Getting inspiration

I often look at project on various plateform.  Be it the internet, magazines, classes various crafting kits, etc...  I don't always really do as the project is illustrated.  I like better to use projects I see as a jumping point for other projects.  Sometimes it is unrelated.

In the soap class I had taken, I remember having putting some different colored soap cubes in one of my soap.  It had a nice effect.  I done it with halloween molds (pumpkins and skull) to make soap pieces in those forms.  After that, I took those pieces and put it in a bigger differently colored soap.  It had a nice result.  Since then, I have used those soaps.  I now regret not having taken some photos then.  I may try it again in the near future.

I have found a project where I like the combination.  I had done something similar with the little skulls soaps.  I had done them with shea butter soap and I had put them in colored transparent soap.  The project is here: http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soaprecipes/ss/xmaschunksoap.htm?nl=1
It is done with soap bases.  It is chunks of colored soap in a white "enrobing".  Seeing the result, at the end of the tutorial is quite good looking.

It also makes me think of a unrelated technique that give a similar result but in jewelry: the rhinestones with epoxy clays.  When I started, there was only white and black epoxy clays.  Now, the palette is more varied.  I am not really into the bling thing.  But I am tempted to try with the new colors available.  I have found some here: http://www.amazon.ca/Crystal-Clay-2-Part-Epoxy-Green/dp/B009LSRCPI/ref=sr_1_4?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1418844012&sr=1-4&keywords=epoxy+clay
I will take one of them if I fail to find them at my craft store.

Candle making

Just saw this post: http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/holidayprojects/a/christmascandle.htm?nl=1
It is about Christmas mainly.  There is a little touch about candles.  Thinking of it, candles are a perfect fit with the holidays.  Candles are perfect to set a soft glowy mood.  They can be decorative.  I like those who are scented.

I do have many scented candles.  I buy from dark candles (http://darkcandles.com/)  I started to buy there before I learned to do candles.  I like the scent they have for their candles.  I can't find the scent they use in the craft stores I go.   On the dark candles website, they do have simmering oils but I don't think it can be used in candles.

I know of the Black Phoenix Alchemy lab (http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/) do have scent.  I just haven't look closely enough to see if they have similar scent that Dark Candles uses.  I haven't bought anything there in a while.  They have nice scent.

I have done some candles.  Both in a class in a craft store and in home.  I haven't done any since a while.  Maybe it is time to do some again.  I just have go buy some wax.  I also think I will buy some wax sheet.   It is a fun way to do candles too.  I think I will show the result to some people.  Maybe they will like it too!

Christmas wonderland, winter photos

 

The photos talk of themselves.  It is winter and there is snow.  Today, it is Christmas.  I wanted to do soemthing different.  I am thinking to start to take photos again.  It is a nice past time but it will help me for my tarot too.  I will take some photos this summer.  I have a few ideas of some places where I want to take some photos.  It will makes good photos, as I hope to take good ones.

Absinthe

Absinthe have a part in the history of creativity.  There was a time where it was really popular.  Some famous writers and artists were drinking absinthe.  It is making a coming back.  Recently, I bought some to try.  I found a few videos on the subjet.

Here are a debunking of some myths about it and some infos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YfqDpMZEhg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w09gGXpycjk&index=623&list=WL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHUlDt2lM_g&index=623&list=WL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igsc1CfcmGQ&list=WL&index=831 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxOGv6jHRKE&index=833&list=WL It show how it is made.

Here about the history of absinthe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW_EWtjx1TA&list=WL&index=622
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zKXL8GBh2E&index=834&list=WL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTvx11Fsq9g&index=814&list=WL  About history, alcohol content, an interesting bohemian way of drinking absinthe, a lot of explanation and some tasting.

A visit to absinthe makers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLYUqO-wMm4&list=WL&index=829
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb_I5Bi7DVQ&index=829&list=WL

Here are a few videos on how to drink it and the tools:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3zd6X43qqE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV3GOb7cNYM&index=622&list=WL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HkH1glleNs&index=833&list=WL  It show two ways to prepare absinthe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAPj6CX4h5U&list=WL&index=834
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AWNmRd_Ab8&list=WL&index=833  It show how to do absinthe without any fountain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaUYgo0T3mg&list=WL&index=828  It show without a fountain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57V1ukdo5fM&index=842&list=WL  It show the Czech technique of drinking it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiodSnP2AIc  Another one on the Czech technique of preparing it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NntaiAu419c&index=838&list=WL To look if you are in a hurry.

There are cocktails that can be made with absinthe.  It is two of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X2SBIeeQQw&list=WL&index=841
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLeLgjRv2vw

I even found an absinthe popsicles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wky6VmP3TtU

A French documentary on absinthe in two part:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d73PRYj1vNI&list=WL&index=829
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DfGG7OVgH8


There are other good videos out there.  I only saw a few that where a little bit less good.  I even saw one that had a humoristic tone.  Absinthe is like other drink but many artists where fan of it.  Just though it would be good to inform people about it, for this time of year.  As for every drink, drink responsively.

I suggest taking it after eating, as a digestive.  The effects I got was being light headed and seeing clearer.  It also aid for the digestion.  The smell and taste is licorice, at least for the absinthe I drank.  I drank with both sugar and no sugar.  The sugar mask a little bit the taste and there is a bit of the sugary taste in it.  It have more the taste of licorice without sugar.  I took Absente, it is a French absinthe from Provence.  The alcohol content is 55% and the bottle contain 750ml.  There is an autoportrait of Vincent Van Gogh on the carton the bottle is in.

I have found the magician!

I have found another card for my personal tarot card.  It will be the Magician.  I think it is the perfect fit for the Magician.

I will have some ajustment to do.  Mainly centering on the child.  This photo is from my personal photo file.  It is the first card that have someone in it.  It was taken on the spur of the moment.  Nothing planified.  Maybe it is better that way.  It was unexpected and it is fine with me.  As it is an "accident", it force me to see things from another angle.  Now, I have another direction to explore.

When I first had the idea of a personal tarot deck, I haven't thought of putting people on the cards.  I was thinking of statures, buildings, inanimate objects, outside scene including park, trees and the like.  My thoughts on making a personal tarot was limited to that.  I thought I would have enough material to make 78 cards.  Now, as I do the process, I see I may expand a little bit on that.

During the creative process, it is not always going according to plan.  Diverting from the expected can be a good thing.  Well, in this case, I think it is.  I can go on and limit myself to what I thought.  On the other hand, I haven't found any better Magician.  This photo will do perfectly for now.  No card is set in stone right now.  I haven't crossed the path of a statue that have a similar posture, so, I will take the photo as it is.  Who know if I find another photo that is even better?

Peyote stitch and a Christmas gift.

I am happy when I am able to practice what I learned in classes.  I took many classes.  There isn't always the occasion to practice.  Ths year, I had practice one technique that I learned in a class on plastic.  I haven't practice much since the class.  While doing the gift, I kind of regret it .  I had show it to a person, to see if it was okay.  It is a necklace and some component are with plastic in it.  Here is the result:

 The plastic part could be a little bit better.  I am not totally satisfied with it.  It was the first time I was using the plastic outside the class.  I use the little oven I use for polymer clay (fimo).  I have gained experienced for sure.  It is just that more experiment is needed for me to be satisfied.  Otherwhise, the necklace is great.  I just hope it will be durable.  It is one of the thing I doubt when making jewelry, especially as gift.

