inspiration

Announcing Watercolor Fridays

/ inkspeare
English: A palette of watercolours and a brush...

English: A palette of watercolours and a brush. Deutsch: Wasserfarben und Pinsel. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, I announce the first Watercolor Friday on this blog, and hopefully, many more will follow.  What is Watercolor Fridays? Well, every Friday I will celebrate other blogs, other’s achievements, inspire or gift something, whatever that might be at the time – a book, info, art … It is my way to celebrate this beautiful place we call home, our planet, and this wonderful community of writers/bloggers.  Each one of us is like a small piece of watercolored paper scattered on Earth, and each one of us have something to contribute, a picture to paint in our journey, and of course to be celebrated, and hopefully, our colors will run into one another, thus enjoying what each one of us has to offer. I hope that you get to enjoy Watercolor Fridays.

To start our first Watercolor Friday, I want to celebrate and share with you five awesome blogs that I have read for a while and hopefully, you will get to know and visit them.  I call them my oldies. Here they are.

  1.  http://marcschuster.wordpress.com/ This blog is from author Marc Schuster and is called Abominations.  It is a place where you will find humor, art, information, and writer’s insight.  I recommend his latest novel The Grievers, you will love it, hopefully as much as I did. It is an awesome book.
  2. http://jitterygt.wordpress.com/ The Jittery Goat will certainly take you by surprise with its unique humor or seriousness, and sometimes, a tiny healthy dose of cynicism, but other times, be prepare to take this blogger’s honest opinion – whether you agree with it or not, shocking or not.  And this is precisely, what makes The Jittery Goat different, and not sugar-coated.  This blog is certainly worth visiting and will sometimes take you to a place in time, with vivid descriptions in the unique style of this author.
  3. http://rosekate.me/ I call this blog a blog of beauty.  I have enjoyed the images of this photographer for some time, and this was one of the first blogs I started following, and do till’ today.  The images here are a celebration of life.  I am sure that you will enjoy it.
  4. http://fromacountrycottage.wordpress.com/ I followed this blog as former blog Arignagardener, it has moved to Fromacountrycottage.  I recommend this blog to lovers of country living, simple living, and organic living.  There is always something good to read and awesome pictures.  During the process of it moving, I missed a few posts, since I had to follow the new blog and had forgotten to do so, then realized that I was missing its posts. Glad I got back to it.
  5. http://anunrefinedvegan.com/ This is one of the first blogs I followed and I still visit.  Here, you will find great vegan recipes and organic tips, as well as the appetizing pictures of these yummy recipes, which the blogger prepares herself most of the time.  It is an awesome blog for vegans but also vegetarians, and pretty much anyone who wants to learn to eat healthier but at the same time yummy.

Well, these are my five oldies that I am celebrating today to commence Watercolor Fridays.  Hope you enjoy these as much as I do or more 🙂

Awesome Blogs that I am Loving Right Now!

/ inkspeare / 2 Comments

From time to time, I like to share a post about some blogs that I am enjoying and recently have gotten to visit more often.  Topics range because I like a variety of content. Here are five favorites that I have enjoyed reading more recently.

  1. http://simpletombornhigh.com/ – I am enjoying this blog very much. Simple Tom brings something new every day, and he lives with zest and passion. You will certainly enjoy his joyful style, which is contagious 🙂
  2. http://gallivance.net/ – I enjoy this blog because it brings you a lot of visual impact with beautiful pictures of their travels, but the information is brought in a very real way, personal and entertaining.
  3. http://sheslosingit.net/ This blog is very informative and inspirational, if you are trying to get fit and live a better life.  The information is brought to you in a fun and real way, and you get to experience the blogger’s journey too.
  4. http://oldworldgardenfarms.com/ If  you visit my blog, you know about my love for farming and my intentions to move to a rural setting and start doing just that.  I love this blog and it has tons of how to do projects, and will certainly be very helpful in the near future.
  5. http://michelleproulx.wordpress.com/ I love the blog of this young writer. It is full of punch and energy, as well as videos and pictures of some of the most interesting moments of her journey. She always makes the topic fun and to the point.  You will enjoy it very much.

There are many more new blogs (for me) that I am enjoying, and some awesome blogs that I have read for some time. Maybe I will share those oldies on another post.  I hope that you get to visit these and enjoy them as well.

How to Stay Balanced When You are Upside Down

/ inkspeare
A triangular prism, dispersing light; waves sh...

