July...sun!
July...hot!
July...rain...a rare miracle in the Pacific Northwest!
Whoosh... what a surprise. The rain poured down in the middle of our hot and dry July and refreshed the world. Woohoo! What a time for a fresh start! Dig into those "dry" and waiting creative projects. A little playing around with ideas, materials and your time will leave its mark or a little magic residue. Without a doubt it will lead you on to another quest. Take a walk or hop on your bike and let your subconscious soak up the freshness and get things stirring. Make some discoveries. Without a doubt, the rain has left its own magic residue and nature is supercharged once more. There is something special about that rare Northwest summer rain. Let it work its magic for you!
If you need some inspiration, here is a book that inspired me last summer: How to Be An Explorer Of The World: Portable Art Life Museum by Keri Smith.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Hello SUMMER!
Are you like me, wishing you could capture the sunny and shady colors of green against a blue, blue sky? Add a breeze to make those greens flutter and you have the makings of sheer magic. As I ride my bike around the neighborhood and down along the pond, I have been listening for the sounds of children playing. I am not hearing those voices. Where are the kids? Are they missing out on the touch of the earth and dirt on their skin? What happened to lolling in the grass, staring up through the leaves, and romping outdoors. How are kids getting in touch and touching our outdoor world? This is their world, the one they hear so much about caring for.
Well, writers, get busy! Engage them in the magic of "Getting Out There"! Take them down to the pond, even if it is a drainage ditch. Invite them into a forest to explore a hollow old tree stump or a meandering stream. Take them to the beach and let them dive into your stories head first.
And readers, pick up a copy of The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places by Gary Nabhan and Stephen Trimble. This marvelous read will bring your youthful memories of outdoor places and spaces bubbling to the surface. Once you dip into these essays you will not stay caged long. Get outside and take a child with you!
Are you like me, wishing you could capture the sunny and shady colors of green against a blue, blue sky? Add a breeze to make those greens flutter and you have the makings of sheer magic. As I ride my bike around the neighborhood and down along the pond, I have been listening for the sounds of children playing. I am not hearing those voices. Where are the kids? Are they missing out on the touch of the earth and dirt on their skin? What happened to lolling in the grass, staring up through the leaves, and romping outdoors. How are kids getting in touch and touching our outdoor world? This is their world, the one they hear so much about caring for.
Well, writers, get busy! Engage them in the magic of "Getting Out There"! Take them down to the pond, even if it is a drainage ditch. Invite them into a forest to explore a hollow old tree stump or a meandering stream. Take them to the beach and let them dive into your stories head first.
And readers, pick up a copy of The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places by Gary Nabhan and Stephen Trimble. This marvelous read will bring your youthful memories of outdoor places and spaces bubbling to the surface. Once you dip into these essays you will not stay caged long. Get outside and take a child with you!
Monday, November 12, 2012
I just finished reading Steal Like An Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon. If you are wondering what these could be, pick this book up right away at the public library. And, advice worth considering from the text tells you to study, hang around, observe, try to copy the art you love......all for the reason of "getting behind the thinking" of it. From there, you can take what you discovered and weave it into your own creative process.
By the way, Austin added this tip:
Write what you know (cross out know).
Instead, write what you love.
Enough trying out this blog for today. Enjoy Austin's book.
By the way, Austin added this tip:
Write what you know (cross out know).
Instead, write what you love.
Enough trying out this blog for today. Enjoy Austin's book.
November.... a time to soak up the outdoor changes and a time to tuck away summer's delights.
Looking at the bare branches outside my window reminds me of the concept of structure, a fundamental element of story-making. Today, is a story-making day.
Now that most of the leaves have fallen, I have a chance to observe with new eyes the structure and the form that supports and gives rise to to the intricacies and sheer beauty of summer. One does not have to wonder long to figure out what connection natural structures have to their world. Surely, nothing exists in isolation and everything is integral to the life that surrounds it. Down underground, roots wait for their time to feed a new chapter.
When I sit down to turn an inspiration into a coherent piece of writing, I know that I must consider structure and along with it, audience. When these are in place, my story can then take form, breath, and unfold. I give a conscious effort to build a structure that will allow me to develop ideas on a firm and reassuring foothold. That foothold includes a main trunk and connections for branches with a foundation firmly rooted not only in inspiration, but thought and often significant research.
Today, I am returning to "Grandmother's Dolls", a story waiting to see print. My audience wants an addendum. Writing a final note is like putting out a thrust of new growth at summer's end. I need to anchor this on the strength of what has come before. I need to look below, and I need to stretch. What is it that has fueled my story, and what is it that will give readers the chance to carry these ideas into the season's ahead? The very air out there, the audience, is waiting to engage. So, I am off to write...for today is a story-making day.
Looking at the bare branches outside my window reminds me of the concept of structure, a fundamental element of story-making. Today, is a story-making day.
Now that most of the leaves have fallen, I have a chance to observe with new eyes the structure and the form that supports and gives rise to to the intricacies and sheer beauty of summer. One does not have to wonder long to figure out what connection natural structures have to their world. Surely, nothing exists in isolation and everything is integral to the life that surrounds it. Down underground, roots wait for their time to feed a new chapter.
When I sit down to turn an inspiration into a coherent piece of writing, I know that I must consider structure and along with it, audience. When these are in place, my story can then take form, breath, and unfold. I give a conscious effort to build a structure that will allow me to develop ideas on a firm and reassuring foothold. That foothold includes a main trunk and connections for branches with a foundation firmly rooted not only in inspiration, but thought and often significant research.
Today, I am returning to "Grandmother's Dolls", a story waiting to see print. My audience wants an addendum. Writing a final note is like putting out a thrust of new growth at summer's end. I need to anchor this on the strength of what has come before. I need to look below, and I need to stretch. What is it that has fueled my story, and what is it that will give readers the chance to carry these ideas into the season's ahead? The very air out there, the audience, is waiting to engage. So, I am off to write...for today is a story-making day.
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