Saturday, January 22, 2022

Paint like you mean it

Paint?  Didn’t I mean to type “write” there?  Well, not this time.  See, I’ve actually taken up painting.  But much like my practice sessions with my guitar, I don’t plan to post my pictures anywhere for the time being.  I simply like to paint and draw.  I have always doodled.  (Yes, I wrote a poem about doodling … a pretty big accomplishment because I didn’t actually put any real doodles in the poem which took some massive self-control).  

A friend took me to a painting class for Christmas.  I got so involved in my painting that I didn’t even check my phone for over 2 hours!  (Everyone was home safe and I have a device on my wrist that would’ve alerted me had there been an emergency).  It was such a freeing feeling.

When I write, I do have dedicated writing spaces.  The nice thing about writing is you write anywhere depending on how you are putting your words down.  I’m not picky - I still use journals, my phone, tablets, even scraps of paper, etc.  But, things often come up (even behind a closed door) and so my concentration is typically scattered when I’m working on my writing.  The painting class taught me that undivided attention on one thing is so much better.

Having enjoyed it so much, I decided to get painting supplies.  We already had some from craft days, so I combined those with the new stuff I got at Michael’s.  I also like to go to Cheap Joe’s for art stuff. 

Last weekend, I had some free time so I sat down and started to paint pictures.  The other night I had some free time, so I sat down and began to draw something.  

It’s like foraging a new path in the woods, to sit down with another type of art before you start with the one you’re usually doing.  I haven’t thought about making a broadside or an art painting with words in them, but I could.  It really gives you thoughts on different ways to approach your work.

I have experimented with this in another way too with my YouTube channel.  Usually, I post some of my writing stuff, but I mostly post train videos cause I love trains!  (I have at least 2 poetry books out with train poems in them.)

Whatever you do, paint, sing, write … do it like you mean it.  Then see where it will take you!

Saturday, January 1, 2022

It’s a New Year aka Welcome to 2022!

 Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2022!

The start of a new year is a time to reflect and to maybe make changes in your writing, how you write, what you write, etc.  I’ve been looking at Art all the way around and how it can influence or contribute to what I want to write.

For me, I really like to go see new places.  I also enjoy taking pictures - and sometimes in a different angle or way.  I especially enjoy reflections for photos.  I’ve liked those type of pictures since I took Photography in College.  

I believe if you enjoy the Arts that each part of it can help you better the one you choose to spend the most time on.  A friend of mine took me to a painting class for my birthday and for Christmas, and it was so much fun.  I didn’t quite follow the rules and did my own thing and even had my painting compared to one of my favorite painters.  His work probably did seep into mine.  

I don’t know if I’ll take up painting anytime soon as I’ve always been a painter of words.  But I do like allowing myself to experience art in a different way, whether I write about it or not.

Here are some pictures I took this week.  They really make me think about things in new ways.

What’s going to be your new plan for your writing for 2022?






Artemis at Sunset

As this year begins to come to a close, I thought about one of my favorite things to do: watching sunsets.  While I am often up early enough...