Pete and Repeat were in a boat, Pete fell out, who was left?

REPEAT!

Pete and Repeat were in a boat…

You get the picture. Today is all about repetition. The corner stone to learning after all! I personally love repeating patterns, like the Escher pictured above. I also love the zen feeling of repeating an action. Get a cup of tea, add milk and stir, and stir, and stir. Try to keep the tempo even and smooth – it is very calming. That are what mantras are, or repeating prayers – repetition focuses us and gives our brains a rest from the constant barrage of internal chatter.

There is this acting technique that uses repetition to help get the actor out of her head. It’s more complicated than simply repeating lines, but it has been proved effective, because repetition can be really freeing.

Repetition can also be much more creative than we realize. Everything needs a foundation, like the chorus in a song, that keeps the listener hooked, but still allowing for creative changes. There is a book called Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau where he tells a very simple, unexceptional tale, and then he tells it again 89 more times. Each time he uses a different perspective or style. And it is fascinating, and in its entirety has a lot to say about storytelling.

Repetition is everywhere actually, it is the building blocks of creation – change built on top of repeating patterns, like the golden ratio or fractals.

So today focus on repetition. Draw a mandala, write a story from several perspectives, empty out a bag of m&ms and make a pattern, take a picture of a pattern you find in nature, so many options!

And Share!