Sometimes it’s hard to come up with the words. You know they’re in there. Just waiting to escape. You can feel it in the form of this anxiety. A volcano with lava waiting to explode.

People often tell me, “I’m not creative,” “I can’t write.” No one believes me when I tell them, yes you can, we all can. There’s just something getting in the way.

I use blackout poetry as an activity to excavate the creative words from within because the words are already there. You get to decide how to use them.

Blackout poetry consists of tearing a page out of a book or magazine. I know, I know that can be painful for book lovers everywhere. I had a difficult time with this at first. But it’s all in perspective. All a page in a book is is ink and paper. The deeper meaning is something we create in our minds. If this is hard for you start with a book you don’t like.

Then start blacking out the words you don’t want while leaving the ones that speak to your soul. Next thing you know you have your own unique poem. You can do this in any creative, artsy way you can think of. Simply crossing out. Scribbling. Using markers, pens, pencils. Drawing pictures to go along with the words. Google “blackout poetry” and inspiration will flood your screen.

People I do this with-even the most resistant-are laughing and smiling by the end, eager to share what they’ve created with the rest of the group. Everyone is proud of what they’ve written and grudgingly admits that maybe they can write.