Category Archives: Creativity
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I’m sitting under a painting. Knees pulled tight to my chest, soul reaching its tendrils outward into purple-gray clouds. The painting rolls, swirls, builds. Huddled next to a ’74 Chevy Nova – not the safest place. Not even sane. But the view!
It’s thick and it begins descending. The painting shifts, background taking on a sickly green hue. Sky is the color of last week’s black eye – but that’s neither here nor there. Still crouched, half-willing the masterpiece to swallow me whole.
Hail. Screw it. Been beaten before. Let it hail. Not long now. God takes my picture. Here it comes. The painting comes to life. Arms unclench my knees and I unravel my body to stand. The Chevy can’t go anywhere anymore but with any luck, I can. I pray to the tornado, “take me away.” I scream at it. Demand it to. Then the vortex descends.
What’s Your Story?
Following my book launch in January, I quickly re-discovered that self-marketing is a major undertaking. Writing a book is one thing. Actually selling it is quite another! With hundreds of thousands of books and new authors cropping up on Amazon and other sites every year, how do you stand out? You’ve got to have friends in the right places. You need a solid network of creative professionals on your team. And you’ve got to keep at it.
One way to push your networking as an author is to join a local writer’s guild. One exists in my area however in speaking to some of their authors at their Farmer’s Market booth one Saturday, I learned they have some requirements that are a bit out of my reach at this time. Firstly, their annual dues are upwards of $300.00. Not something I can produce right now! They also require their members be previously published through a traditional publishing house. In the world of indie authors and self-pubs, also not possible.
My question to you is: Have you considered joining your local writer’s guild? Or have you already? I’d love to hear your pros and cons about them, no matter which way you’ve opted. Tell me your experiences! Your input will help me (and others) decide if a guild would be a worthwhile venture when the opportunity arises. Sound off in the comments below, and thanks for reading!
Oh, and when you’re done, please do check out the first in a sci-fi trilogy that artfully blends Tech and Kinetics. It is the first of three lovechild creations of myself and fellow creatives Charlie Barbin (10/7 Productions), Ray Wade Jr. (Midian Entertainment Group), and David Rex Bonnewell (Wickedly Written). LOOKER: Lydia Branson, Book 1 is available on KINDLE and in print for a stupid-low price. Click HERE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MLYN1ZX
Weekend Art Project
While skimming through Pinterest recently, my daughter and I came across a project that looked fun and inexpensive so we thought we’d give it a try. It utilizes heavy art paper, a lot of crayons, white glue, scrap paper, and painter’s tape. 
Start the project by applying a thick layer of glue where you want the crayons positioned, then set the crayons into the glue. It will take several hours for this to dry, so just lay it flat for a while (we let it sit overnight).
Next, cut out a shape you’d like to have centered in the color splash (or several, or even none). It’s important to use painter’s tape because the hot blow dryer will not melt the adhesive (trust me, other types of tape failed). Tape around the edges of the shape, then trim it to shape and place on the canvas under the drip line.
With a blow dryer, melt the crayons and let the wax run down over the entire canvas. You’ll need to hover over a section until you get a good amount running down then aim the blow dryer to spread it out.
The wax will dry in a few minutes so when you’ve covered the canvas, peel up the taped-on shape while it is still wet. If you wait until it dries, it will tend to pop and crack off. Try using different color combinations and shapes and get creative!
Daily Prompt Writing: The Nomadic Life
From the Daily Prompt: Rolling Stone
“If you could live a nomadic life, would you? Where would you go? How would you decide? What would life be like without a “home base”?”
This has always been a bit of a dream of mine, to live just to live, to enjoy experiences in life that aren’t possible within the constraints of a lease, a day job, shared custody and other limiting factors. For a 40 year old who treasures new sights and experiences, meeting different people, photographing different areas and being immersed in different cultures, it must be said that I have gotten very few opportunities in life to do any of this. The extent of my travels has been through the Carolinas, The Bahamas and Mexico. All instances were limited by time and money and only left me wanting more. To live as a nomad would still require some sort of stability – ironic, I know. This means I would not want to live as a beggar but rather be able to earn a little money no matter where I went in order to remain self-sufficient (and fed!). More than likely, I would take on some kind of art or craft and sell my talents at various events and festivals across the country, throughout the year. Part of those crafts could be hand-penned original inspirational poetry on parchment, ready to frame in someone’s study or bedroom. Ideally, I would have a small RV in which I could keep my scant belongings and a bicycle to use for travel throughout the area of the moment. I would of course need to remain tech savvy – Internet access would be vital as it is to nearly everyone today. I would likely gather information on upcoming events and places to go from the web in order to keep short-term plans in order. This would allow me to remain a wanderlust but one who would not be caught off guard by not having a place to park, sleep or sell crafts. I wouldn’t say that there would be no “home base.” I would have my RV – wherever it took me would be home. The whole of the continental USA would be my home! The beautiful thing about the Internet is that it brings people together no matter where they are, so losing touch with family and friends would not be an issue. It would be a simple life, free of undue clutter, free of the feeling of being cooped up and held captive by societal constraints. As a Sagittarius, this sort of nomadic life would be what my soul has always craved. I am determined to one day see this to fruition.
A Look At The Savannas
This is a collection of photographs I took at the Savannas Wildlife Preserve in St. Lucie County, FL All were shot on a Canon EOS Rebel G using Fuji 35mm film. Yep, that’s right: I’m old-school.
