The Art of Finishing Two heavy boxes arrived in this afternoon’s mail. My husband carried them inside. I screamed and ran over to them with scissors. These boxes held my version of art. They contained my author’s copies of my latest book, Speak From Within. Two of my books have been fiction. The first two…
(Today’s Show Up! Journal power words): Make your mind your inspiration and make your body your instrument. That’s how you create, make art, and change the world. All the thoughts and inspiration in the world don’t mean diddly unless you use them to do something, unless you make them express something. If you don’t use…
Morning meditation. I spent some time this morning meditating on the goals depicted in this sculpture I created. I love symbols and totems. I use them as concrete touchstones of my goals, And I visualize those successes as I meditate on the piece. This artwork represents my goals of writing, music, and teaching. I teach…
Today’s Show Up! Journal power words. Each of us is an artist. We don’t have to hold a paintbrush or a guitar to be one. We can create art in how we think, what we say, and what we do. As long as these things come from that passionate place inside each of us, that…
Anyone who has ever worked with me, in any teaching capacity, knows my first act when teaching is to get everyone to stop and breathe. Whether I am working with fourth graders or NASA scientists, I always say the following: “Before we start, I’m going to ask you all to stand on up …” and…
Yesterday, when I promised to write about this topic, I thought I would be rarin’ to go. I’m amazed how insidious that self-doubt can be. I’ll do anything to avoid getting my butt in the seat and doing the work. I’ll walk the dog, I’ll meditate (again). I’ll drink more water. By themselves, these things…
I’m reading Steven Pressfield’s excellent book, “The War of Art.” If you have any desire to pursue your art, run towards this book with open arms. So far, it’s amazing, validating, and oh so frustrating. Pressfield points out all the hidden places we run to keep ourselves from working on our art/craft. I’ve winced more…
Yesterday, I facilitated my “Present Out Loud” workshop at Balticon (the Maryland Regional Science Fiction/Fantasy convention). The workshop is on how to present/read your work at bookstore events, interviews, audio narrations, and workshops. We worked on breath technique, voicing, characterization, and how to differentiate your narrator from your characters and their dialogue. But mostly, we…
When you create, sensitivity is a must. But when you are trying to sell what you’ve created, it can be downright dangerous. This is what has me thinking this morning before I head out to another day at Balticon (The Baltimore Science Fiction Convention at which I am a presenter/participant this year). I’m about to…
I love Happenstance Art. It sneaks up on me and throws fairy dust in my eyes. It challenges me to stop what I’m doing and pay attention. It reminds me to be mindful. I think that most of the time, art is placed as something separate from our day to day lives. We tend to…