Another technique that I learned a while ago.  It was seven years ago.  It was peyote stitch.  I loved that technique and I have used it quite often since.  I have done many rings with that technique.  Here are a few example:

I like being able to play with the type and colors of beads.  I became quite good at it.  I like doing it too.  Three years ago, I even made a bracelet with that technique.  I just haven't finished it yet.  I haven't found any closing for that bracelet.  I haven't searched hard.  I think it is time to search for that a little bit more actively.  I am not into needlework but the peyote stitch is something I like enough to pass over the needle.

Show and tell: Knitting.

I do knit.  I consider myself a beginner.  I say that because I know the basic of knitting.  I know how to begin and end a project.  I know the various stitches.  Beyond that, it is not very a useful thing.  I have a really vague idea on how to make socks but I don't knot if it is realistic.  I don't know how to do mitten and other wintery stuff.  Can't do sweater either.  Doing ribs, I am not sure.  Maybe I learned about it but I don't remember.  I don't know if I can do rib.  I only know how to do scarves, bags and blankets.  So, this is why I consider myself a beginner.
I have started a blanket for a child.  Here are where I am.  I still in the beginning:

It is a nice pattern.  It is the first time that I use that checkered pattern.  It is going good enough.  I ain't slowed down by the complexity of the patter.  It is goind better than I had expected.  It is fun to make.  So, this project won't be a burden.  It will just take some time, as for any blanket.  I stil work on it on my free time.

Now, here a project I would like to make:

It is the last pair of sock I got from my grandma.  I no longer fit in them.  Never wore them either.  I keep them more for a sentimental reason.  I know they are a bit flashy.  It gives a bit a eye's migraine.  But I wouldn't trade them.   Maybe, one day, I will learn how to make them.  Would be nice to find a place where to learn to make socks.  I can go for written instruction.  The only thing is I can't ask question to the instructions.  No one there to watch over my shoulder and say if it is okay or not.  This is why I like taking class: to know the basis, to ask question, be able to makes errors and how to fix it in a safe environment, to be able to get an interaction and see if I am going in the right direction.

A source of spooky monsters

I am a bit of a geek when it comes to trivial facts.  It is a bit out of curiosity.  I also worked in a bookstore and now, I am in a library.  So, I have the opportunity to add to my culture.  On you tube, there are many who do various top 10.  Here is one of them: http://youtu.be/Y6FO756blvI 
It is on deep sea creature.  There are many others like that out there.  Not all of them are made by the same person.  It is a good thing and can be entertaining.

It is not thought provoquing, as by triggering deep and philosophical thoughts.   It makes me think it could be great material.  So, my brain is working toward writing and creativity.  It doesn't take me much to go into brainstorming.  Many creature in the video above mentioned would be perfect candidate for monsters, real or folklore, to put in a story.  Nothing definate beside that.  I need to think of it further more.  It is a start.  As it is presenting itself, I am more inclined to spread them in the stories I have already written.  None of them are finished, so incorporating them will be easy.  The structure of the stories are there.  Just to add some bonus material to spice it up.

I know, the writing aspect is easy to make.  It is the first thing that jumped at me while I look at the video.  Writing was my first conscious creative medium, so it is a bit normal that I think of it first.  After an intensive month of writing, in November, I deserve some vacation on that level, for December.  It is just on the mental level that I am working right now, especially for writing.

For jewelry making, I am thinking of putting some spikes, in various length. In that area, I don't have much of spikes.  It will definitely be adding to my style.  I don't have encountered any fluorescent pieces.  I doubt it would be a brillant idea.  I could go with forms.  It would worth a try.  I am not really good but i am ready to try.  It would be a great learning experience.  I think I would have an idea in that area.  It would be fun to makes experiences.  I do have some "mad science" tendency.  I like to try things and see how it will work out.

Talking of "mad science", I don't know if a fluorescent soap would be a good idea.  There is no dye that have that effect.  My daughter would definitively like that!  I would also have fun by putting some pieces of fluorescent soaps in clear and non fluoerescent soap.  Would be fun to see the result!  I know there are product to give a pearlescent effect and I have them.  I have used it once or twice for liquid soap.  I will try it in the next batch of soap I will make.

This is why I like trivia pieces.  It can be expended in so many direction. 

The importance of taking notes

A notebook is always a good idea.  Taking notes when ideas comes is even better.  There are a few minor incident where I didn't took any notes, thinking I would remember them.  Dead wrong!  Even if I have a good memory.  Even if I have commited many things in my head.  Even if I could retrieve many ideas and stories from my head.  With all the good intention of the world, there are time where it is a must to take notes.

It should have gotten in my head by now.  It is especially true when I have "fleeting ideas".  Those ideas comes on suddenly and they are at risk to depart suddenly.  Even if I think hard to keep them in my head, it is of no use.  It is even worst when they aren't coming in with words.  It is where I should stop and think hard.  It is strange on how ideas can comes and they needed to be fixed with images, symbols, words.  Sometimes, just one could work, other times, it takes it all of them.  I don't like when it happen but I better learn to note them.  One good step in the process of doing it right: I have started to recognize them.  Now, I have to take the next step: note them to better fix them in my mind.  I think I like this: note them to fix them.  It is catchy enough.  Could help me.  I will try that next time I got one.

Knitting

A little while ago, I had started a blanket for a child.  The child in question had chosen the color of the yarn and the design she want for the blanket.  I ain't far.  I stoped because I prioritize writing in November.  I don't know why but I kind of forgot I could go on with the blanket.  Now that I think of it, I will resume knitting.  At least, I don't wait too long to proceed in that project.  I know somebody who took 16 years to finish a knitted baby suit.  It just too long for me.  I can't wait that long to end something.

I know knitting, well the very basic.  I know how to start and how to finish.  I know the basic stitches.  I learned that a long time ago.  I was a child when I learned.  My mom tried to teach me that.  It wasn't easy.  As pretty much everything she tried to teach me.  She is right handed and I am a lefty.  So, it was difficult for her to adapt things for me to understand.  On my side, I was working hard to understand and adapt what she was showing me.  What I found the worst is that my mom lack patience in that area, even if she did her best.  There was only macrame where we got success.  It is one rare instance where we didn't have any difficulties because both hands were involved.

In the end, I learned knitting from my grandma.  She showed me the basic.  The only problem, at the time, was that I slip a lot of stitches.  There was time where I was able to catch them right away.  Other times, I couldn't, even if I tried.  In those cases, I was undoing the piece to start again.  There was also times where I saw I lost a stitch later on.  At the time, I didn't knew that to do, so I also rip everything to start anew.  With time, I stopped to knit.  My grandma didn't show me how to do more advanced and useful project.

Now, I kind of regret not asking her to show me more, even if I wasn't perfect at the time.  She was doing a lot of socks.  They were stripped socks.  She was using leftovers from other projects to do her socks.  She was buying that in a thrift store where people left old clothes and leftover yarns.  I think it was all she could afford.  I don't know where her socks were ending when she finish them.  I never asked her.  I know I had a few pairs she had done.  I would have liked to learn that from her.

On the other hand, I started again to knit a few years ago.  It was maybe 7-8 years ago.  When I restarted, I was happy to see I didn't forgot how to knit.  Another big point: I was loosing fewer stitches and I was more able to pick them up again.  I was also able to repair some stitches that where a few row back.  So, my case isn't hopeless.  I think I just needed some time to get better at it.

In need of crafting

I liked my month of November.  I wrote a lot and it was a while that I didn't write as much.  It was something I needed to do.  Now, I think I have enough of writing.   It is time to go toward other forms of creativity.  I feel the need to go toward other cafts.  Of course, Christmas is just around the corner.  Gifts are already made.  The only thing I need to do is the packaging and wrapping.  I think it will be quickly done.  My wrapping is a no brainer.  Soap goes to nice boxes with waxed paper to separate the layers of soaps.  Jewelry goes in little bag and in little boxes I bought at a craft store.

All this is fine.  On the other hand, I want to do some crafting.  The problem is that I don't know exactly which one to select.  I don't have to do any for gifts or for a specific purpose.  I could do something just for the pleasure.  Again, it doesn't help me choose.  I can choose anything for that purpose.  I don't have any precise ideas of a project either.  Maybe I sound I have too much choice.  I am in a period where I can do anything without any precise intent.

Am I unable to do free form crafting?  Would be a good time to pick one material and go from it?  Maybe it is something I should try.  Could be a good idea.  I do have a little bit of spare time.  Nothing to loose by trying.  I don't remember doing something like that.  Or I had done it but it wasn't quite the same context.  In any way, I should try to go into this unknown part that I never really tried before.

People and their personal path

Lately, I took a online writing class.  One of the exercise was to write a letter from the point of view of a writer.  I had choose Gaston Leroux, thinking that it would be easy.  I was a bit wrong.  I made a quick research on him.  I made a few unexpected discoveries on him.  First, there is a website who deal with his intellectual rights (http://www.gaston-leroux.net/).  Of course, the website is in French.  I don't know if they will do something to translating it into English.  After all, The Phantom of the Opera is his most well known book.  It had numerous movie adaptations.  This story have a great curve appeal.  In a sense, it can be the modern version of Beauty and the Beast, least the happily ever after for Erik, the phantom.

It was a bit different in the living years of Gaston Leroux.  When he was alive, the Phantom of the Opera wasn't that popular.  It became more popular as movies were made from it.  So, when Leroux was alive, his most popular character was Rouletabille.  Rouletabille is a reporter.  I have seen one of the two movies made on Rouletabille.  I haven't read the original books on him.  I have found a box set of the two movies made on Rouletabille (http://www.amazon.ca/Rouletabille-Coffret-2-DVD/dp/B00009QI6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd-en-francais&ie=UTF8&qid=1417298552&sr=1-1&keywords=rouletabille).  What frustrate me is that they are European DVD.  It is uncompatible with the machine I have.

Gaston Leroux had an interesting career.  He didn't started as a writer.  He studied in law and worked in that domain for three years.  To gain a little bit more money, he covered some court case.  As he gained some contact in the journalism field, he quit law and became a journalist full time.  He covered many big court case (the Dreyfuss' affair among other) and some other big news outside the courthouse.  He start to write some stories and end up quiting journalism to become a full time writer.  Near the end of his life, he also became a producer and screenwriter for a filming compagny.  That film compagny is quickly bought by Pathé-Cinéma.

So, this guy have quite an adventurous career path.  He wasn't affraid to jump from one to the other.  I wonder what have motivated him to accept the offers he had been given and also the choice he made.  I didn't seen anything on these motivations.  I know that his experiences had an influence on him and his writing.  It show in Rouletabille and the Phantom of the Opera.  The character of Joseph Rouletabille is also a reporter, as had been Leroux.  For the Phantom, it show in many ways.  I had read the Phantom.  The tone of the narrator is one of a reporter.  There is also a few elements that had been influenced by the news or by people.  For example, Christine is modeled by a famous opera singer of the time.

I don't know if I would find the process he had gone throught to makes his decision and do what he did.  I may find more on him and answer my questions looking at other hints elsewhere.

Discovery of a Venus made of chalk

I found two article on a discovery of a Venus made of chalk.  All the details here:
http://www.lapresse.ca/arts/arts-visuels/201411/27/01-4823114-decouverte-dune-venus-de-craie-de-23-000-ans.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_B13b_arts-visuels_395_section_POS4

http://greenquizz.org/a-venus-of-chalk-of-23000-years-discovered-in-the-north-of-the-france/

It was in pieces when discovered.  It is only when reassembled that the scientist realised it was a Venus.  I am not a fan of those prehistorical Venuses.  I found them a little bit crude, even if there is a few who have a aesthethic beauty to them.  Of course,  I should not compare them to the statues of the classical period of Greece.  It wasn't used with the same intention and the level of crafting is different.

What I find more interesting is more about the longevity of arts.  The one who made this small statue was a artist.  He had a special ability to make an object.  He could carve a rock, even if it was soft.  He put some time on it.  I don't know anything about this artisan.  The creator of the piece may be a simple person living in a tribe and doing the same task as the others.  His little extra contribution was this statue.

I like to be reminded for how long creativity and arts had been with us.  The meaning and purpose of pieces like this chalky Venus or the painting of Lascaux or Chauvet are witness of the evolution we had made.  It prouve they needed an outlet to express themselves.  It had been true in the past as it is to the present.  It is not only something used to solve problems or to adapt.  It is a need that goes further than that.  This is why I find this discovery important.

I survived Nanowrimo!

I survived Nanowrimo! (http://nanowrimo.org).  I finished on November 27th.  I think that usually, I finish a little bit earlier (like more on the 25th).  On the other hand, it went smoother this year.  I was more constant in my writing.  I wrote everyday, even if there was a few days where I didn't wrote much.  I think that taking some advance in the beginning was also a good thing.

On the flip side, I had a few moments where I wanted to throw the computer far away and go to crush it like a cigarette butt.  I had some place where I felt stuck in my story.  I had to let my mind work on it.  I was lucky to find ways to go on.  I didn't need to pick a card in a tarot deck.  In the past, it had help me to look at the pictures to keep going.

My other main problem was with the word count.  In years past, I never had problem with the word count.  The word count I had on my word processor was matching with the nanowrimo word count validator.  This year, it was different,  I got a new computer during the month and I had to change the word processor.  It is a bit saddening that I had to change my word processor.  On another hand, I had to upgrade it because of the new computer.  I didn't really had the choice but to move along.  So, my first try to validate my word count on the website of nanowrimo, there was a difference between my word count I had on my computer and the word count validator of nanowrimo.  By chance it was something like 200-300 word difference.  I quickly fixed it by doing a small last scene with mumbo jumbo.  It also opened the door to keep my mad scientist alive in the dumbest way possible.  He is a lucky guy.  If I do the story about the werewolf top secret military secret next year, I will bring back my mad scientist.

Now, I feel being in vacation.  I need to bring my sanity back and get some sleep.

A trigger leads to an idea.

I look at this video, curious about the title.  I never heard of a serval cat before:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DhwkmcGr00
After seeing the cat in action and what he look like, my little neurone start to work.  Of course, I learned something new in the process.  On the other hand, it is not an animal that is commonly seen in my little part of the world.  I am sure the same thing would be said by people from other part of the world about the animals that live here.

So, seeing that cat that look foreign to me makes me think.  I wrote a lot of fantasy stuff that are set of other planets.  I never been much specific on the flora and fauna of those places.  Seeing this beautiful serval cat makes me wonder if I would be able to create something special for each of the worlds I had created.  It is a bit a challenge that I set for myself.  I have nothing to loose and my worlds would gain in precision in the process.  I just have to create somethign plausible.

I know that in other well known fictious universes, really weird fauna and/or flora had been created.  I know that I don't want to go to the end of the spectrum where everything is alien looking for us.  I just want to find a equilibrium.  I want to create a sense of familarity (where people would says: "I have seen that somewhere") while throwing some perticuliarities, for a sensation of off balance and uneasiness.  A thought order, I know.  I think I may guide a bit on animal a little bit like the serval cat.  I think he have the qualities I want in what I want to create.

I think it will a joyride, well, could be using that to feed my inner soft mad scientist in me!

homemade notebooks

I discovered some videos on the coptic stitch binding.   Here one of them, to get an idea of what it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue52htX3j0k
I finally looked at them.  It brought back fun memories of my first year in college.  I had a class on book repair.  The very first thing we made was a notebook, to understand how books were made.  It was a different technique than the coptic stitch.  We made groves instead.  After that, we put some strings in the groove.  Glue was applied, we also added a cotton mesh, also with glue.  It was left to dry on a book press or heavy books.  After that, we applied something similar to a duck tape on the back.  And I think it was pretty much all.  I don't remember if we put an cardboard in front and in the back.  I am not sure.  I remember seeing a tape being put between the cover and the rest of a book (or was it our notebook.  Frustrating that it was so long ago!)

Well, I took a look on another site for a tool I remember using at school and that I saw in one of the videos.  I found it but I also found books about book binding.  If I didn't made that research, I wouldn't know there was books on that subject!  After the videos and my unexpected discovery, I am tempted to make other homemade notebooks.  It been a while since I ap picking up an "craft" after leaving it for a few years.  I also think that now it is the right time to return to what I have learned in my class on book repairs and on how to do notebooks.  I am ready for that.  Maybe I will make some people jealous or envious so it will give me the opportunity to make notebooks as gift.  Would makes me practice more!  (-:

40 000 is the new 30 000.

Nanowrimo ends in a week or so.  It was another good experience.  I wil have another story on paper.  Even if it is a first draft, it is better than nothing.  I am also doing well, in general.  There was many scene that were really easy to write.  Usually, my writing can be categorized into fantasy with some tiny bits of science fiction.  Most of my characters have magic or psychic powers.  The setting is most of the time on other planets.  In one story, there are the beginning and the end involving a spaceship orbiting a planet.  At least two of my stories had taken place on earth.  Lately, I started to explore other genre.  In 2011, I have done erotica.  It was really kinky.  In 2013, I try my hand in the gothic.  Last year, I took a break.  I had no stories in my head at the time and my mind was set on other things.  This year, I try horror.  I haft succeded in that.  I do have some element of horror, specially in my characters.  For the rest, I kind of miss the mark.   There is only once scene that I am satisfied now.   I will have to work on tension and putting more horror when I will do my revision.

In past years, I found that between 30 000 and 40 000 words was the hardest to write.  It was where I wrote the slowest (my perception anyway).  It was my no man land.   Maybe it was right in the middle of my story.  It is usually where I have the most struggle in my stories.  I often have precise ideas for the beginning and the end.  For the middle,  it is always less precise.  I only had few ideas here and there for the middle.  So, it must be why I was rushing so much there.

This year, no problem writing in the 30 000 gray area.  It is only in the last few days, when I hit the 40 000 words that I start to falter.  I don't know why.  I didn't have any written plan this year.  I thought it would make it a little bit harder.  It wasn't the case.  I had all in my head and until now, I wrote furiously to put it all down.  I am at a point where I got some ideas on the go, as the story developped.  It was a very late addition to the story.  It is there that I am struggling right now.  I feel I am near the end.  I have to think fast.  I think I will wrap quickly that scene, leaving it's further development for later, in the revision process.  I think I will go for the ending.  I want the ending to be of epic proportion, so, I better start now.  As I am in the early 40 000, I am assured to reach the 50 000 words in the next few days.

Script and various things on my nerves

I don't know if it is my intense writing bubble right now but I see some flaws in various places.  Maybe I am sharpening my writing skills and never realised it before.  It is not really about grammar.  More how things can be scripted, about titles and the bells and ropes of writing.  I suspect that I know more about writing now.  In addition, I put to practice what I learned.  So, I may be more sensible to what I see.

For example, I have looked at some videos on youtube.com.  Right away, I can see if the video is well scripted or not.  I don't have much knowledge about script nor practice.  I do have a more general knowledge of writing.  Even with that, I can see if the script is good or not.  I found that quite interesting as a phenomenon.  I think I am gaining some experience in writing.  I can now discriminate between something well scripted from the bad scripted videos.  It would probably applied to everything else.

Another irritating fact: title.  It apply to everything: books, videos, etc...  I would rate that my number one frustration, just before bad script.  The title should refflect the content.  I hate when I see a title that sound interesting.  Once I pick it up and the content diverge from the title, I see red.  It seems to be quite common on youtube.  It is where I saw that mistake the most.  It makes me want to slap the people that came up with the titles.

My writing is not perfect, I know.  But  I try to improve myself.  I learn and I practice writing.  What I see, sometimes, seems hopeless or the people doesn't feel the need to improvement.  Of course, I don't have anything published, nothing that is widespread, yet.  I am working on my texts before spreading them into the world.  I am not a professional writer but I try to be conscious and professional.  That line of thinking isn't widespread, it seems.

Creativity feed the inspiration.

I am deep into nanowrimo (http://nanowrimo.org).  I know, I am talking a lot about that lately.  Most of my efforts and thinking goes there.  It is a bit normal because I am willing to go for that insanity.  It have beneficial effect on me.  It mainly push me to get a story out of my system and into the written world, on file.

Before this year nanowrimo, I had a slower pace in my writing.  I was more into soaps and Christmas gift and creating some jewelry pieces.  When I remembered that I had a story, I decided to write it to get it out of my system and be done with it.  Now, what I am thinking is slowly changing and evolving.  I start to see some more advantages in doing nanowrimo.  I now see that I was in other creative projects unrelated to writing.  Coming back to writing is a litle bit like coming back to my first love.  I started in my creative outlet by writing.  I expanded myself into other direction with time and witth dicovering new hobbies.  Right now, I feel that I recenter myself a bit.  Maybe I am doing a full circle.  Maybe I will end up writing on my other hobbies.  I have gained experience on those and maybe it is time that I write more about them.