A triangular prism, dispersing light; waves shown to illustrate the differing wavelengths of light. (Click to view animation) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, I didn’t want to write about my novel or a writing topic, but instead, I wanted to write about what I was inspired at the moment.  So I asked my Muse, what do you want me to write about today? The title you just read came to mind, so that is what I am writing about this instant.

As someone who has known what this means, I can tell you that it is not easy to hang in there when everything has flipped upside down at one point in your life.  When your world hangs the opposite to your focus, it is easy to be discouraged, throw the towel, and just hang for eternity.  I think that hanging a bit is fine because you need to rest to fix your focus.  You need to rest emotionally, physically, and spiritually, as well as in the material state.  So give yourself time to just be, and let your broken spirit rest.

Once you have rested and pondered on your misery, the moment to make a decision knocks at the door of your heart, and you know that this is the time when you decide to pick yourself up and fix your focus, or maintain a state of hanging, sinking slowly into a deep hole.  Whether the contents of that hole is depression, sadness, anger, hopelessness, inertia, hate, laziness … and many other things, it is different to each individual.  However, when you are hanging upside down, after the rest, you will hear that knock, and you will have to answer.  Whether you start pulling at that rope, lifting yourself up slowly, and appreciating how the image comes back to focus bit by bit, or let the rope go, it is up to you.  One thing is for sure, you need to balance yourself to be able to pull that rope and getting yourself back up.  How is it possible to balance yourself when everything around you seems to be spinning out of control and you hang but by a leg?  It is not easy, but it is possible.  This happens when you rest and give yourself time to focus.

  • First, you need to recognize that you need help – whether from a professional or a best friend, and of course yourself.  Whether you can do this on your own, or need help is personal.
  • Second, you need to recognize that there are no blames in this process.  I truly believe that we are responsible for our own choices, and no one is to blame.
  • Third, you think about what you believe as truth in your life and make a commitment to yourself.
  • Fourth, you learn to view the world upside down for a while, and ponder about it.  What you discover about it may surprise you.
  • Fifth, you learn what your priorities are, and decide to make them your priority or not – knowing that there will be consequences to your decision (positive or negative).
  • Sixth, you accept to deal with those consequences understanding the process.
  • Seventh, you do this slowly, one step at a time.
  • Eight, you remain true to your beliefs and priorities when you start to fix your focus.
  • Ninth, you will discover that some things from your old upside down world, do not go into focus no matter how hard you try, so you will have to let those go, otherwise you will stay out of focus in some areas.  In this process, you will learn to say no.  You will learn that you will have to accept that you cannot please everyone. You will also learn to weigh which opinions matter more to you – others or yours.
  • Tenth, you must accept that no one can live your life but you, and that you cannot live your life according to other’s ideas of what your world should look like.  You have been given a responsibility to manage your life (a gift) and live it as well as you can; however your truths and priorities will guide you here.
  • Eleventh, this is when you start feeling that the image in front of you is just an image, and what matters is how you feel about it and how you live your life in this quasi upside down world.  You make it as straight as you want, and you do it one step at a time, balancing yourself in the process – checking from time to time your beliefs, truths, and priorities.
  • Twelfth, the realization that you are always in control hits you, and suddenly, even that you might be still pulling yourself up as you pull on the rope slowly, trying to straighten your world and fix your focus, you can see that the view upside down and in between is as ugly or beautiful as you make it to be, and that there is always a prism changing colors.

This is what I had to write today.

 

Welcome Your Muse

/ inkspeare / 5 Comments
Hesiod and the Muse

Hesiod and the Muse (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For some reason, the Muse have visited frequently these couple of months.  She has knocked at the door of my mind and dreams.  What happens when your Muse shows up?  Do you ignore her/him or honor her request?  I chose to pay attention.  Let me give you and example of how she made her appearance and what I did at the moment.

Last week, I was at the parking lot of a local WAWA with my husband.  We got coffee and were ready to go on the road.  We were talking and observing the people going in and out, just casual conversation.  My husband said something, and that triggered a rainstorm of images in my mind.  It was a complete story, and I liked it.  I said to my husband, “Wait, let me write something down really quick.”  I took a small notebook and pen that I keep in the car and wrote about all the images as best I could.  He knew what I was doing so he kept quiet until I finished, enjoying his coffee.  In a few minutes, I was done writing, and we proceeded with our conversation.  Once I got home, in the afternoon, I took out my notes and I typed a more detailed version of the images.  The reason for this is that I need as much detail as possible, since that story will be filed until I am able to work on it, since I still have to finish writing book 2 and 3 of The Dinorah Chronicles.  This is an example of how the Muse visited quickly and how I listened to her.  I could have ignored the story, and kept doing what I was doing, hoping that I would remember all the details later, but with me it doesn’t happen that way; I would have forgotten.

