life and art
Or: good advice from my husband I wish I could take credit for this fantastic idea. But this was an image that was shared with me today from my husband. For whatever reason (maybe feeling sore over my wonky shoulder, after injuring it earlier this week?) I was in a bit of a funk today. …
Continue reading “A creative career is like a combination lock”
I just wrote a poem, called The Level. Last week I had the observation that this was an interesting metaphor for internal balance. And tonight I wrote the poem. I did it in approximately 6 minutes. Because it was 8.35pm when I remember looking at the clock, and it is 8.42pm now. I thought maybe …
The thread is fine nowAs thin as gossamerShimmering in the light There is a strange beautyIn these timesOf holding, and letting go I never believed in the fatesSpinning, weavingWaiting, releasing But now I see your placeIn life’s tapestrySo clearly My eyes may be wetYet my heart is fullYou are part of the patternForever Note: This …
Things have been a little quiet on this blog. But that’s not because the writing hasn’t been happening. Time feels strange these days – whether a hangover of the pandemic or the strangely elastic nature of living with chronic illness, I’m not sure. I think it was overyear ago that I took my first step …
Every year as I honour Thanksgiving, I’m mindful of the complicated history that accompanies it – and in particular the legacy of pain for indigenous folks in America. I find myself sitting square in the middle of this contradiction. I want to hold space for this holiday’s tangled past – and it seems to me, …
Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman On Uncertainty and Inspiration by Michelle Woo (from Medium) Amanda Gorman: “Rarely does a writer say “I’m gonna have a great idea” and it comes. Instead you have to wait lovingly, preparing a place for inspiration to strike in your life. It’s like tending soil, though you might not have seeds …
It Takes Me More Than 3 Hours To Write One Story by Shannon Ashley (from Medium) “The reality is that there probably are certain types of stories that you could write more quickly than others. That doesn’t mean those are the stories that will put you on the map, however. It also doesn’t mean that those are …
I’m not sure anything else can really be said about this. What a poem. What a moment. Here’s to hope. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Art is a process of making things visible. The thing we most often end up making visible is ourselves. In my earlier days as an artist, I wanted so strongly for the piece to be viewed as separate from me. Ideally, I wanted to disappear, and have people only see the work. I didn’t realise …
Continue reading “Do you want to be seen – or are you trying to be admired?”
This album has been the soundtrack of my pandemic life. It first came to my attention when my mom sent me this video, which was making the rounds on social media: This song is called ‘Ablaze’, and it is a manifesto about a mother’s love for her children – declaring ‘my mission is to keep …