I don't know why I start thinking about that.  It seems to goes up with the inspiration for my story.  There is something going on.  It makes me feel that I connect to something deeper inside me.  Things are flowing as evidence.  Unconscious and unworded things are taking shape and words in my awaken mind.  I sound as if I am leveling up in a RPG game.  I find it pleasant to live.  For one, I don't have to play in the ucky mud of experiences past.  I just have to concentrate on the inspiration wells.

Progress on nanowrimo.

I decided to do Nanowrimo (http://nanowrimo.org).  I haven't planned much.  I also took few notes.  I mainly took notes about characters: mainly their names and their relationships between themselves.  For the rest, I have commited it in my mind.  I have a few ideas for scenes and explanations.  Until now, it had done well.  But I think I will takes brief notes for the end, to be sure not to forget them.

I have encountered a few snags until now.  I want the plotline and the explanations to be cohesive.  So, there a few places where I felt a little bit stuck.  I had to leave my mind do the work.  I am lucky to be in a creative mood.  I fould solutions to every problems I got.  I just hope to have a lucky vein and to go further on.

With what I wrote yesterday, I think I will have to do a trilogy.  Yesterday, I hinted to a unknown top secret research that I haven't talk anywhere else.  I had written one story about psychic powers research gone wrong.  It wasn't a great text.  I will have to revise or rewrite the whole thing.  I was fun to write, anyway.  Now, I am writing about another top research gone wrong but there is more collateral damage than the first one.  So, my present story is about beings created that have some zombies traits, look similar to Stargate Atlantis' Wraiths  and they have a few particularities of their owns.  I also makes a lot of reference to the first story on psychic powers.  With what I wrote yesterday, I would have an idea for next year nanowrimo about a third top secret research.  So, now, I think that all those three projects witll be linked together in some ways.

So, here my plan for the rest of the month: I will finish my current story.  Most of my energy will go for that. It goes well right now.  I have taken a bit of advance, so it is a good sign.  I am inspired and it good as smoothly as it can.  I just have to get a bit more discipline to write when I plan to.  I have to work to limit my distractions.  I am happy to do well even with the distractions, just to find a way to be more efficient than I am now.

Now, I also do have a plan for after nanowrimo madness.  As I now have an idea for next year's nanowrimo, I will have to develop that starting from December onward.  I will have to leave my mind do some working on the plot and what I want to do with this story.  Meanwhile, I will have to develop the main character.  Right now, in the story I am doing, he is only a supporting character.  He have already a name and a few attibutes.  After nanowrimo, I will have to expand his character.  He will have a more active role in the future.  I want an interesting character.

It is amazing, sometimes, where inspiration can lead me to the unexpected.  I also realise that I am more passionate on my writing than I thought!

People being creative with mythology

In the recent years, mythology had gained popularity.  When I started to get interested in that topic, I didn't knew it was poplular.  I was in high school.  Later on, in college, I learned, from a teacher, that it was gaining popularity.  It was just before some well known shows became poplular (think Kevin Sorbo's Hercules and the Xena serie).

When I started, it wasn't easy to understand all the relationship between the various divinities.  Greek mythology is particularly notorious for the complex relationship of divinities.  Our modern mind set isn't always adequate to fully assimilate all this on a single sitting.

Nowaday, some people have done the task and put some order in all this.  There is one person that had done it quite well: Georges O'Connor.  He is currently doing a series on the Olympian gods and goddesses.  It is quite well done. It is done in a graphic novel format.  He does one god or one goddess per album. The next one that will be available is Ares. (http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1626720134/ref=oh_details_o09_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
Other divinities had been done: Zeus (http://www.amazon.ca/Zeus-King-Gods-George-OConnor/dp/1596434317/ref=pd_cp_b_1),
Héra (http://www.amazon.ca/Hera-The-Goddess-her-Glory/dp/1596434333/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z),
Athena (http://www.amazon.ca/Athena-Grey-Eyed-Goddess-George-OConnor/dp/1596434325/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z),
Hades (http://www.amazon.ca/Hades-Lord-Dead-George-OConnor/dp/1596434341/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z)
Poséidon (http://www.amazon.ca/Poseidon-Earth-Shaker-George-OConnor/dp/1596437383/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z) and
Aphrodite (http://www.amazon.ca/Aphrodite-Goddess-Love-George-OConnor/dp/1596437391/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1EV1D1015AG2ACFJB0V5).
There is also a box set for the volumes already published (http://www.amazon.ca/Olympians-Boxed-Set-George-OConnor/dp/1626720592/ref=sr_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415457346&sr=1-18).

I would have more fun learning mythology that way.  Now, it would be great to have more fun and accessible books or graphic novels on other mythologies.  Personnally, I would like to know more on Japanese mythology.  My knowledge is a bit sketchy on it.

Dream Journal

I think I had mentioned that dreams are a source of inspiration for me.  It is true that I have many stories that started as dreams.  Well, dreams was a starting point.  It was only a scene.  I don't think I am the only one in that case.

To help me keep track of possible ideas, I have a dream journal.  In the morning, if I have a dream, I note it not long after waking up.  If I wait too long, it will be harder to remember.  Sometimes, I only remember bribes of dreams, even soon after waking up.  It happen sometimes.  It does not bother me when it happens.  The dream may come back in another form.

Another advantage of having a dream journal: I have cycle where dreams seems to be connected.  My most important one was one involving a labyrinth.  It wasn't an conventional maize.  It was more me moving from room to room, somethimes there was corridors or stairs.  A few ones where underground and there was a kind of rollercoaster subway.  It was kind of cool.  The cycle ended when I had a dream with the minotaur in it.  Since, no more labyrinth.  It seems that I had reached the exit of the labyrinth and had passed a test (represented by the Minotaur).  Another cool cycle that follow the labyrinth one was me as a fighter.  In the dreams, I was starting with nothing, no weapon.  I had to fight and gain my own weapons.  Very powering dreams.

With that kind of dreams, no wonder I found strong inspiration in my dreams...

An article on artists, in French

I hope the link is still here:
http://www.jobboom.com/carriere/deux-artistes-sur-trois-ne-peuvent-vivre-de-leur-art/

It is in French.  What it is say is simple.  Artists can't live from their arts.  There also some project they have that they start but that never see fruitition.  The artists have to pay for those projects.   Even with their projects that see the daylight, they have to pay too.  It is a no win situation.

It is sad to see that.  Art can be a luxury, yes.  On the other way, there are people who live from art.  I wonder why a project don't goes full term to the end.  The article is short.  Would have been great to know the reasons behind this.  I wonder, also, why the artist end up with the "invoice" of an unfinished job.  If it is an personal project, it is understandable.  Otherwhile, I am a pit puzzled.

The article left me with some questions.  I know that art and books are the first to be chopped when there are compression.  It is easy to cut there first.  People accept that without much thinking.  There are even people who want to pull all the money from art and put it for people in need.  It could be a noble act.  I can't goes against that line of thinking.  I just wonder what people will do with their free time if they chop art, books and entertainment completely.  It can't be done totally.  Grafitis are there to prove my point.   I consider it an artform and a way to express frustration and hopelessness.   Even if not all the basic needs are met, there is a need to change it's mind from the hardship of life.  The Roman had understood it perfectly when they says "bread and games."

