• About
  • Contact
  • Reviews
  • My Novel in Progress
  • Blog Honours

Thomas Cotterill

~ Creativity, Writing, Philosophy, & Psychology

Thomas Cotterill

Tag Archives: feeling tone

How Mood Activates Creative People

22 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by Thomas Cotterill in Creativity, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

associative thinking, creative lifestyle, creator's block, feeling tone, sense of place, sensitivity to atmosphere, sensitivity to mood, work habits

Daphne du Maurier rowing near her old house at Ferryside

Mood (or atmosphere) and a sense of place are intimately related. Writers who have a strong sense of place prefer to work in specific locations.

One of the most striking characteristics of the creative individual is their sensitivity to, and fondness for, particular feeling tones or subtle moods. Artists of all kinds strive to capture their favourite mood (or moods) in their work. The desire to accomplish this combined act of self-gratification and sharing is often a major motivating factor in why the artist chose to work in the arts. However, the preoccupation with mood can infiltrate all aspects of a creator’s life. Continue reading →

Advertisements

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Make Bliss Your Creative Compass

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by Thomas Cotterill in Creativity

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

dynamic will, feeling tone, inner guide, intellectual life, joy bliss delight and enchantment, long-term commitment, sensitivity to mood, spiritual emotion, work habits

Decorative Compass Rose

Certain shades of feeling are associated with your authentic will and can be used as a reliable inner guide or compass.

We all know that enjoying the work we must do to earn a living makes life more pleasant. Tastes vary, naturally, but most people regard creative work of any kind as a highly desirable occupation. Many would gladly trade their “day job” for the chance to participate. We see one aspect of this yearning in the explosion of self-published authors currently flooding a startled world with oceans of novels and short stories. However, the idea of doing what we love applies at another level. Within the world of creative endeavour itself, it is especially important to do what we find most congenial. Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Fantasy Writers and the Sense of Enchantment

05 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by Thomas Cotterill in Creativity, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

artists motivation, chasing enchantment, feeling tone, magical feeling, recapturing mood, sensitivity to atmosphere, subtle ambience, writing ambitions

Scene from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Writers are often trying to recapture a favourite mood. Work after work is produced as they hone in on the cherished feeling tone, which can be quite specific and durable.

There are many reasons why people write. Each writer has a reason of their own, and no two are exactly alike. Much of my writing is fantasy. Here is why.

Like so many people, when I was small I possessed a powerful ability to enter a state of enchantment. The feeling prospered until, at twelve, a broken heart drove enchantment from my life completely. How deeply we feel things at that age! Luckily, not all was lost. There were books in the world. My love of reading soon rekindled the magical feeling. It disappeared again during the trials and tribulations of late adolescence. This time I was more aware and made strenuous efforts to retain it. Those efforts were of no avail. The loss of enchantment made life seem grim and not terribly worthwhile. Thinking that enchantment was a thing for children, I entered adulthood in a sadly disillusioned state. Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Search the blog

You Might Also Like

  • Romanticism’s Claim On Individuality
  • How Artists Develop Their Artistic Vision
  • Popular Creativity Theories
  • Humans Are Pattern Seeking Primates Hunting For Habits
  • Being Creative With Associative Thinking
Follow Thomas Cotterill on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Categories

Recently Popular

  • Romanticism's Claim on Individuality
  • The Morality of Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Simone de Beauvoir on Death
  • Explaining Mysticism’s Dark Night of the Soul
  • The Mental Gatekeeper
  • Synergistic Thinking
  • Does the Self Have a Future?
  • Affirmation or Negation - Two Ways to Approach Life
  • Fishing Language from the Sensory Deprivation Tank
  • Neo-Primitive Thinking

Thomas Cotterill


I am a manic-depressive made philosophical by my long struggle with the disruptive mood disorder, during which I spent sixteen years living as a forest hermit. I write philosophical essays, fantasy, and science fiction. My attempt to integrate creativity, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality imbues everything I write. You will find hundreds of related essays and articles on my blog. I live quietly in British Columbia's scenic Fraser Valley, a beautiful place in which to wax philosophical.

Liked Most Often

  • The Glorious Psychology of Blogging
  • Are You Fed Up and Longing To Be a Hermit?
  • The Useless Passion
  • Debunking the Butterfly Effect
  • The Concept of Liberation in Psychology
  • Very Inspiring Blogger Award
  • The Mental Gatekeeper
  • Turn Your Anxiety into an Asset
  • Epiphanies and Cascading System Failures
  • Ideas Are Key to Writing Success

Archives

Copyright

© Thomas Cotterill, 2012-19. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Cotterill with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Advertisements

Click for a list of related posts:

associative thinking authentic self authentic will autobiography biography chronic self-alienation creative lifestyle creative process false persona humour individual subjectivity inner guide moral standards non-linear thinking perceiving meaning personal freedom personal wisdom personal worldview pursuing self-realization sensitivity to mood social alienation synergistic thinking unconscious mind work habits writers life

Trouble, Strife & Creativity

The Troubled Hero Is a Champion of Individuality

Creative Individuals Are Promethean Rebels

The Human Need for Heroism, Glory, and Renown

How to Recognize Cognitive Dissonance

Turn Your Anxiety into an Asset

Some Aspects of Thought

Writing Gives Thoughts Value

Synergistic Thinking

Neo-Primitive Thinking

How Creative People Think

Janusian and Synergistic Thinking

The Lonely Thinkers Path

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: