If I Only Had an “Always Learning” Brain

“No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire.”
― L. Frank Baum, The Lost Princess of Oz

Great writing makes us think. Makes us look in the mirror of our own lives, oftentimes seeing ourselves in the reflection.

That is exactly what L. Frank Baum and his brilliant work, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, does to me. With the insights of a high-powered fashion designer, he clothes each and everyone of his character’s with layers of warm-and-fuzzy, tough-and-tender and lofty-and-loving life lessons.

If I Only Had a Brain

Meet the Scarecrow. To the naked eye, he’s just a silly, lanky pile of straw dressed in farmer’s clothes.

But with each line of Baum’s writing, we find out more and more. That seeming senseless scarecrow had one driving intention: to have a brain. Over and over again, he cries out, “If I only had a brain.”

Writing Well Requires an “Always Learning” Brain

You must write every single day of your life…You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads… may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.”
― Ray Bradbury

Writing well, in my humble opinion, requires an “always learning” brain.  Almost every day I wear a beautiful necklace I found on Etsy that reads, “Ancora Imparo,” which translates, “I am always learning.” While researching for my first book, I read that Michelangelo, at the ripe age of 81, was heard saying, “I am always learning.” Stunned by this fact, I remember thinking, “How on earth did a man who painted with angelic brushes and chiseled with heaven’s hands feel that he still had more to learn?”
I couldn’t help but think, “If Michelangelo felt that way, shouldn’t I?”

Three Simple Little Ways to Cultivate a Teachable, Always Learning Brain

Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”
-Meister Eckhart

A teachable spirit is inherent in some, but to others it must be acquired.

I like to think I am teachable, but just in case I forget or get too big for my britches, I take
the ceremonious time every morning to put those words around my neck, as if my day’s productivity relied on it. I lay the palm of my hand over it, repeating a quiet prayer. When the day is done, I repeat the ritual, silently thanking God for Michelangelo’s words and for the courage and strength given to put them into practice.

As writers, we have to keep learning and growing and opening our hearts to the endless possibilities
that exist for our lives. The craft demands it from us. Sometimes it is a labor of love, sometimes it makes us crazy and sometimes we want to quit altogether. But, we can’t. Like the scarecrow, we have to pick up the hay, restuff ourselves, and keep on moving towards Oz.

Thanks to Mr. Baum and his lanky scarecrow, I’m offering three simple little ways to cultivate a teachable, always learning brain today:

1. Wake up with a prayer on your lips, “Ancora Imparo, Lord, ancora imparo. Help me learn one new thing today that will help me become the writer you designed me to be.”
2. Amid the controlled and oft-uncontrolled chaos of the day, breathe in something creative. Somehow. Some way. Somewhere.
3. Don’t go it alone. Dorothy needed the scarecrow. The scarecrow needed Dorothy. We are built for community. When and if possible, try to attend a writer’s workshop, either in-person or online. Creativity flourishes in these synergistic environments.