It would be great to find a compromise between artists being able to do their jobs and the hard uncompromising reality.  I don't consider myself a professional artists yet.  I am just an amateur artist who need to express herself, on her own term.

Lost of nanowrimo and life, all in the same time

I don't know how I could forgot to write yesterday.  Since a week, I am deeply into nanowrimo (http://nanowrimo.org).  I also have a few matters in real life that I have to attend.  It seems to be something that happen each year during november.  Everything all in the same time.

I just hope that my sanity will hold on the frentic pre-Christmas madness, as November is quite known now.  I can't explain how I forgot yesterday's post.  I just feel there is much to be done. I am also in a writing madness.

There are good points of all this turmoil.  I am realizing it today.  I have to get more organized and stick to my match plan if I was to survive this month.  I don't have any other choice, anyway.  I am also in a creative mode.  Much ideas are swirling in my head.

So, I am sorry to have forgotten yesterday post.  Next week, let's resume the usual posting schedule.

Music and writing.

It is a habit of mine to listen to music as I writing.  Strangely, I haven't done that in a while.  I am seeing it have an impact on my writing.  It give me the mood for the writing.  If I write some heavy and dark stuff, I listen tortured, heavy and tormented music.  If it is light, some soft music like love song and sound of nature.
I miss that now and I feel that music should return into my writing scéance.  It is therapeutic and very mood setting.

There are some people who are not like me, I know.  Each person have it's own particularity.  For me, each time I heard a song, there are often images that comes to my mind.  Images and or moods.  There are a few times where the moods are stronger than the images.  My mind seems to makes some connection.  Music help me to make them more easily, it seems.  It speed the process, sometimes.

How inspiration work is fascinating.  It interest me because I know myself better. It makes me explore and think on how I can develop it further.  It makes me want to go deeper.  It is like finding the source of a well.  I am not the type to go that like easy and superficial inspiration or art.  I feel the well of inspiration in me and I want to follow it to it's source.  It is a call and I feel the urge to follow it.  Putting this to word makes the objective clearer and more attainable.  It is a quest.  The traveling of this quest is as important as the goal.

Science and inspiration

Not long ago, I look at some information on the mummies of the Tarim Desert. 
Here a link on the documentary that makes me discover those mummies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKdKj7o-ZjM  It was on Nova, on PBS.  Too bad it isn't on dvd.  It is worth to see.

It is where the inspiration dawn on me.  A mummy is dead.  A zumbie, it is a kind of mummy but undead.  The usual is people being infected by a virus and they become zombies.  I thought to add a step.  A person could turn into a mummy before being infected by a virus to reanimate him.  I know there are cases, in Japan, where monks followed a mortification procedure to turn themselves into mummies.  It was a very strict regimen ending in quite a terrifying end.  Here is a link for those monks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokushinbutsu

Now that I reflect on this, it is quite a thing to have follow that line of thought.  All because of beautiful mummies!  It add to the story that I have started.  I don't know if I would thought of that before hand.  Too bad it will be for later on in the story.  I have taken notes, not to forget when the moment comes.

The discovery of those mummies is a part of archaeology.  I never had thought it would inspire me for a story.  It had inspired me in some unfinished jewelry project.  It is buried somewhere.  I didn't take any photo of that project yet.  Maybe I should.  Anyway, now archaeology is among my influence in the things I do now.  In more ways that I would have expected.  Could enlarge this to anthropology.

It is how science influence me right now.  Not every branch of science yet but it is a start.

Naming characters and places.

One of my biggest problem, when writing, is naming characters and places.  I don't know why I can't go into specific details like that.  I find it hard to match name and character or name and places.  It is a strange feeling.  It feel unatural.  I don't understand how other authors can do so graceful match for their character's name.  I don't know what is their process to do so.

I have used the usual tricks of the trade.  Like taking names in the phone booth.  I also look at the name of authors on my bookshelves.  In both case, I mix the first and last names.  I don't have used that much often.  Another source of names comes from rocks and gems.  When using that trick, I only have a first name.  I used that mainly in fantasy and didn't felt the need of a last name.  I now see using names from gems have it's limits.  Names from mythology isn't much of an idea, I only good for the lesser known names.  I even looked at first names databases.  I found a few interesting names there.

Not easy to find names.  I like to use one of a kind names, not usual and common names.  Do I complicate my life on that?  Even there, I feel a bit strange and twisted on that matter.  Naming a character or a place is a big responsability.  I would like it fit the character and the place perfectly.  I don't know if there are more help for naming persons and places somewhere.  Meanwhile, I am on the look out for names.

A few photos I found

I found a few photos.  I think I will use them for my tarot.  Don't know where yet.  Maybe in the pentacles suit,

I think both photos are great.  I don't know why I forgot about them.  I took them near a house.  I should return there and go to a few place I haven't been since a long time.  I am thinking of a place where there is a giant flat rock with trees growing on it.  I will have to wait for summer to take it but it will be great.  There are two other places I should take: an filled up well and a square rock near a lake.

Those photos are among the best I have taken until now.  Would be great to find other place that look like eery.  Thinking of it, I think I should go try on a place in the wood.  Again, I will have to wait for summer and a sunny day.  I hope it will go as I want.

It was fun finding those photos.  Would be great to makes other finds like that...

From an homework comes great ideas

 It is a piece of work I had done in an online class on writing.  It was the starting point for all my last post thinking.

                                               The Raven – Edgar Allan Poe

Since the dawn of my memories, I have been linked with humanity. Humans envied me. They have countless stories about my adventures. I'm considered a trickster. Forever.

I have been seen on battlefields. Feeding from the dead. It lead the living to think I have mystical abilities. I sometimes have my own doubts. Can I really lead the souls to the afterlife? Many people still believe in this, even today. I find that belief comforting, today even more.

With time, I met so many people. Old, young, famous, unknown, rich, poor. Death knows no boundary. I can’t say nothing more.
Once upon a midnight dreary, I met with someone. You may know his name. He spread both our names to fame. We both became immortal, imprinted in the collective mind. Forever.

Those who know respect my duty. Even with my fame, I am there. Always ready to spread the word: Nevermore. No more the deceased will live among the living. No more the soul be able to touch the warm flesh. Nevermore the contact between living and dead. Nevermore.

I may be considered evil. I may be a demon. I am accused to not have a heart, being devoid of sympathy. No need to call for a higher power. I follow the cycle of nature. For me, there is no heaven, no underworld. I am aware of the sorrow. I want people to be aware. The decease won’t come back. Nevermore.

Witches, werewolves and vampires

Halloween is around the corner.  Good time for horror stories.  Ghoul, witches, werewolves, vampire, ghosts are at a place of honor.  children have  costumes.  It is a big party now.  It is a good time to be scared while having fun, all at the same time.

I find that witches, werewolves and vampires are rich symbols on many levels.  They had been reinvented and expanded with time.  Once shunned upon, now, they are sexy and very "in".  I must admit I have fallen into the trend.  The symbols of Halloween is a source of inspiration.  This year, I feel a need to delve deeper into this darkness.  I want to try my hand for a zombie story.  It is very popular right now.  I am thinking to write that story and wait before making it public.  The first draft is the easiest part to do.  Working in it will take more time to do.  The time I finish working on this text and the zombie popularity will be a thing of the past.