A little history of this photo set… These were taken in 2005, shortly after my husband had filed for divorce and put me and my then 3-year old daughter on the street. This is where I ended up living for some time, in my little tent while still holding a full time job. This collection is truly a statement to finding the positive and the beauty in any situation we are given to handle. I hope they inspire you as well to look around you, no matter what you’re going through, and try to find something beautiful to hold onto. Even the smallest thing can be enough to keep you going when you’ve lost everything else.
Namaste,
Heather.
I miss paper and pen…
Ever since I was about 9 years old, I remember looking forward to getting a new journal for Christmas each year. I would be beside myself in wait of getting between those crisp new covers, sinking my ink (and I often wrote with a calligraphy pen) into those fresh fibers of pristine pages waiting to be filled. The new journal would have a distinct odor, slightly chemical behind the pulp of the paper. How I loved the feel of a new page!
But… Things progressed (rapidly) and tiny devices made journaling on the go easy and private, as well as much more editable. Early versions of PDA’s began taking over purse space where my little notebooks used to ride. Then came blogs, and then microblogging. Journaling is now instant and anonymous and seems to have lost its personal appeal. I would go as far as to say it’s Los its soul. Nothing is private any more.
So, I’ve taken to leading a split writing life. My soul searching goes into scattered notebooks and journals which I keep tucked away, just as in my childhood hoping no prying eyes will find them. More general thoughts land on the web where they are posted, organized, quoted, commented on, and out there for all to see the life and thoughts of this nobody.
Happy March! (I hope!)
They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb… Well in East Central FL, it came in more like a polar bear. Waking temps on the first day of March here were in the mid-30’s, totally uncharacteristic for this area this time of year.
Andy and I are doing great. Word just came up that he also believes in ghosts and the astral whatnots so that is just another thing to bring us closer. We have every night been working on projections together and they have come with great success. We’re able to go out seperately and meet together confirming the same experiences, as well as going out together, feeling each others touches and emotions. It’s beautiful, it’s strong and it let’s us never be apart.
One certain person who likes to think she has caused me to be blocked from doing this has failed. I won’t laugh though, all I can really feel for her is pity that she spends her energy trying to cast others down and cause them pain. The Universe will not let the balance be upset. Those whose work and intent is for the greater good will continue on in their practices, and it will continue to ire the ones whose intent is for the darker things. I for one am too solidly established in my beliefs and practices to allow one spiteful little girl control of my life. It just won’t happen. It simply isn’t possible. Sadly, I don’t think she or others will ever realize this because they are too blinded by their own quest for power. What they also fail to understand is the power they seek is far too large for them to be able to manipulate, let alone control. It exists as a Universal energy and is there to keep balance. No one person, no army has the ability to control this. The few who have learned to grasp some of it have fallen under it and been consumed. Better off just being good to people and toward the world. At least that’s the way I live. It comes more natural that way. Evil takes too much energy. Good energy just comes 🙂
We’re fully into our fire season now and as I stand on the balcony looking west, a huge wall of smoke can be seen rising over the tree line. It’s many miles out, but it’s starting to haze up over this way and looks to be a pretty broad burn. I sent a couple pics of the smoke line to my Facebook, but my phone doesn’t accept Twitter. I have to do that when I get home. Still not sure if it was a prescribed burn or a quick up thru the brush but we are under a long list of fire warnings currently. Doesn’t take much to spark one, that’s for sure!
GPS’s, Machinopoly and Big Brother
E: left the house this morning and stopped to get something out of my wife’s car and found that someone had stolen my gps out of there.
H: :O
E: it was over a year old which means it was about due for a map update. last i checked they charged about $80 for that, so it’s just about as cheap to get a new one as to update on old one.
H: that’s a lot of money for an update
H: there are some units that cost that much
E: i know
E: the updates may be cheaper now
E: but basically they keep the updates hi because it helps to convince people to just buy new units instead.
H: google earth should start offering GPS updates
H: make it a universal thing
H: oh funny thought: you update your GPS thru a free source and then the next time you turn it on, the pretty british female voice on it sounds all spiteful and bitchy hehe
H: revenge for not using the issuing company’s updates, she gives you wrong directions on purpose, sends you into the ghetto
E: yep
H: i’m telling you, they’re gonna take over
H: it’s inevitable
E: they have taken over – i sit in a little cube while the servers i support have their own climate-controlled environment designed especially for them. my job is to keep them supplied with electricity.
H: machines have it so much better than us
E: if i get sick it would be “get away from me you contagious bastard”. if one of the machines gets sick a whole team of folks will rush to make it feel better.
H: we should all be chipped so we feel just as important
E: nah – as soon as i got chipped they would come out with a new version and i’d be obsolete.
H: aww!
What do you think… do you support all people being microchipped for identification and health records? Would the government find alternate uses for the chips and keep information on us that *isn’t* disclosed to the carrier? How trackable would we really be? And how easy would it be for an excaped convict, say, to stick a magnet to the back of his neck and simply erase his identity?
Let’s have some comments and discussion!
Creative Writing Goldmine
Just wanted to share some sites that I’ve come across in my attempt to rid myself of this long battle with Writer’s Block. I’m considering enrolling in some online courses if I can find the time in my schedule to do so, as well I’ve started carrying round a notebook with me because sometimes writing on the iPod is just too bland to get me going and I need that pen-and-ink satisfaction of old-fashioned idea flow.
Here in no particular order:
Top 100 Creative Writing Blogs
25 C/W Sites via Education Portal
Plenty of fodder there, yeh? And even if this *is* a per-blog, if anyone has any topic they’d like to see covered here from the perspective of an anti-social city-dweller, by all means, drop a comment and let me know!
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