That same week, I had a very fast dream. Once awaken, I remembered it, and realized it was the beginning of a story that I liked, a different story, and unrelated to anything that I was working on at the time or other ideas.  Immediately, I wrote it down, as I realized that the Muse had visited once more.  This is how I acknowledge the Muse.  I dream a lot; however, not every dream is necessary something that I would like to write.  Recognizing the Muse’s visit is a way of acknowledging her gift.

As writers, we may get ideas 24/7, and usually these come out of the sudden.  This is why it is important to have a small notepad/pen nearby.  I keep one in my bag, at my bedside, and in the car.  Just for when the Muse shows up.

How do you acknowledge your Muse?

The Next Logical Step

/ inkspeare / 6 Comments

What is the next logical step?

This is a question that I have learned to ask myself, although I don’t consider myself a “dead logical” person all the time. Yes, from time to time I let my mind dream and soar through illogical paths and fantasize about the not so probable but possible, and the totally illogical. However, when it is time to get serious about making decisions, I listen to my mind, then to my heart, and then ask – What is the next logical step? Most likely, I will find the correct answer; however, turmoil starts when the mind and the heart are pointing to different solutions. Then I must ask again, What is the next logical step, and why? This usually dissolves the turmoil, and an agreement between mind and heart takes place.

In relation to my writing and deciding which route to take on publishing my novels, which have been pilling up waiting for the turmoil between mind and heart, and current reality to dissipate, I have asked myself this question by the end of this year. Part of my reluctance to publish, besides having to decide which venue to take – traditional route (agent) or self-publishing, was that I will be relocating to another state, but the move has been postponed for a while, and that affects the way I would do marketing for a particular area (thinking local of course). So this is what has happened between mind and heart, in respect to this important decision.

MIND – “You should go the traditional route, and find an agent. The self-published stigma is still out there, although things are changing fast and the publishing industry is undergoing a revolution.”

HEART – “You know what you want but won’t admit it; self-publishing is what you long for, and what matches your work ethic and personality very closely.”

MIND – “Once you self-publish, there is no going back; it is done, out there, and cannot be undone. Besides, you will join the chaos, and will end up in the same pile – garbage or not, it is one big messy pile right now.”

HEART – “What if you do? What if you don’t?”

MIND – “Giving the current situation, the change of tide, your likes and dislikes about the whole thing, what is the next logical step?”

HEART AND MIND – “The next logical step is to decide, either way.”

A compromise is agreed between Heart and Mind, and ONE query (only One) is sent. Immediately, Heart and Mind agree on something.

HEART AND MIND – “Oh, I wish I hadn’t sent that query; it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I hope it never gets answered. Oh, I see now.”

Queries are stopped from going out and soon, there seems to be no dilemma, there is no sense in sending a query, that is, when I am not sure that the right path is traditional publishing.  Later on the right path emerges – Self-publishing is the right path for me.  For me, the right way to do it was to come to a halt, to be able to go on.

I am probably one of the few people who has decided to self-publish without sending out queries (well, I sent one), and feels good about it. Therefore, I am planning to publish my novels this year, hopefully with a few months apart in between, date pending and will be announced soon.

If you have reached a crossroads, why not ask yourself, “What is the next logical step?”

End of Year Cheer

/ inkspeare / 1 Comment

I will be away from blogging until next year, so I want to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting and commenting on Inkspeare and for making the WordPress experience so enjoyable, and that goes for WordPress staff as well. My most sincere and loving wishes for the Holidays and for the new year. May your light keep shining and may you find joy and love in everything you do. This poem is from me to you 🙂

One in Many

On this day I shall wish
many blessings, harmony
 When the night gives in to day
and the day nestles the night,
we will be as one in many.

Shine your light for it will be
as the beacon one will see
Always seek your love to give
without measure, plenty and free.

As you give you will receive,
one in many it has been.
 Me, You, It, one and the same,
Love, One Source, is One in many.

As you wish it will be done,
may you wish, joy, peace, and love
For it returns the wish to wisher,
two ten fold, as one in many.

