To my regular readers ... I have been away for quite some time, as you have seen. The year got off to a bit of a bumpy start, and then I needed to take some time off and clear my mind. Wanted to be sure that as I move forward I do so with a clear vision of the path before me in mind, rather than just continuing to do what I was doing before out of assumption that I my course was still correct. Refreshed, I am here for you today ready to rock and roll.
On with Today's Blog ...
On my Facebook page yesterday I shared a photo of the first day of spring on our farm; quite a lovely day. It felt great to be walking around, feeling the warmth of sunshine on my back and shoulders, my face...hearing the voices of hundreds and hundreds of birds, the peeping of peepers...seeing the river out front glistening brightly under open sunshine with a beautiful flow of water easing its way along downstream.
During my nearly 3-month long break from blog writing, I have been exercising my creativity in a variety of ways. Something I don't have much time for at this point in my life is fiction writing, although that is the writing I move love to engage in. It used to be that I had to be prepared to "catch" my fiction as it poured forth from my mind, otherwise it would dissolve into the ether. Often I found myself concocting a story during the middle of the night as I lay awake in bed, needing to get some sleep. The clarity of those thoughts, the exact wording that flowed out of me so eloquently were gone nearly as quickly as they appeared.
As I have attended to some non-writing, non-business matters over the past three months, I have had quite a lot of time to reflect on various things and what has happened is that one story out of a few I have been loosely thinking of over the past few years, began materializing. The five central characters began to step forward in my mind and tell me more about themselves, their thoughts, and struggles. The setting has taken shape, the plot line has formed itself up ... and I am retaining it all even though I have written little of it down.
Over the course of the past ten years, my writing process has evolved into a routine of living life, thinking of whatever my current writing project is (for clients or for my blog), retaining the ideas in my mind then writing them down later when I can I get some quiet time to myself. The discipline of writing that way over a period of years has now segued into the process I now discover I can use to write my fiction stories. This wonderful new thing of not losing the ideas that have formed so clearly in my mind is very liberating. It will still take time to do the business of writing the entire story in typewritten words as opposed to thoughts of words, but I feel a deep a great sense of creative satisfaction at the development of this story in my mind.
I have also been needle felting, and this little fellow is one result of that creativity. He is a pretty goofy looking rabbit, but sweet and someone I know who has tiny hands enjoys playing with him very much. A number of readers over time have asked if I will publish and sell instructions for making needle felting items and I have decided I would like to do that (in addition to publishing more knitting patterns). I am finishing up one more bunny rabbit and when he is finished I will start preparing written instructions for needle felting in general, then get into the specifics of how to make the characters I have designed.
I am also working on a series of paintings (some watercolor, some oil) depicting various scenes and settings along our river; currently I am working on swans but I have some beautiful photos I have shot of turtles sunbathing on fallen logs, heron about to pounce into the water while fishing, and other lovely river scenes I plan to paint. As the paintings are finished, I will share them here with you.
My son continues to create his beautiful prints, maps, and photography. He and my husband and I have made plans for some prints and maps related to New York history, and as we get those items ready for the public I will let you know.
In closing for today, I will share a few more photos reflecting some of what I have done and seen over the past few months.
See you here again soon.
Warmly,
~firefly
To my regular readers ... I have been away for quite some time, as you have seen. The year got off to a bit of a bumpy start, and then I needed to take some time off and clear my mind. Wanted to be sure that as I move forward I do so with a clear vision of the path before me in mind, rather than just continuing to do what I was doing before out of assumption that I my course was still correct. Refreshed, I am here for you today ready to rock and roll.
On with Today's Blog ...
On my Facebook page yesterday I shared a photo of the first day of spring on our farm; quite a lovely day. It felt great to be walking around, feeling the warmth of sunshine on my back and shoulders, my face...hearing the voices of hundreds and hundreds of birds, the peeping of peepers...seeing the river out front glistening brightly under open sunshine with a beautiful flow of water easing its way along downstream.
During my nearly 3-month long break from blog writing, I have been exercising my creativity in a variety of ways. Something I don't have much time for at this point in my life is fiction writing, although that is the writing I move love to engage in. It used to be that I had to be prepared to "catch" my fiction as it poured forth from my mind, otherwise it would dissolve into the ether. Often I found myself concocting a story during the middle of the night as I lay awake in bed, needing to get some sleep. The clarity of those thoughts, the exact wording that flowed out of me so eloquently were gone nearly as quickly as they appeared.
As I have attended to some non-writing, non-business matters over the past three months, I have had quite a lot of time to reflect on various things and what has happened is that one story out of a few I have been loosely thinking of over the past few years, began materializing. The five central characters began to step forward in my mind and tell me more about themselves, their thoughts, and struggles. The setting has taken shape, the plot line has formed itself up ... and I am retaining it all even though I have written little of it down.
Over the course of the past ten years, my writing process has evolved into a routine of living life, thinking of whatever my current writing project is (for clients or for my blog), retaining the ideas in my mind then writing them down later when I can I get some quiet time to myself. The discipline of writing that way over a period of years has now segued into the process I now discover I can use to write my fiction stories. This wonderful new thing of not losing the ideas that have formed so clearly in my mind is very liberating. It will still take time to do the business of writing the entire story in typewritten words as opposed to thoughts of words, but I feel a deep a great sense of creative satisfaction at the development of this story in my mind.
I have also been needle felting, and this little fellow is one result of that creativity. He is a pretty goofy looking rabbit, but sweet and someone I know who has tiny hands enjoys playing with him very much. A number of readers over time have asked if I will publish and sell instructions for making needle felting items and I have decided I would like to do that (in addition to publishing more knitting patterns). I am finishing up one more bunny rabbit and when he is finished I will start preparing written instructions for needle felting in general, then get into the specifics of how to make the characters I have designed.
I am also working on a series of paintings (some watercolor, some oil) depicting various scenes and settings along our river; currently I am working on swans but I have some beautiful photos I have shot of turtles sunbathing on fallen logs, heron about to pounce into the water while fishing, and other lovely river scenes I plan to paint. As the paintings are finished, I will share them here with you.
My son continues to create his beautiful prints, maps, and photography. He and my husband and I have made plans for some prints and maps related to New York history, and as we get those items ready for the public I will let you know.
In closing for today, I will share a few more photos reflecting some of what I have done and seen over the past few months.
See you here again soon.
Warmly,
~firefly
