You’ve already invested in Creative Writing Immersion events; another one is planned. How would you describe these days?
The first Creative Writing Immersion came about as one of the components of the Writing for Children training course, which began in January and will end in June this year. The class comprises ten women from different professional backgrounds, and each one will leave with their own published children’s book. To promote an impactful experience with the stipulated objective of discovering the author’s identity, the Creative Writing Immersion on the island of Flores was added to take people out of their environment and routine to achieve the highest possible impact. And that’s what really happened. In fact, according to the feedback from the participants, it exceeded their expectations. Theirs and mine. During the immersion weekend, one student encouraged me to do more immersions, saying that this experience could not be an isolated act, given the results obtained both on a personal level and in terms of the writing process. It would be beneficial to open up this opportunity to many more people. That’s why it’s not easy for me to answer this question because to describe these days would be to reduce a valuable sentimental and emotional burden to words that might not do justice to what was experienced over these three days. You just have to experience it, as they say. This was the starting point for the next Creative Writing Immersion in the majestic nature of the island of Flores. This time, an immersion is open to anyone who wants to participate; all they have to do is know how to write and allow themselves to enter a weekend beyond what we can explain. The immersion is scheduled for the weekend of April 4-7.

Is it important for creativity to know how to stop occasionally?
It’s exactly the opposite. To stop is to die even if you’re alive. I consider creativity to be the root of our happiness. In other words, I argue that it’s not the conditions in which we find ourselves that reduce or increase our level of happiness. So often you hear people say, “Oh, if I had more money, I’d be happier,” “Oh, if I went on more trips, I’d be happier,” and “Oh, if I was more like this or that, I’d be happier.” I put all this down to creativity. Creativity is at the heart of happiness. Creativity allows us to perform better at our jobs, enables us to solve the small and large problems that arise daily, and takes us where we want to go. In general, the most creative people can bring more joy to their lives, compared to less creative people, who live more monotonous lives or stagnate when they run into the first problem that arises. Because I have creativity as my guiding light, I try to encourage it in the different contexts I find myself in, whether working with children, training adults, or even in dynamics for the more mature. Creativity is an asset acquired at birth but disappears over the years when not worked on. What would it be like if children were more exposed to creative dynamics? What would happen if company employees were exposed to creative dynamics? What would happen if the elderly had constant contact with creativity? These questions have encouraged me to continue creating projects that aim to activate creativity. In this case, creativity is instigated through writing in nature.

What advice would you give someone who wants to write but doesn’t know where to start?
First of all, don’t wait for the right moment. It’s by starting to write that the right moment arrives. All you have to do is pick up a pen and paper and start writing anything. Whether it’s what you’re seeing, what you’re hearing, what you’re smelling, what you’re tasting, or what you’re feeling. We’ve been blessed with five incredible avenues of inspiration. These are where we begin. While they are being explored through writing, we are already preparing the ground for what we really want to create. This process is my favorite because it stimulates creativity and expands it.

Is writing a tool that we should value more for our self-expression?
Even though there are countless books in the world and we have an internet full of written things, the truth is that most people, in their day-to-day lives, only write what is essential. However, I believe this is because we haven’t been taught writing is a brutal path to liberation. This perspective is now being talked about a bit more, but it’s still in its infancy. I believe that writing is for everyone who can write, whether for self-expression, liberation, stimulating creativity, or all three simultaneously.

Can we still say that words can change the world?
Words have unbelievable power, but I don’t see them having this capacity alone. This is because they won’t achieve this goal without being accompanied by action. In other words, if each of us combined the words we say, read, or write with our actions, then the power of these two components would change not only this world but all the others around us.

In Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks the Luso-American Education Foundation for their support.