Lisa Saffron has written and self-published two novels – Checkpoint in 2008 and The Call of the Triple Spiral. in 2021. She’s written non-fiction books on lesbian parenting and academic articles on health and the environment. Writing, connection, curiosity, activism, evidence-based truth, a passion for justice, and a drive towards authenticity are the common themes in the apparently unrelated strands of Lisa’s life- the poetry strand, the scientist strand, the Jewish strand, and the lesbian parenting strand. She weaves these strands together in Bristol where she lives with her two grandchildren, her partner since 1990 and her guru – Maggie, the cat. She straddles the Atlantic with roots in the United States where she was born in 1952 and branches in England since 1975.
Firstly, please tell us about your creative work.
Where do you work? What does your space look like?
I converted a garage at the back of the house into a retreat room. The window overlooks an historic estate with a row of trees across a lane that peer in at me in an encouraging way. Beyond are fields, woods and a massive transmission tower. We’re near the top of a hill and I often go out at dawn and watch the sunrise. All over the walls and ceiling, I’ve drawn inspiring quotes, bits of poetry and the tree of life.
Apart from time, what do you need consistently throughout the week in order to be creative?
I need to turn off my ‘On Duty’ switch and turn on my ‘Nothing Else Matters Except My Writing’ switch. It helps if the children are being looked after by someone else so working out a rota of childcare with my partner is something I need consistently throughout the week. I also need a good night’s sleep.
Is there a creative routine that you swear by?
I experiment with different routines. For the last few months, I’ve been doing Morning Pages every day – free flowing writing without stopping or editing for half an hour before I do any work on my novel.
Do you have a mantra?
This too is for the good.
Imagine you have two hours to yourself. The house is a mess and there are fifty work emails to answer, errands to run etc. Are you able to focus and how?
I go out of the house into my retreat room so I don’t see the mess and the WiFi doesn’t reach that far.
Can you tell us one surprising aspect of your work that changed after you had children?
Do your children participate in your art and what form does this take? Physical action / inspiration / the subject of your art?
I’ve read some of the chapters of my novel to my ten year old granddaughter and was amazed at the maturity of her response. Her criticism and advice have been invaluable. My 8 year old grandson has inspired one of the characters in my latest novel.
Do you have a support structure to help you with your work and children?
Yes, my partner and I are a good team. We work together well to share all the childcare and household tasks and to give each other time to do whatever we each need to do.
Is there a little voice inside your head that endeavours to knock your confidence as an artist and a mother? How do you silence it?
There was that voice in the past but I can’t afford to give it credence any more. Since I’ve been looking after my grandchildren, I don’t have the time to indulge thoughts that knock my confidence. The most effective tools I’ve found for silencing that voice is to welcome it, accept it, listen to its message and give it love. It’s a part of myself that is trying to protect me and I’ve learned to acknowledge its intention and transform it to a more loving voice.
Explain a situation, related to your work, where you’ve had to combat misogyny. Did your work change from this experience?
Name one self-imposed distraction that leads to procrastination and tell us how you handle it.
If I don’t get round to writing, I don’t label it procrastination. I don’t have deadlines to meet so it doesn’t matter if I play Words With Friends or watch Murder She Wrote all afternoon. When I am in the flow of writing, it’s effortless. If I’m not in the flow, it’s best to leave it.
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Every encounter, situation, circumstance is a gift, no matter how it appears. All interactions are either an act of love or a call for love.
Click to purchase Checkpoint or The Call of the Triple Spiral