Hope that you enjoy the poem and may you have a blessed, prosperous, and happy New 2013!

The Quest for Mind Domination – Our Quest

/ inkspeare
English: Earth rotation as seen against the Mi...

English: Earth rotation as seen against the Milkyway-background. Animation from 20 single exposures with a DSLR on an motorized, equatorial mount. Deutsch: Rotation der Erde gegenüber dem Milchstrassenhintergrund. Animation aus 20 Einzelaufnahmen mit einer DSLR auf motorisierter, äquatorialer Montierung. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The other day, I was thinking about what makes “me” and inevitably, I went down memory lane, visiting childhood and young adult memories.  I saw a young mind being shaped by the people and experiences around it, a series of beliefs, traditions, cultural traits … which began clothing and molding “me.”   Although I turned out a decent human being, I realized that I could have shed out a few of those beliefs or ideas, with which I was not totally in tune with (as a young adult and older), but accepted anyway, since they had been passed on by generations and culture.

Many times, we feel obligated to believe or “honor” a system of beliefs/values/information that has been passed along in our upbringing and we end up living our life in a constant silent battle of ideas.  Our mind has been dominated by other’s beliefs/ideas and they have nested in us for so long, that even when we feel that we no longer need them, we feel obligated to carry them with us, in fear of dishonoring someone’s memory or culture or social ties.  We don’t realize the harm that we are doing to “me” when we keep holding on to ideas that do not fit us anymore.

In being fair to “me” I realized that one can only continue to grow and evolve if one sheds out all that does not feel in tune with the actual self, with the person that is and continues to be, whether that be religious, social, or cultural ideas.  Is that an easy thing to do? Not really; most likely, you will encounter opposition from many sides, internal and external, as well as judgement or pre-assumptions.  The real issue here is, do you keep evolving or do you “play nice” and hold on to those ideas (which do not serve you anymore) for self-preservation (avoiding judgement or hurting feelings).

It takes guts to say, “I am finally free and I don’t have to believe in anything anymore; I just am.”  The key words here are have to.  When you feel that you have to believe or accept an idea which you have outgrown you are denying the essence of being; you are reversing the process of creation, of creativity.  You may exist, but you are not – you are not creating, you are un-creating.  You are denying your essence (I’m not talking about ego here).  I choose to believe that I am part of a greater and collective creation, and that in order to honor (LOVE) that essence, first, I must honor (LOVE) my own.  To be (part of creation), first I have to know and respect that I am.  By acknowledging that, I am opening the door to LOVE, the essence to all.

 

Don’t Undervalue Your Art

/ inkspeare
Mass-produced hamburgers.

Mass-produced hamburgers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Would you sell your soul for a penny?  I think most of us would answer NO to that question.  To me, Art comes from the soul, whether it is a novel, a painting, a handmade piece.  When an artist creates a piece, he/she pours soul into it.  I wrote artist, because there is a difference between someone making something for commercial purposes, mass-produced, rushed, or repetitive, and someone who pours his/her soul into creating something.  I can see this in the self-publishing industry, were writers are taking advantage of the boom, and writing quantity, many times, priced very low, hoping to get momentum and creating a stream of constant flow of income.  There is nothing wrong with that, if that is what someone wants to do; however, when you love the craft and pour your soul into it, most likely, quantity will not matter.

That is the difference between product and art, the soul’s passion that goes into it.  Of course, eventually, an art piece/novel becomes a product in the market and will generate income, however, for the artist, the rewards go deeper than that.  It is the satisfaction of presenting art to the public, knowing that it is a part of him/her and has been crafted in due time – when it is ready and perfect enough in his/her eyes, to be released.

A hobby can be easily commercialized, mass-produced if you want; art is beyond that, bigger than money, however of value, extending from the inner self of the artist and going as far as it can reach the souls of others, and therefore, not disposable, but becoming immortal in the souls of those who appreciate it.

Ask yourself, am I an artist or a production leader?

 

The Ghost of a Thousand Lives

/ inkspeare
Ghost?!

Ghost?! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Muse made me do it …

The Ghost of a Thousand Lives

Where is the crown that makes you king?

Where is the sword that shines of courage?

Where is the stare that froze a thousand fires?

Where is the fire that melts an iceberg heart?

Where have you gone, the eyes cannot see,

If not but a speck of the brave, nor a sunshine ray,

In the depths of the soul, the hero is lost,

All that remains … the ghost of a thousand lives.