
I’d forgotten about magnetic poetry after being obsessed with it many years ago when it was the rage (I had a fridge ridiculously covered with words and phrases, another version of magnetic poetry where there are sections of quotes you can mix and match). One day I was sick of it and donated all my magnetic poetry stuff. And now – so many years later I found it again and it is very meaningful to me right now. Life is weird 🙂
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I’ve been working with my stash for the last couple of months and that has definitely required some creative choices. As for dealing with the stress of the world – that’s a tough one. I thought I was flaking out by avoiding the news but my work well being page says that focusing on your locus of control is a legitimate strategy lol. It sounds so much better when you put it that way. So I am fixing my garden, I’m looking after my friends and neighbours, I’m supporting charities that make a difference in areas I care about and I if I find the gumption I might start emailing politicians about the state of our local health service.
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That is so wonderful you are working through your stash and stimulating your creativity. I like the concept of focusing on your locus of control. Those activities you are doing within your locus sounds pretty awesome! Thanks for your thoughtful comment 🙂
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Ferocious eternity – oh yes.
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🙂
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What a very interesting post. I shall have to think about creative limitations. I joined two challenges this year with limitations which annoyed me at the time but on reflection I see that it forced me to create two original pieces of work- would I have done so otherwise? Maybe not. I love your poem and I had never heard of the magnetic idea. I shall see what I can find out.
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I am glad this post made you reflective on Creative Limitations. I agree they can be frustrating but I am always super proud of myself when I can work within it them.
Congratulations on being pushed to make original pieces.
Perhaps at a charity shop you will come across some magnetic poetry!
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I can see why your beautiful poem brings some comfort. The bigger picture always helps. Strength to us all in these strange times
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Thanks so much and sending strength to you too 🙂
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Love your magnetic poem, and how you use the concept of creative restraints for your Seattle Scrappy project. Beautiful work!
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Thank you so much and I am honored that a real poet approves of my poem 🙂
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Your poem was powerful for me too – and seeing it in the magnet form added a richness (we used to have some of those magnet son our fridge two different times – good memories) –
Also, the insights about creativity (limits/restraints) here might be helpful for the book, This is how we Create – and I bookmarked this page just in case I want to use some of this in your chapter reflection (or not) because we still need to see how it all unfolds. But I enjoyed this post so much
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Thanks so much I really appreciate that! Yes I think a discussion on creative restraints would be great for that book!
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yes, let’s see how it all unfolds.
xxx
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