Fran Sorin - Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening

Copyright 2004 by Fran Sorin
All rights reserved.

Warner Books

Hachette Book Group, USA

237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroupUSA.com.

First eBook Edition: April 2004

ISBN: 978-0-446-53413-0

Text illustrations by Dover Publications

To my parents, Sam and Lois Sorin,
who have inspired me with their acts of kindness,
decent values, and love for each other.

I FIRST MET FRAN SORIN when she was an eighteen-year-old student at the University of Chicago where I was a professor of psychology. She approached me one evening after I had just given a speech and told me that she wanted to work with me. Because of her unbridled enthusiasm, I took Frannie on as one of my assistants. She became one of my students and also did her psychology honors research under my direction on the subject of Creativity in Schizophrenics. Even when she was a student, it was obvious to me that Frannie not only was highly intelligent and curious, but also possessed an optimistic and creative nature that would serve her well in life.

When Fran Sorin graduated with honors in psychology, little did I realize that she would ultimately become a talented garden designer. None of it surprises me, although it delights me. The core of Frannies personality has always consisted of a deep desire to understand the human condition and her own belief that all humans have the ability and need to live a creative existence. I have observed her time and again, over nearly thirty years, risking herself both personally and professionally in order to get closer to her own creative essence.

As an international expert in the fields of hypnosis, altered states of consciousness, dream interpretation, and creativity, I always find it quite magical to see someone such as Frannie, who spends little time discussing theories but is actually experiencing an incredibly creative life. From the time she was five years old, Frannie had access to an altered state of consciousness through studying piano. It is only now, forty years later, that she is prepared to talk about the beauty of the process, using gardening as the tool and metaphor.

When Fran Sorin walks into a room, she radiates joyfulness. Her manner implies that this world is a wonderful, exciting place in which to live. I urge you to listen to what she has to say. Her thoughts and ideas are powerful and can help you approach your own life with a heightened awareness and a more celebratory nature. Digging Deep will surely be a groundbreaking book.

Erika Fromm, Ph.D.
1910-2003

W HAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CREATIVE?

Does it mean to paint a gorgeous painting, to write a novel, compose a symphony, or design a skyscraper? To some degree, yes. Creativity is needed for all of these. Certainly these pursuits are artful and noble, but there is also a much wider meaning and purpose to creativity that touches the edges of every single one of our lives.

Creativity is very simply the energy of making something where there was nothing before, and we do this every day, in so many unmarked waysfrom designing our schedules to fashioning our look, from writing birthday cards to building a business from the ground up. Lawyers create arguments, lovers create romance, advertisers create pitches, decorators create ambience, and parents create everything from learning games to a sense of wonder for their children. Every time we get dressed, make dinner, or wrap a gift, we are being creative. In almost everything we do in life, we are called upon to conjure up the spirit of inspiration, imagination, innovation, and resourcefulness.

There are many resources out there that can teach us how to do all these things and more, but what we are aiming at in this book is not being specifically creative in terms of a project, but being generally creative in terms of how we approach life. Creativity is not something we do; it is something we embody. I believe the ultimate goal is not to be more creative, but to learn how to live creatively.

Living creatively means approaching each moment as an opportunity to be spontaneous. It means opening to possibility, exploring, trusting your instincts, and owning and expressing your unique style. It means being true to your needs, experimenting, taking risks, staying flexible, and not always having to rush to conclusion. A person living creatively is always pushing toward new growth, as the psychologist Rollo May says, not without fear, but in spite of it.

This kind of creativity is accessed from within, and every single one of us has it. Perhaps you believe, Im just not creative. Oh, how many times I have heard that! But if you are like any of the countless people who have uttered that familiar refrain, I promise that you are mistaken. There is no such thing as a person born without creativity. Have you ever seen children refuse to color with crayons, claiming they arent creative? Of course not! Every single one of us has a creative spiritit is just a question of whether weve had the opportunity or inkling to nurture it as the years have gone by.

Living creatively does more than just make things around us prettier or wittier. Our creative roots make up the very fiber of who we are as individuals, and by unearthing our creative nature, we at the same time unearth our authentic selvesnot the persona we offer to the world, and not who we think we ought to be, but who we are in our deepest realms. As we create, we begin to reveal ourselves, until one day we realize that who we really are and what we are doing are in perfect alignment. At the end of the day, the reason we create is not for the finished product, but to get to the best parts of ourselves.

I have a mission. My mission is not to have everyone create world-class gardens, or to be the foremost expert on gardening. There are plenty of wonderful teachers out there who already fill these needs. My mission is to show new and experienced gardeners alike how they can use their gardensbe they rolling, manicured lawns or tiny, blank plots of landas tools for their creative awakening. I believe from the depths of my heart that gardening can be one of the most profound ways to unearth the creative spirit buried within every one of us. Once you unleash this creative energy, you will be amazed at what happens in all areas of your life. You will begin to see how living creatively opens up new vistas in your imagination and new windows of opportunity in your life.

I remember a client from years ago named Claire who lived in an older Victorian house and hired me to help her design the property around her home. Actually, she thought she hired me to design her garden for her, but she was in for a surprise. I told her we were going to create her dream garden together, at which she visibly balked.

Oh, I cant do that! Claire told me in no uncertain terms. I have absolutely no idea what I would want in my garden! I figured you would just come and plant some things for me.

I assured Claire that together we would piece together what her dream garden might look like. She was skeptical, but agreed to spend the next week perusing magazines and books to choose elements, colors, and styles that resonated for her. I gave her this exercise to help her expand her vision, train her eye to what she authentically liked and didnt like, and inspire herself (youll be doing this yourself later on in Stage One).