27. Crafting a creative life with the Witches’ Pyramid

If you were around for last month’s episode, you may have caught this little line toward the end: “You want to practice your craft consistently as an ethic, not a metric.” And maybe you thought, “Okay, sure... but what does that actually mean, Mary?”

(Or at least, that’s what I thought to myself after the fact.)

So today, I’m exploring the difference between creative ethics and creative metrics, and how adopting a personal writing philosophy can fuel a sustainable, generative, and ever-evolving practice.

Join me as I dig into an example philosophy called the Witches’ Pyramid, to uncover how it could help you meet specific writing goals – without letting those goals determine the way you relate to creative craft as part of your life.

Apple Pods | Spotify | Podcast Addict | Overcast | Pocket Casts | RSS

Writing praxis tips

Here are some brainstorming tips to help you start formulating your own version of a creative ethic like the Pyramid.

First of all, don’t let the word “ethic” fool you; coming up with words/values to try out doesn’t have to be an overly serious exercise. In fact, I think it works better if you don’t approach it seriously at all!

These web tools are great places to start. Let your sense of play lead you, and then experiment with what words (and combinations of words) start to call up deeper levels of meaning.

• Family motto generators, like this one.
  
  Half the fun here is seeing the good ones pop up alongside the really, really bad ones. Plus, Latin! Here’s an example of one I like: Veritas, Integritas, et Humanitas (Truth, Integrity, and Humanity)
  
  
• Core values exercise lists (just plug this into your search engine of choice)
  
  You may have encountered these lists of words as part of a workplace training, or maybe in a therapeutic setting – they’re typically used as part of a workbook-style activity for identifying your most important values.
  
  Because these lists are usually intended for corporate-speak contexts, rather than creative ones, there are lots of words included that don’t mesh well with creative practice. But that’s actually part of the fun (and the potential). Skim through a few lists and note which words snag you. You’re likely to pick up on some possible values you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
  
  
• Online thesaurus (I like the Power Thesaurus)
  
  Try starting with a vague value word like “creative” or “true” and pulling out any more specific synonyms that appeal to you (like “bountiful” or “sincere”). Keep plugging words into the search and narrowing the meaning until you hit on something that really speaks to you.
  

Once you have some words or phrases you want to try out as a creative ethic formula or motto, make some initial notes on how you think they might apply to various aspects of your creative life (like I did in the episode with the Pyramid). But don’t spend too much time on this part; it doesn’t need to be a manifesto, just some thoughts to get you going.

(One way to create these notes is to jot down how your value words relate to one specific project you’ve worked on, or to a specific phase of your creative life.)

As you write and create over the next few weeks, check in with your words. Try keeping them on a visible note in your writing space, and read them before and after you write (or when you practice other creative crafts).

How does your experimental creative ethic shape the way you feel during writing sessions? Does it lead to new ideas about your projects or your practice? What feels more possible when you view your creative life through this lens?

Feel free to revise or throw out any words that end up not working. Much like a skilled magician or witch crafting a spell, you’re creating an ethic that works for you – so make it what you want it to be, and have fun with what emerges.

Episode references

Éliphas Lévi, creator of the Pyramid