Creative writing exercise Stay grounded & motivated Share your text with us
introduction
Welcome to this online creative writing course, where we’ll dive into the rich and sometimes uncomfortable terrain of guilt. Together, we’ll embark on a journey of introspection, unraveling layers of guilt through the evocative themes that have shaped my dance performance Secret Garden and the deeply reflective curatorial questions posed in the exhibition 101 questions to women. In this space, we’ll explore how guilt lives not just in our minds but in our bodies. Inspired by the somatic dimension of my choreography, we’ll ask how guilt manifests physically—how it weighs, tightens, and lingers in the corners of our being. We’ll transform these feelings into words, capturing the silent language of the body and translating it into stories, characters, and reflections.
But we won’t stop there. The 101 questions to women exhibition challenges us to dig deeper, to question how guilt intersects with gender, identity, and the roles we are expected to play. These questions will guide us into examining how guilt shapes our experiences—how it is born of societal pressures, religious expectations, and cultural narratives that define what it means to be a woman, to belong, to transgress.
This course is an invitation to reflect, write, and engage with your own experiences of guilt. It’s a delicate process, but also a powerful one. Through creative exercises, personal reflections, and artistic interpretation, we’ll shine a light into the shadows where guilt hides, untangling its hold on our thoughts and actions. Let’s embrace this exploration as an opportunity to understand guilt not as something to be feared or avoided, but as a mirror—a reflection of the human condition that reveals, when we look closely, profound truths about ourselves. I’m excited to witness what you uncover.
inspirations
Anna Ádám: Secret Garden (2019)
Secret Garden is a dance performance born from a profoundly introspective journey, shaped through somatic exploration and an ongoing dialogue between the body and the psyche. At its core, the piece navigates the complex emotional landscape of guilt—a powerful, often paralyzing sensation—and the dancer’s personal confrontation with responsibility. In collaboration with Rebeka Petra Kiss, this performance brings to life a deeply embodied narrative where guilt transforms into a potent exploration of accountability, and ultimately, catharsis.
Guilt, in this context, is not just an emotional response but a psychological weight that manifests physically. The trembling body becomes the language of this guilt—an involuntary reaction to an inner conflict that grows and consumes. It begins subtly, with slight, nearly imperceptible tremors, reflecting the early stages of guilt when responsibility is first felt but not yet fully acknowledged. As the trembling intensifies, it becomes a direct expression of the mounting tension between guilt and the dancer’s emerging awareness of her responsibility for past actions.
The piece unfolds as a dialogue between these two forces—guilt and responsibility. Psychologically, guilt is often experienced as an emotion that calls us to examine our own behavior, a signal that something within us requires reconciliation. But it can also trap us, keeping us stuck in remorse, unable to move forward. This duality is expressed through the choreography as the trembling escalates, overtaking the dancer’s body, symbolizing how guilt can consume us entirely when left unexamined.
Through this physicalized struggle, the performance poses a question: at what point does guilt shift into responsibility? Responsibility, in contrast to guilt, requires agency. It is an active process, an ownership of one’s actions and their consequences. As the trembling reaches its peak, the dancer begins to transition into a state of conscious ownership, symbolized by a ritual with flowers. This moment of purification marks the turning point—when the burden of guilt is no longer an all-encompassing force but instead becomes a tool for transformation.
The performance culminates in a moment of stillness, where the trembling subsides and the dancer confronts the audience directly, her gaze steady and clear. This moment represents the psychological shift from guilt to responsibility. By locking eyes with the audience, the dancer signals her readiness to face her past and move forward with integrity, having embraced the complexity of guilt and taken responsibility for her actions. It’s a moment of vulnerability, but also immense strength—a reflection of the psychological journey that guilt demands of us all: the need to confront, to take ownership, and to find redemption.
Secret Garden invites the audience into this intimate process of emotional and psychological evolution. It challenges us to witness not just the depths of guilt, but the transformative potential of taking responsibility. Through this lens, the piece becomes not just an artistic exploration, but a reflection on the human condition—on how we reconcile with our past and emerge into the light of self-awareness and forgiveness.
"101 questions to women" exhibition
The "101 Questions to Women" exhibition, curated by Þorgerður Ólafsdóttir, offered a thought-provoking exploration of the female experience. Presented at The Living Art Museum in Reykjavík from April to August 2016, this unique exhibition challenged traditional notions of gender and identity through a series of 101 questions posed to women.
Through the innovative format of presenting the curatorial statement in the form of questions, visitors were invited to contemplate and engage with a diverse range of topics related to womanhood. From questions about societal expectations and cultural stereotypes to inquiries about personal empowerment and autonomy, the exhibition sparked conversations and reflections on the complexities of being a woman in today's world.
