I'm Diggin' Deep

http://www.fransorin.com/

I always thought there was a strong connection between creativity and digging deep into the earth, whether it be growing plants indoors or working in a garden.

From my earliest memories of spending time with my grandfather in his garden, voluntarily working in a large farm gardens as a teenager to eventually growing my own gardens as an adult, all have not only been therapeutic but has directly increase my creativity. I say this because actively growing things improves our mind, body and soul, everything we need for having optimum creative lives.

If you're any thing like me who gets the Winter Blues or what is commonly called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) you'll know what I'm talking about. The lack of light, short days and long cold nights, snow storms, all can really do a number on your mood. Like Cajun Man on SNL use to say DEPRESSION! It helps to have a good sense of humour and so I watch a lot of comedy.

 I've never been a Winter person and try as I might to "embrace" the season, the only dang thang I've come to embrace, is the fact that I'll never be a Winter person and I'll never like the cold!

 So now that all that's been said and I've got that out of my system I tell you what I've noticed today.
The light, the sun has increased probably by half an hour. Tonight at 5:30 p.m., there was still natural light, as opposed to December 28th the shortest day of the year, with the time change which makes it even worse, it was completely dark by 5:00 p.m.

 It's easy when you are in the dark days of Winter to loose awareness that the light is indeed increasing, but today was the first day I really noticed.

Then it dawned on me. I need to plant some seeds! I've received some seeds and garlic in the mail and perused my seed catalogues, and even planted my in the Fall. But right now today,  exactly the time to get tomato, pepper, and leeks seeds planted indoors on my warming grow mat,! So I hopped right up, grabbed those seeds,  my grow mat, made markers for them and planted those little dojiggers and set them in a sunny window.

 Wow! Immediately I could feel my mood improving and when I was done I was felt so good knowing things would be sprouting up in no time and I'll be ready for Spring!

Something that especially helped me this year actually, kinda, sorta enjoy, and get me through Winter was learning what the word Hygge meant, which I wrote about in my blog Eudemonia.

So today my seed planting has arrived just on time, because my Christmas Hygge has run a little thin. I'm  moving onto the Spring Hygge now!

Out in Orbit?

So my loyal and much appreciated followers know, I have not dropped off the edge of the earth, nor am I am out in orbit. I deemed it necessary to provide you all with an update.

I have been having what I'll call internet issues, compounded by car issues, which are soon to be hopefully resolved! I have just had my car repaired and now have wheels back and forth to the library, where I can access a computer. Not having internet access has been a wonderful opportunity to regularly hand write in my daily journal, which always enables me to keep the creative wheels turning. Canning and gardening have been great grounding and meditative outlets for me, so I haven't been without things to do, until my muses returned.

September was a very creative one, after cleaning my slate so to speak, after graduation in May 2012. I can hardly believe it has been almost six months since my formal Fine Art education has come to an end. The student loan vipers have gladly informed me by mail in bold letters at the top of the page, "IT TIME TO START PAYING YOUR STUDENT LOAN!" Gol darn nice of them folks to let me know! How could I possibly forget!
In spite of the vipers, I am certain there are many more lessons ahead and I look forward to the future with hope and optimism.

I resumed my series of  " Wild Women " egg tempera paintings and completed six new pieces to add for a total of sixteen, three of which I sold and this had been a godsend financially to me.

I wasn't certain if I could upload my photos of these paintings here at the library, on to the computer and was happy to learn that I can, and I will do that tomorrow so I can share my new work.

Honestly, I was in a creative slump, or had a creative block, whatever you want to name it, right up until September. This is always a little daunting to me when this happens, because I have this bit of fear and dread that I will never paint again! However, "This too shall pass. " is my daily mantra. I shared my feelings and thoughts with my  artist/professor friends from University. One assured me, the best thing to do for this is create more work. Another suggested  I not get my underwear too much in a knot. He thought as perhaps I needed to take this reprieve as a way to clear the slate, clear out the University cob webs. And so they both where right and I got busy fueling the creative fire through reading, drawing and doodling until amazingly I had completed six paintings I am very happy with. I do feel I am done with this series. I am not certain I will return to them but remain open to whatever I am drawn to create. I am ruminating over two ideas presently, so it is to be seen what my imagination comes up with.  

Until tomorrow I will try not to let my meat loaf and look forward to blogging again as I have missed it a lot!

Thank you to all my fans and readers for your love, support and patience.

Self-Publishing, Kindle, The Printed Blog

Now that I have finished school, I have been happily turning my garden, getting it ready for planting, which I dearly love, and it is form of meditative, creative therapy for me, where I can reconnect with the earth, my soul and with the God of my understanding.

 
I often listen to CBC radio while I'm outside digging. I learn so much from the variety of CBC Radio programing. It's always been this way, growing up we listened to the radio as a family and individually as a great source of entertainment and knowledge.

A few days ago while digging in the soil, I heard a woman talking about how she'd written and self-published books online, through Amazon Kindle. I thought wow that's wonderful, and I wished I could do that! I was also thinking it wouldn't be possible for me to publish my blog through Kindle because I didn't think blogs would be accepted. I was wrong and very pleasantly surprised to find out I could, and I would be published! I really am not certain what their criteria is, in deciding who gets published or not. I did write Kindle, inquiring what the criteria is, but haven't heard back as of yet. 

The satisfaction of self-publishing is very appealing for the talented or regular schmo, simply wanting to share their own personal stories and we all have one or even  many to tell. Too often we believe we don't have a story worthwhile sharing, but I have come to realize that we can never underestimate how our own story can help someone else.

One of the obvious advantages of self-publishing I would think, is avoiding the daunting obstacle course, hurdles that lie ahead, and the rigors of having to face rejection after rejection, from various publishing companies, not to mention the financial burdens that exist for many of us in the creative field. 

A few years back on CBC radio I also learned about The Printed Blog which is a really attractive idea to me. Founder, Josh Karp believes there is great online content out there and bloggers should be remitted accordingly. He is committed to the idea of the printed word, in hard copy publishing, as a magazine/newspaper.
Time will tell if this idea is going to fly. I sure hope it does! The Printed Blog was up and running for about a year and then he was forced to shut the operation down due to financial issues and now he has started up again with a renewed vision. I sure wish him well and the very best of luck.

During Tim Jahns' interview of Karp with Entrepreneurs Unplugged, entitled, What Josh Karp Learned As Founder of The Printed Blog, Karp impresses me as being the kind of entrepreneur the business world is in need of, one who believes in people, with a positive attitude, full of imagination and resiliently enterprising.

I  strongly believe in the power of the printed word, however why can't we have both on and off line? We all have to use our own intelligence and discernment in deciding what is valuable and factual truth, regardless of the sourced media  material we choose.

Bloggers and journalists, according to Josh Karp, are very enthusiastic about his endeavor. I believe we are redefining our ideas and notions of what journalism, and  publishing means. I think this is a good thing.