Not One of My Typical Mondays

I have so much energy today and have accomplished so many chores that I cannot believe that it’s Monday!  Maybe it has something to do with the cooler temperatures today and over the past few days, I don’t know why I am having this untypical Monday, but I am taking full advantage of it. 

Oddly, I am not in the mood to write.  Instead, my thoughts are turning toward art projects.  I am excited for the leaves to turn to their warm autumn colors so that I may collect them to use on canvas.  I only created one canvas last year, (pictured below), and I gave it away as a Christmas present.  It came out great, much better than I thought it would, and now I have dozens of ideas flooding my imagination.  Given that, I have no doubt that the writing bug will bite sometime this week, or maybe it will nip at me before this day is through.  I need to take a step back once in awhile to let the writing simmer on the back burner and I think that it is good to do so.

 

 

"Autumn Falls" - Mixed media: dried leaves, twigs, paper on acrylyc/colored pencil base - 16" x 20".

 

Anyway, getting back to this weird Monday… if I keep up with the pace with which I started out today, I should finish all those tasks that would normally take up my creative time each day.  It is very unusual, to have so much accomplished on a Monday, but I like it; and hope that there are more Mondays like this in the future.

 

Thanks for stopping by. ~Yvonne~





 

Changes

I awoke to the alarm this morning, which is very unusual, particularly for a Saturday morning.  However, there was a reason for this as due to the holiday last Monday, trash pick-up came a day late, and moving the trash to the curb is important.  I don't like to put the trash out the night before because we share our neighborhood with a few wild critters who love to pick through the trash for any prized edible morsel.

I stepped outside to one of those grey days of which I am not very fond.  Huge drops of warm rain spattered my arms and face as the wind swirled, it seemed, from no definite direction.  My house sits about 200 feet from the Lake Ontario shoreline and atop a cliff.  In order to get to the beach, you have to go down an iron fire escape stairwell that someone, many years ago, built into the cliff to give easy access to the beach below.  I could hear the waves crashing the shore and walked up the road to stand on the edge of the steps.  The lake was wild as far as I could see, with the wild tops of whitecaps dancing in scattered paths across the dark water.

As I stood looking to the horizon, I wondered if there was another person on the opposite shore of Canada, looking out across the lake as I was now.  I wondered if they, too, could sense nature’s change beginning.

The air is slightly different in feel and smell as the seasons prepare to take the transition from summer to autumn.  As the seasons begin their change, wind, rain, and thunderstorms pass through the trees and pull green leaves and small branches to scatter ground.  Small critters begin to hoard treasured foods for the season to come—I notice the squirrels in particular as they like to burry nuts in my flowerpots.  Soon, the leaves will turn from green to red, yellow, and orange before they fall to the ground leaving the trees to sleep.  As I turned to walk back up to the house I too, began to think of making the list of preparation I have to take to prepare for the cold weather season just one season ahead of autumn. 

Once home, sitting with my coffee, I think, “Yes, autumn is nature’s warning season that reminds all living things to prepare for the cold, ice, and snow of winter season to come.”

Thanks for stopping by.  ~Yvonne~

Today is One of Those Days

Today is one of those days
I don't feel like doing much.
Too many thoughts scattered
Like little bits of scrap paper
That need sorting to piles
First by color,
Then by shape,
Then by size
Until ithey all come together
In lines and rows 
To allow me to know
Where to go, and
What to do
With the blank pages
That stretch before me.

Yes, today is one of those days
That I won't do much
Except sit back and resist
The urge to force
My thoughts into order.
 Rather, I will allow them
To sift and stir alone.
Until tomorrow when,
Without much thought,
Or need of coaxing,
They will present to me
The wonderful gift of clarity.

Writing on Writing – Entry 005

Blogging

I wanted to write a little bit about blogging.  It took me some time to start a blog.  For years, my inner critic profusely scorned me with remarks that prevented me from sharing my work with anyone—let alone the entire world.  However, as I began writing with the intention of completing a full-fledged book, I felt that it was important that I share my endeavor with others outside of my small circle of friends.

At first, I was not sure what I would post in my blogs besides my  poetry. Then I thought, “Well why not include some essays concerning your journey in writing your book.”  This followed with some ideas about blurbs that would to give my readers some insight into my life.  Then, why not share some of my art.  I began posting under several headings and soon found something to post at least every other day.

Blogging seems to help me as a creative person in several ways.  

1.  I find that a blog is more or less an extension of journal writing.  .  I still, and always will, manually write using pen or paper in a journal.  Yet, there are days when I do not have the time to journal and so blogging might take its place.  However, most of my journaling consists of free writing in which random thoughts and ideas travel from my brain onto the paper, and it is from here that I find gems for poetry, essays, and scenes for my stories.

2.  After writing a blog, I am compelled to continue writing.  Writing a blog is a way to grease the wheel to and get down seriously to the business of writing my story.