Curated with a keen eye for diversity and inclusivity, "101 questions to women" offered a platform for women to share their voices, experiences, and perspectives. By foregrounding questions rather than providing definitive answers, the exhibition encouraged visitors to consider the nuances and intricacies of gender dynamics, inviting them to participate in an ongoing dialogue about feminism, equality, and the pursuit of social change.
creative exercises
I. To kickstart your creative energy, begin with a warm-up exercise. Select any three questions from the following list, and allocate the corresponding number of minutes to respond to each question. Use this exercise to loosen up your writing muscles and tap into your creative flow.
1. What is the definition of guilt? 2. How is guilt often associated with the concept of sin, and what role does this association play in moral and ethical frameworks? 3. How does religion influence the experience and interpretation of guilt within various cultures and belief systems? 4. To what extent does gender influence the experience and expression of guilt in individuals and societies? 5. What are some common somatic symptoms or physical manifestations of guilt in individuals? 6. How does guilt influence our relationships with others? 7. Can guilt be inherited or passed down through generations? 8. How does guilt manifest in different cultures and societies? 9. What role does societal or cultural expectations play in shaping feelings of guilt? 10. How does guilt affect mental health and well-being? 11. Can guilt ever be productive or constructive? 12. How do individuals cope with overwhelming feelings of guilt? 13. Is there a difference between guilt and shame? If so, what are they? 14. Can guilt lead to positive change or personal growth? 15. How do societal attitudes towards guilt vary across different historical periods?
II. Dive deeper into the theme of guilt by undertaking a more extensive writing task. Inspired by the curatorial statement of the thought-provoking "101 questions to women" exhibition, your challenge is to compose 101 questions centered around the concept of guilt. Let your imagination roam freely as you explore the multifaceted dimensions of guilt, drawing from the "Secret Garden" dance performance, your personal experiences, philosophical inquiries, and societal reflections.
stay grounded and motivated!
"Guilt is a tricky thing. It creeps into our lives quietly, sometimes unnoticed, but it stays until we acknowledge it, face it head-on. And here’s the hard truth: guilt is inseparable from responsibility. We feel guilty because, deep down, we know we have a role to play in something. Maybe we made a mistake, hurt someone, or failed to live up to our own standards. But that feeling of guilt—it’s not meant to punish us. It’s a signal, a nudge toward taking responsibility. And in a world where no one seems to want to grow up, where avoiding responsibility is often easier, guilt can become a tool for growth—if we let it.
I’ve seen it firsthand. In both my personal life and my work, I’ve suffered from the absence of frames—clear, supportive boundaries that help us understand our place and responsibilities. We live in a time where regression is almost celebrated, where the idea of “no rules, no authority” seems fashionable. There’s this trendy discourse around horizontality, especially in creative, activist, and spiritual spaces, where the desire to avoid power structures can lead to a dangerous kind of chaos. And I get it—who wouldn’t want to exist in a world where everything is allowed, where we never have to be held accountable? But I’ve learned the hard way that without structure, without positive authority, we risk getting stuck in a perpetual state of immaturity.
It’s tempting to stay in that childlike role, where we’re never forced to take responsibility for our actions. But that only leads to confusion, frustration, and—yes—guilt. Because without those frames, without that structure, it’s hard to know where our boundaries lie, what’s expected of us, and how to grow. We are encouraged to stay small, to avoid confrontation, to be “allowed” rather than empowered. But empowerment comes from knowing our limits, taking ownership of our mistakes, and growing through them.
I believe in the power of positive authority. Not authority that suppresses, but the kind that nurtures and supports. Authority that gives us permission to grow, to make decisions, and to accept the consequences. This is where the relationship between frame, responsibility, and guilt becomes so important. A frame doesn’t restrict us—it holds us, gives us the space to understand our actions and the responsibility that comes with them. Without it, guilt remains a shadow, something that haunts us instead of guiding us.
So, I encourage you to rethink the role of responsibility in your life, especially in this context of guilt. What frames are you missing? What boundaries do you need to set for yourself to be able to take full ownership of your actions? Growing up is not easy. And by growing up, I don’t mean leaving behind creativity, playfulness, or joy. I mean learning to hold space for both freedom and responsibility. Taking responsibility is an act of self-respect. It’s how we navigate guilt, transform it, and use it to grow.
As you finish this chapter, I want you to reflect on how guilt has shown up in your own life. How have you responded to it? Have you taken responsibility, or are there areas where you’ve avoided it? This is the hard work—the real work. And it’s not easy. But trust me, taking responsibility is the most empowering thing you can do for yourself, and for the world around you.
We need more people who are willing to grow up, who are willing to assume things, to take ownership, and to build strong frames for themselves and others. It’s how we create spaces of real trust and connection, where we can all grow. So don’t shy away from your guilt. Use it. Let it guide you toward a stronger, more grounded version of yourself. And know that this journey, as difficult as it may be, is one that will lead to true empowerment and transformation.
With all my heart, I hope this course has offered you tools to explore this with courage. Take the time you need. Always."
—Anna Ádám Founder of the School of Disobedience
Photo: Olivér Sin capturing Anna Ádám: Secret Garden