I may go further.  Maybe that story will lead to other stories with darker theme.  I may want to go in that dark area on a more conscious level.  On an artistic level, I feel it is where I need to go.  It may be just a phase.  I don't care if it is just a phase.  The important is what I will learn from this whole thing.  I think this phase comes at the right time.  Fall is a period with less light.  It is getting darker. Halloween is the highlight of fall.  It is the celebration of what fall mean.  Maybe I have a synchronicity.  My artistic live meet the darkening of this time of the year.

It is my trend to do unusual theme.  I just want to take a step further.  Maybe I just had to think a little bit more.  Combined with a forgotten inspiration, it had set me on track.

Lost in limbo.

I am in a period where I search for some specific objects.  It is for crafting, mainly for the Christmas gifts I am making.  I don't find them anywhere.  The fact that somebody had put some items into boxes doesn't hel0p me at all.

This situation makes me feel more mixed up than usual.  I don't find those materials where they were supposed to be.  I don't know where to search.  I ask to the person to help me.  That person end up not having a clue where it could be.  It is a frustrating situation.  He helped a bit by searching a few places, without success.

The solution would be to empty the boxes and organize everything my way.  This will takes time.  I am already so busy.  I have to be ready for Christmas.  I have a good head start for the more complicated parts of my gifts.  I have a few more things to do for ending those gift.

I hope to have some luck.  At worst, I will reorganize all this.  So, I may have a chance to find what I am searching for.  I am lucky in having some help in the search.  It was not a big search but was enough to clear a few place.  It was good to have four eyes to see, two heads to think where to search.  Would be good to have it a bit more than the time it was done.  I am lucky not be to be at the last minute.  I still have a bit of time to search before it is too late.

Remembering a storyline

I was hesitant to participate in Nanowrimo, this year.  Not long ago, I felt uninspired.  It changed this past Saturday.  I remembered that I do have an unwritten story.  I don't know why I forgot, or why I remembered.  How strange the brain makes connection, or how it remember.

I have an idea on how it stat, an idea for the middle and how it will end.  The main problem is linking all the dots.  I am the type to outline my stories before beginning.  I tired free form stories making along the way.  Fun to try but not every time I do nanowrimo.  It is not always easy to find ideas under pressure of time.  Especially for stories.  It is not easy to go where I wanted to go.  Ideas for plot line can be complex.  Getting the threads right is not always easy.  If I do free form, I am not sure I will have good result with this story.  If I do nanowrimo with the story, I want to be more prepare, this year.

The last story of a free form was a bit trying.  I didn't knew where to go for the story, a goal for the end.  I had a very good idea for the story.  I just didn't knew how to end it.  I also lack a bit of spice.  Everything in the story was going a bit too much smoothly.  For the present story, the one I want to do, I want to go further with the plot line.  Would be great if I could put the characters into hardship.  I want to do a story that have a lift.

I will put down the ideas I already have.  I will see if the story will unfold in the usual way.  The usual way, for me, being ideas from various sources: being in the shower, in dreams, etc...  Maybe I need a few days of brainstorming to fill the biggest gap.  It can take time to evolve into a rich filled story.  I'll see if a few days can be enough to have materials for 50 000 words.

A pack of card

 I am listening a documentary on the history of playing cards:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ6uhCIaKQA&index=152&list=WL
It is informative. I learned more on the playing cards.  I knew a bit about tarot cards.  I was thinking that the tarot was older than playing cards.  It seems not being the case.  There are a few books that I didn't knew about.  I may look at them, I think.  I feel I need to know more on that subject, that I didn't knew as mush as I thought.

I don't work hard on my personal tarot deck but this documentary already gives me inspiration.  I don't know exactly how but I have a few new ideas that I want to explore.  I don't know where it will go.  For sure, it is the process that is the most important.  For now, I don't think I will make it public (by selling it).  At the start, I was thinking to put a lot of nature.  By that, I was thinking of trees mainly on the minor cards.  I haven't thought much of the major arcana.   I have a few ideas on the major but nothing more.  It is probably where I will put my seed of inspiration to work.

I will have to get out for a few more photos.  Or takes a few pictures in my personal photo.  Maybe it is time to be more serious in taking notes.  I have to make a full tarot deck.  I don't want to forget cards.  No repeat either.  I do have a folder on what I had already done.  So, I don't start from nothing.  Time to get more structure, I think...

Change of setting

For me, a change of setting is good.  It change my mind.  It is like opening a window to let fresh air to come into my mind.  Changing the scenery can help the creative mind.  It is a reset of the mind, to view things in a different angle.

It is also a time to find new source of inspiration.  It bring new sources of ideas.  Right now, I  live in a town, surrounded by cement, concrete and very few greenery.  Setting out of town put me in a greener environment.  It also an opportunity to enter in contact with different items.  They are not in my usual surrounding.  I can enter in contact with a lake, seashells, wildlife, etc..  It can be the start of the creative process.  New connection are made.

Seeing so much trees can be an idea for line to do elsewhere like plastic or color or the base for a jewelry piece.  The use of color can be inspired by being in this new environment.  It is strange how change can trigger ideas.  Maybe change of scenery have an impact on the mind.  A good one, for sure.  For me, a change of place is good for my creativity.

Strange shapes and unrelated thoughts

I like stumbling on strangely shaped objects.  What I like to most is when I see something totally different in an object.  For example, seeing a face in a natural rock.  Another one have similarity to a Moai.  I even seen a log that look like a leg. I seen it from afar.  The log had a bit of fungus and moss on it.  It was also rotting, I think.  I haven't gone closer, not to break the magic.  The illusion was enough to trick my eye. It is like looking at clouds and seeing something.

ON the other hand, it is a good thing to have this ability.  I find this inspiring.  I haven't created any story with the log yet.Sometimes, this ability can help to solve a problem.  It had happened often where I looked at something and end up finding a solution for something else.

Some read in tea leaves. I find part of my inspiration in strange shapes in nature. I don't know how it work exactly.  My mind can makes pairing with objects or concept.  It had helped me in the past.  It is something that I like when it happen.

To do or not to do (Nanowrimo)

In this time of year, I start to ask myself this question: To do or not to do Nanowrimo (http://nanowrimo.org/)?
Nanowrimo is a month, the month of November, where people write like mad people.  The goal is to write 50 000 words in one month.  Even if it is all crap.  It is a time to shut up the inner critique and write like the wind.  In the past, it had helped me write many first drafts.  I could put down the essential of many stories.  Those stories were in my mind for many years.  It was therapeutic to put them on paper.  I needed the little push.  Since then, I am working in the correction of those stories.  Nanowritmo also happen in the summer and there is also the script version: Script Frenzy.  The website doesn't seems to be up, maybe it had been integrated into the main site.

This year, I don't have any story.  I pretty much written the stories I wanted to write.  No idea had presented itself to me.  I am a bit in a void.  There was two years where I wrote with a really bare outline, without a fixed story to tell.  On one of those year, I even took tarot cards to create the outline of a story.  Last time I had done it, I had the main idea: it was on a private Halloween party.  It was fun to do, a learning experience.  I have learned a lot.  This year, I just not in the mood to repeat that.  Or to repeat what I had already done.