3.  Unlike writing in my journal, when I write a blog I am very conscious of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure.  As a proofreader/editor, these, I believe, are the basics to any writing that I intend to publicly present.  Therefore, for me, writing a blog is an exercise in the practice of writing well.

4.  Writing, like any creative endeavor, is a part of yourself that you are presenting to the world.  Once you go public with your art, you are attempting, in a sense, to sell yourself.  This is something that I find daunting.  I am, by nature, a private person, and a loner.  It’s not that I am unsociable, however, I prefer to keep to myself as I find there are very few people in what I refer to as the “real world” who know and understand me.  Writing a blog gives me a chance to share who I am with others and maybe more important, it gives me a chance to connect with other creative people of like minds.  It is good to know that I am not alone, and is a way to introduce myself to and become a part of a creative community.

In addition to the above, I think that consistency in posting is important, particularly if you have followers.  Whether you choose to post once a week, or once a month or every day post it is important that you post consistently within those parameters.  Your followers are, in a way, your fans.  They follow because they are interested in what you have to say, so don’t leave them hanging or they may lose interest.  Also, connect and follow other bloggers. Read, leave comments, and promote their blogs whenever time permits; and don’t fear to ask them to do the same for you.

In closing, I would like to state my opinion that I believe whatever your creative endeavor, be it writer, musician, photographer or any other artist, if you have any intention to go public with your craft, start by blogging.  It is a satisfying and rewarding to have others, even a handful follow and appreciate your work, and I am sure it will prepare you down the road as journey down the creative path.

Thanks for stopping by. ~Yvonne~

Once More

Once more the world has turned

And to the silver shine of daylight I rise

To sit in the solitude of silence.

The dark brown brew with its aroma

That brims the top of the smooth ceramic cup

Warms my hands as I leisurely sip its magic

That seeps surreptitious to my mind to clear

The dimming dust of the long night’s dreams

Working to make clear my thoughts that turn

Towards the hours that stretch before me

Until my mind surveys the view of new

Yet still unknown adventures ahead

Along a path that is scattered with tasks

That might hasten the hours to tick the time

That will lead me along to attend life’s journey.

Until unwilled, the world will once more turn

To meet yet again another star filled nightfall.

The Dishes Will have to Wait

I was going to get busy today and tie up some housework chores.  However, it seems that my mind is not going to let me concentrate on the few menial tasks before me.  I find it difficult to vacuum or wash the dishes when lines for the two poems I want to complete keep popping into my head.  When this happens, I have to stop whatever it is I am doing and rush to my notebook to jot down the stray line that has crept up and hit me with its brilliance.  By the time I reach the notebook and found the pen or pencil, I am not sure as to which poem it belongs.  Worse yet, I may not completely remember the line as it was so brilliant before I dried the soapsuds from my soaking hands.

And so, I’ve decided that the dishes will have to wait.  It is not life or death that they are washed now, and there are plenty more clean dishes to use in the meantime.  Not that I will use any soon as once I begin writing, I won’t think about eating, or dishes, or vacuuming.  No, once I start writing all else will fade away…

 

Thanks for stopping by. ~Yvonne~

No Plans, But Plenty to Do

I don't have any plans this weekend, but my 'to do' list is overflowing. My focus on writing for the past couple of weeks has deterred me from my other creative projects, and now they are crying out for attention. As well, my studio is in complete disarray. So, I am writing this blog in an effort to gather my thoughts and put my tasks in som semblance of order.

The first task is to clean and organize the studio. It always amazes me that when I am working on a project everything seems to end up out of the cupboards and onto the workstation even if I don’t use it. Everything meaning paint, paper, tools, pencils, sand paper, rulers all spread out in a menagerie. As I look at the mess now, I wonder what I was thinking when I pulled all these things out as I have only used a few items for the project at hand.

As an excuse for the studio’s disorder, I do have three projects going on all at once. However, this is not my usual way. My second task is to choose a one project to complete this week and line the others up accordingly. Usually I finish one project before beginning another, but as I worked on one, another came to mind, and then another. Now I have a table waiting with its paint design half finished, a quilt design waiting for paper, and a chair in need of sanding. I’ve decided to approach each of these projects and complete one before starting another. This is my usual plan of attack. I rarely approach a new project before finishing the current one at hand.  I think I was too excited about all I had waiting in the wings and my ideas went into overdrive.  I can only surmise that my mind was in as much turmoil as my studio is now.
 
The third task on the ‘to do’ list focuses on writing. I had a great poem in the works the other day when my computer froze and I lost it. Of course, this was my fault for not saving while writing. I have jotted down all I can remember but I haven’t yet been able to get the same feel from it as I had before. Yet, who knows, when I finally finish it might turn out better than the original. I also completed a couple of stories this week that I want to get on a timeline and maybe flesh out another story, but that might have to wait until the coming week as I still have some research to sort through and organize.

So, while I have no plans I have plenty to do. Now it’s just a matter of moving away from my computer and begin the tasks at hand.

I wish you all a safe and wonderful weekend. Thank you for stopping by. ~Yvonne