Presenting: Creative Living Experiment - The Sequel

blossoming

It's time.

I'll miss this space, but I bought the URL and I've been paying for Squarespace since January. Please come join me at my new digs: www.creativelivingexperiment.com.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Experimenting with a New Series: Creative Triggers

This is the first of a series of posts on personal creative triggers: places, people or things from which I draw creative or artistic inspiration. These triggers may have spurred a burst of overall creative energy with no particular rhyme or reason, inspired a certain look & feel for a specific painting or sparked an interest to further unfurl my creative wings. I'm leaving it open.

My experiment will initially consist of four Creative Trigger posts during the month of March - one each week. You might not find anything new or maybe you will. You might find something familiar, but with a different twist, or maybe you'll find a timely reminder. As always I encourage you to take what you like and leave the rest.

Let's begin.

Creativity Trigger #1: Documentaries

I am a self-confessed documentary geek (nerd? junkie?). I rarely leave the library without picking one up. Whether they're about artists, chickens or muscle cars, documentaries have the potential to inspire in many ways:

• how they're filmed - the cinematography, the chosen slant or the narrative style (for example, à la Ken Burns) may help shape our next painting, story or blog post;
• biographies about leaders and other independent spirits can inspire us to be resourceful, fearless and persistent in our own creative endeavours;
• biographies about artists, writers or photographers may prompt us to play with new tools, techniques or creative processes (don't forget to check out the special features for insights into the documentary maker's own creative process);
• exposure to different subjects and ideas can trigger even more ideas by combining them with the ones we already have;
• travel documentaries may plant a seed to explore region-specific art or architecture, or maybe even plan a trip to capture an area's beauty in person through words, a lens or on canvas; and
  
• how-to documentaries teach us, well, how to do stuff.

Some of my favourite documentary discoveries include:

• In the Realms of the Unreal (Explores the life and work of Henry Darger. I was inspired by Darger's resourcefulness and his mind-blowing creativity, plus the project planner in me loved how he backed up his stories with meticulous documentation.)
• Eloquent Nude, The Love and Legacy of Edward Weston and Charis Wilson (This made me want to set off on a road trip with D. and document it - him with his camera, me with my laptop.)
• Man Ray, Prophet of the Avant-Garde (Before stumbling upon this documentary I'd never heard of Man Ray; now I have.)
• The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo (Frida! I can never get enough of Frida.)
• Chased by the Light - A Video Journey with Jim Brandenburg (Stunning images captured by National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg on his quest to re-claim his photographic centre by limiting himself to one click of the shutter a day for 90 days.)
• Riding the Rails (Explores the lives of teenage freight-train riders during the Great Depression. Something about the images and footage from the Depression era speaks to me.)

All of these were picked up on a whim at my local library for free - and I could list many more.

Tell me, what documentaries inspire you?

A Catch-up Post

[Warning: It’s long.]

~ D. and I were asked if we’d consider moving out of the house we’re renting two months earlier than planned, for June 1^st. We will, and after agonizing over the “Do we buy or do we rent again?” question for weeks we decided on renting. So now we search. Knowing that I’ll be moving in less than four months but not knowing where has me discombobulated. Home is an important piece of my foundation and when it’s threatened I get agitated. I would be a sucky nomad.

~ My sweetie gave me a copy of Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book, Committed, A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage, for Valentine’s Day. He’s a keeper, non? It does beg the question though if he thinks I'm a skeptic when it comes to marriage; maybe last year’s post-proposal cold sweats in the middle of the night gave it away. Yet here I am trusting, risking and loving, seeing where this nuptial ride will take me – where it will take us. I can't wait to delve into the book.

~ My return to work after two months off isn’t going as well as I hoped it would. After five weeks back I am snippy, intolerant, impatient, and feel just about how I felt before I left last October to rest. Surely there’s a lesson to learn here. In the meantime I don’t know how to deal with it; it’s leaving me exhausted and drained.

~ Last week I enjoyed dinner with a dear friend of mine. Afterward we popped over to a favourite new age bookstore I used to frequent, but hadn’t in a long time (you know the kind: tarot cards, incense, etc.), Maybe it was the incense, maybe it was the crystal bowls chakra chants or maybe it was seeing calendars by fellow Squammette Liz (so cool!), but for the first time in months I felt a few moments of inner peace. It was bliss.

~ D. and I enjoyed an amazing weekend at a luxury château in the woods. Posh yet not pretentious it was balm for the soul. Sipping chocolate-sprinkled hot chocolate beside a three-storey six-sided fireplace is definitely the way to go. Before reaching our woodland destination we caught an exhibit by J.W. Waterhouse at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The highlights: watching D. – who is much more familiar with Waterhouse’s work than I am – scurry from one painting to another saying “Come see this one! And this one!”, and seeing the original version of the Waterhouse reproduction on display in our guest room.

