Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, inspiration, perfectionism, Thoughts, writing on October 16, 2021| Leave a Comment »
My public service announcement for today: Good does not equal perfect. While they may be related, I’m pretty sure that Good is Cinderella and Perfect is the wicked stepmother. Just saying.
It’s an idea I’ve discussed before but needed to hear again, and I thought you might too.
Go forth and be awesome!
* * *
Posted in Likes, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, environment, inspiration, remix on October 15, 2021| Leave a Comment »
You know how sometimes you see a thing and it sets off little creative sparkles in your brain parts? Well, that’s what happened when I spotted this striking piece of art:
Giant “Faucet” Spewing Single-Use Plastic Urges Us To Reconsider Our Plastic Use
When I saw this my first thought (after “Ok, that’s insanely cool”) was “How can I do that?
Lucky me (and you, if you’re so inclined), the artist has not only created this installation* but turned it into an interactive opportunity. Just as I was visualizing the steps needed to trim a tap like that and build a fountain of plastics, I spotted this:
If you are an artist or creative that would like to participate, join us in creating a remix of the Giant Plastic Tap
— This three story tall giant art installation is leaking plastics into different environments – Von Wong Blog
Don’t mind if I do! If you want to join the fun, all files needed to remix your very own giant plastic tap are available here:
Remix the Giant Plastic Tap – Photoshop Challenge! – Dropbox Paper
Check out this post for more details on usage.
* * *
I’m practicing new photo processing techniques and thought this was a good place to start. Lots to learn (ugh, lighting and color balance! I was in a hurry, but still) and this challenge is a great way to do it.
* Von Wong’s mind-bending original project was sponsored by the Embassy of Canada in France. Because Canadians are awesome. Every single one!
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, inspiration, Jane Austen, literary analysis, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I spotted this article the other day:
What I Learned About My Writing By Seeing Only The Punctuation
Hmm, I said, “That’s interesting in an upside-down sort of a way. I wonder what my writing looks like without, you know, words?”
My first thought was that I probably use too many commas. I headed over to the site developed by the article’s author and lo! I was right.
My second thought was to see how that story compared to other authors’ work. I visited Project Gutenberg and evaluated first chapters from a selection of famous and/or cherished books.
Now that was interesting, both for the differences in punctuation and for the variety and length of chapters. (Nineteenth-century authors also loved commas, it seems. Is it time to hang up my keyboard and pick up a quill?)
This approach certainly provides a new perspective on the building blocks underpinning different authors, eras and genres of writing. Will it help my writing? Maybe, maybe not, but it was fun.
* * *
Posted in Entertainment, Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, genre fiction, inspiration, learning@lunch, NASA, space exploration on October 12, 2021| 1 Comment »
What am I reading with lunch? How about a graphic novel about a woman, space, and a spunky little robot? App and interactivity are optional (but could be fun).
NASA – First Woman (read online, download PDF)
* * *
Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, #distraction, #ThingsILike, home, inspiration, tea, Thoughts, writing on October 9, 2021| Leave a Comment »
This is a nice combination: Green yaupon + peppermint lemongrass tea* = pretty very good. Maple syrup takes it over the top, because it’s awesome in everything.
* * *
* No Camellia sinensis was harmed in the making of this beverage.
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, Affinity Photo, creativity, habits, inspiration, learning@lunch, practice, Thoughts on October 8, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I’m bouncing from project to project again, doing some work work and some practice work. I’ve also started about half a dozen posts but nothing feels right, because none of them said what I was really thinking, which is that today I am the Queen of Meh.
This is not to say that things are not a-ok, I’d just prefer to be making more progress.
Mood: pretty groovy, thanks for asking.
Fine, let’s roll with it.
I did nothing amazing today but do things I did. The project I had the most fun with was practicing photo compositing. Here’s a chimera that is not very good but I like anyway: Behold, the Winged Buffabear!
* * *
I think I’ll try to follow this advice by Christine Carter, and my own, and aim low:
The 1-minute secret to forming a new habit
Here’s why we need to be willing to be bad: being good requires that our effort and our motivation be in proportion to each other. The harder something is for us to do, the more motivation we need to do that thing. And you might have noticed, but motivation isn’t something that we can always muster on command….
The goal, remember, is repetition, not high achievement. So let yourself be mediocre at whatever you’re trying to do, but be mediocre every day.
— Christine Carter
That I can do!
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts, Writers on October 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »
“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”
— Rainer Maria Rilke
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, climate change, creativity, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, sff, writing on October 2, 2021| Leave a Comment »
The good news is that there is a lot of up and coming fiction addressing issues of climate, change, and the environment. (The bad news is that we need it.)
Grist/Fix: Solutions Lab has a new climate fiction issue out, with discussions about the role of fiction in fixing reality and a dozen new stories from their “Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors” short story contest to get us started.
The Climate Fiction Issue: How fiction can change our reality | Fix
* * *
Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, Fiction, inspiration, J.R.R. Tolkien, Thoughts, Writers on October 1, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I vote for this as one of the feel-good stories of the year. Because what’s happier than real-life hobbits?
‘What is this if not magic?’ The Italian man living as a hobbit
“I decided that I wanted to live my hobbit life to the fullest… I wanted people to enter my mind, my fantasy. Many make fun of us. Some think I am trying to escape from reality. Far from it. I am living my dream, my adventure.”
— Nicolas Gentile, hobbit
* * *
Good for you, Italian hobbit man, good for you.
Posted in Holidays, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, history, Indigenous art, inspiration, progress, Thoughts on September 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Today is Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
It’s good to see at least some progress on long-overdue Indigenous issues, but it also raises a question. How do we deal with difficult topics? Expression, sharing, recognition, and dialog are constructive options, and art plays a fundamental role in each of these elements.
9 Indigenous musicians reflect on what truth and reconciliation means to them | CBC News
This article interviews Indigenous creators, about their art and their thoughts on reconciliation, and also includes links to their work. I particularly like this quote from Inuk singer-songwriter and filmmaker Elisapie:
“Like I always say, this is our story. But this is definitely your story, too. So get on with it and discuss and face those uncomfortable questions and try to find the answers, too, right?”
* * *
I also like this quote from Murray Sinclair:
“I did say … at the end of the TRC report that we will not achieve reconciliation in my lifetime. We will probably not achieve it in the lifetime of my children. We may not even achieve it in the lifetime of my grandchildren,” Sinclair, a former senator and chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), told Unreserved host Rosanna Deerchild.
“But if we make a concerted effort … then eventually we will be able, some day, to wake up and, to our surprise, find that we are treating each other in a way that was intended when contact was first made.”
— National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is 1 step on a long journey, says Murray Sinclair | CBC Radio
So here’s to what’s hard getting easier. And to waking up.
* * *
You must be logged in to post a comment.