A Bookwyrm Hoard of Creativity

Welcome to the bookwyrm's hoard of creativity! I was always a "bookworm" but never really felt that the term was very fitting. Books were my portals into new worlds, and I was a much more daring traveler through them than a humble "worm." I explored many different portals, but I always had a love for fantasy. It didn't take me long to discover worlds of castles and dragons... and eventually to study medieval literature where "wyrm" often meant "dragon." And so I discovered who I really was — a bookwyrm. And a rather inky one at that!

I didn't only want to read about new worlds, I also wanted and needed to create them through the arts of writing and painting. My thoughts and philosophies on art are informed by J. R. R. Tolkien's theory of art as "sub-creation," which means that humans create in the likeness of their Creator. Stories make order out of chaos and can mirror the wonders and hardships of this world, even in — or perhaps especially in — sci-fi and fantasy. These stories allow us to step back and really see the whole picture instead of focusing too much on one little piece of the problem. Stories help us understand the world and give us hope for our own good endings. And that is why the act of creating is so important. These stories are how humans understand the world, and the theories and findings of neuroscience help to show us how the process of creativity truly works. We can even apply these findings to enhancing our own inspiration. So let's explore creativity and be inky bookwyrms together.