~ On this morning's commute to the office someone behind me honked, gesturing for me to hurry up. Without even blinking I look straight at him in my rear view mirror, broke into a wide grin and waved vigorously. It cracked me up. The guy behind me not so much. [grin]

~ The registration for Squam Art Workshops opened last week. After attending two years in a row I’m not sure if I’m going this year, but I highly recommend it! I have a soft spot for the fall session m’self. Not only is the focus on visual arts appealing, but New Hampshire in September is divine.

~ January 25th quietly marked my four year blogging anniversary. I started an Urban Living Experiment when I moved to a sweet apartment in a 1920s walk-up after separating from my then husband; when I started the blog I had no clue where it would lead me. Truth is, today I feel I'm at a blogging standstill and that my writing's gone stale. I have plenty of ideas including a fun (OK, what I think would be a fun) snail mail social networking experiment and I’ve had draft posts in the wings since September. I bought a URL and have a partially revamped blog waiting to come out. There’s just no juice to make it happen. I’m not ready to give up though so I carry on, one post at a time.

Catch-up complete. Till the next post…

Dear NaBloPoMo

Dear NaBloPoMo,

You were fun while you lasted, but alas it is time we part ways.

You see, you have unfortunately become a daily burden that no longer brings me pleasure. Instead of writing with meaning I am writing out of obligation which leaves me stale, and that's just no fun for anyone - not for me nor for my readers.

I may continue posting daily or I may not. I am giving myself permission to bow out if I am not feeling it. It is not easy for a perfectionist like me to stop a commitment to a project such as yours halfway through, oh no not easy at all. But it feels right and this I must follow.

Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone not only in writing, but in listening to that tiny voice that lets me know when things aren't working for me. For that I am grateful.

Your timing may have been off for 2009, but rest assured that you will remain in my good thoughts and consideration for years to come.

Sincerely,

Steph

On Blogging, Fear and Authenticity

I don't know what to write tonight, but I'm toying with the idea of participating (unofficially of course) in NaBloPoMo so I'm sitting here typing with the hopes that something semi-intelligent will make its way through the keyboard to the screen for Day 1 just in case.

Truth is, I've lost confidence in my ability to write here. It's not for a lack of ideas, I have a notebook full of scribbles and sometimes my mind is moving so fast I can hardly keep up with it.

It's about fear. Fear of what others will think of me, fear that whatever I write has already been said, fear of being boring. Fear that communities I've found or connections I've made through specific parts of my life won't like reading about what's going on in other parts and reject me.

These fears can lead to writing that is safe and stays at the surface. That's not necessarily what I want. I like to explore and be true and sometimes that means taking risks. So although they may shift, just for today - or maybe this month - I will remind myself of the goals I laid out for my Creative Living Experiment back in May:

1. to observe life in and around me,
2. to write regularly,
3. to document my experiment in creating a life I want - whatever fields of interest that may include, and
4. to expand my mind and life experience by learning more about my interests and sharing what I’ve learned with others.

I see nothing about self-imposed peer pressure, safety or perfection. What I do see is opportunity to learn, reflect, practice and share an honest, authentic version of myself that includes all parts of me.

Surely that should be enough to get me through Day 2.

Trust to Thy Heart

"Feeling is deep and still;
and the word that floats on the surface
Is as the tossing buoy,
that betrays where the anchor is hidden.
Therefore, trust to thy heart,
and to what the world calls illusions."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie

So sensuous are his words they make me run my fingers along the page with longing, oblivious to the world around me.

New Digs, New Focus

Welcome to my new space - #22 on my list!

This site has been percolating in my mind and soul since January 2007. I played with names (Renaissance Rambles, Simple Living Experiment, Authentic Living Experiment), but the Universe has a way of working its magic and the past six months have led me to embark on a Creative Living Experiment as in creating-the-life-I-want, a life true to me.

There will be tweaking and playing with the layout in weeks to come, adding my blogroll and other tidbits. Content will be similar to that of my Urban Living Experiment with maybe an added focus on my journey in creating meaningful work, writing and the visual arts.

Being the renaissance soul that I am (a poetic way of saying that I’m focus-challenged) I suspect you’ll also find pieces about simple and frugal living, nature, books, financial independence and productivity. Add to that the odd pondering, grateful, wedding update, photo recap, movie review, local event, hiking or outdoor expedition, Life’s Big Questions (LBQs) and whatever tickles my fancy, and you’ll have well-rounded entertainment at your fingertips!

My original blogging goals of observing life in and around me, writing regularly and documenting my experiment remain.

I’ve added a fourth goal to use Creative Living Experiment as a vehicle to learn more about my interests and share what I’ve learned with others – a partially selfish goal with the hopes that it will prod me to expand my mind and life experience. I encourage you to take what you like and leave the rest.

Creative Living Experiment is a continued journey, a switch in focus from healing past hurts to creating new love and life. It’s a sequel to my Urban Living Experiment and the few years that came before it. I look forward to seeing where it leads me.

Thank you for being here. I do hope you’ll join me and see where it may lead you.

Love & hugs,

Steph

xox