I ask the title question also in the mind of what I want to do while doing Nanowrimo.  Of course, experimenting is giving me insight.  I learn on my limits, on expanding what I like or didn't like when writing.  Or, for example, last time I did Nanowrimo, it took me the whole 50 000 words to know a bit more on the storyline.  This year, I don't have the goal to write a story.  50 000 words is a goal by itself.   I can put 50 000 random words.  I won't learn anything on the side.  I want to grow as a writer.  Since I started to write,  I learned a lot on how my mind work, on my comfort zone and what will work when writing.  I know I can do 50 000 words if I want to, if I have a good idea, as I had in the past.  Will trying a new genre will help?  What do I want to write about?  I have to get enough ideas and themes; enough material for 50 000 words.

I am still in the thinking process.  I will take the next few days to decide of what I want to do.  Will I do it or not, that is the question...

So much projects...

I do have many projects or ideas of projects scattered around.  I even have one or two projects that I haven't touched for some years now.  They are in a safe place for the time I decide to finish them.  I won't finish them in a near future.  I don't have all the equipment to finish them.  I also need some help to finish them.

Other projects need time to get finished.  I even have a project where I need to find something specific to get finished.  I need to look and shop around to find exactly what I need.   Most of my projects need time to get them finished.  I am considering getting many of them finished in various sitting during a few days.  The ones that will benefit that the most will be my writing.  I have a lot of correction for some stories.  They need a lot of work.  So, for sure, my writing will be broken in various chunk, a little each day.  Other projects, like my Christmas present will be done in one sitting.  They aren't big enough to get over in various sitting.

This is something I don't like with my present situation.  I have so much projects around me and in my head that sometimes, I have to prioritize.  I have to go to the most urgent or the one that is most closely to the finish line.  I also have time where ideas flows.  The more projects that I have, the more ideas it seems to generate.  It is a rush.  Slowing down doesn't make it better.  If I slow down, I feel I am killing my creativity.  Of course, there are down time.  Usually, I use the calmer periods to catch on, to finish as much project as possible.  I am in one of those period.  I don't know if the coming of the big holidays is for something.  All I know is that I have to make the most of it while I am in this state.

Time to resume work...

In preparation of Christmas...

Now that we are in October, I am starting to make my Christmas gifts.  It's been a few years now that I make my gifts.  They are mostly soap and jewelry pieces.  Nothing fancy.  I use soap base (it is quicker and I can have help from a child.  For jewelry pieces, I had tried various techniques and materials like macrame or japanese 4-in-1 techniques (with jumprings).

This year, it will be plastic.  I have started a few projects with the plastic.  The best end results will be given.   It been a while that I haven't done plastic.  In fact, it was since I took the class on that, at the craft store.  I tried in my little oven that I use for fimo.  It works well with the plastic too.  I just have to experiment a little bit more.  I think I am in the right track.  I had good results from the first try.  It gives me confidence for the rest.  I just have to make minor corrections.

It is a nice thing.  In the past, I had to work a little harder to obtain the same result.  A bit more trial and error was needed.  This time, I seems to have more the knack on things.  Even if the class was taken a little bit more than a year ago.  It is a good feeling.  I will take some pictures of the result, just to chronicle what I am doing.  I think it would be a good thing to build a portfolio of my creation.  Can become handy in the future...

Testing projects

I just see a tv show (Nova on PBS, to be exact) on rereating an ancient Egyptian chariot.  I like documentaries on experimental archaeology.  I like the process people go through to recreate old things.  I find it akin to my creative process, especially in jewelry making.

I still have much to learn in jewelry making.  At the same time, it is about connecting the finished piece to a person.  Many of the piece I make are fitted on myself.  When I give an hand made jewelry piece, I say it can be fitted if needed.  I had a teacher who told me to fit it on myself.  I think she wasn’t into the conventional measurement for the various necklaces.  I think it was a good advice.  Until now, i never had to adjust any jewelry I gave.  Maybe I know how to fit it to each person.  I can have a loose bracelet for my mother.  For my sister, I make it tighter because she is more delicate than me.

I also have experimented for many hand made jewelry.  I had many necklaces where I tried various ideas.  It is formative.  I learned a lot from those experimentation.  For example, I had a small obsidian arrowhead.  I wanted to use it as a centrepiece for a necklace.  I didn’t knew how to do it.  My teacher said to use wire around it.  I tried to imagine the result.  I couldn’t do it.  I saw problem in securing the wire.  I got the idea to put a very fine chain on that piece.  It was tricky to put it on.  With some patience, I got it right.  I had some minor problems with this project but it ended as a stunning necklace.  It made me even more proud to wear it.  People had commented on it on many occasion.

If I haven’t tested my ideas, it wouldn’t had been a learning experience.  I learned a few tricks in the process.  I also gained insight and appreciation.  There are also a few projects that I would do differently now compared to how I had done them.  It makes me feel wiser, in a sense.  Knowledge is not touchable.  The only way to acquire it is by doing it .  Putting abstract ideas in a physical form is the best learning process, I think.  I still have a vivid memory on the projects I had made that way.

Experimenting is a good way of expression.  I am able to try new projects.   I learn.  I gain experience.  I feel in confidence.  If iI have to do it again, there is some adaptation I can make, to become more effective. It is not always easy to end up with what I have seen in my head.  I know I will at least be close to it.  Modification is sometimes unavoidable.  Sometimes, those modifications give little good surprise, at the end.

Looking or reading an interview

Interview is not my favorite thing in the world.  I only find it interesting when the subject is worth interest.  Like an artist who is original, not following sunny well known path.  I don't have anything about more pop artists.  I just feel they don't always bring profound thought about their arts.  It is rare that they talk about deeper experience.  The interviewers may also be to blame for those lightweight interview.  They don't always have the time to delve into heavier stuff.

When I find a real deal good interview, I jump at it.  There are some artists that more prone to give a good and challenging interviews.  It makes me feel that artists can goes in less traveled path.  For example there are two good interview of Diamanda Galas that I found:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0gc13WpR-w&index=136&list=WL

The second one comes in two parts.  It is mainly on one of her album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knudkmkknq0&index=130&list=WL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3L1V4j75mQ&index=988&list=WL

I prefer to go deeper into the soul, not just skip at the surface of the mind.  It is not being nose up.  It is more like being in a swamp and find a gemstone in the mud.  Not everybody have to go along the same road.  Divergence is not to be banished.  In an ideal world, each person would be able to go his/her own way, without being judged.

It is just sad that in our world, there is still coercion in this world.  Of course, there are deviance that are not acceptable even now.  Abuse in any way is not something I accept.  Of the other hand, I wish people would accept how certain people are: different.  For example: no to killing people, yes to people who express themselves with clothing.

Now, I think I have my fill for interesting interview for a while.

First sewing machine use.

I have use my brand new sewing machine for the first time.  I needed a little bit of help for installing the threads.  Sometimes, two heads are better than one.  Once it is figured out, it is pretty easy.  I didn't did much in my first use.  Just figuring things out.  I even learned how to change the needle.  Pretty easy too. 

Next time I will use it, I won't need any help.  I am already ready to be on my own.  I think I will be able to figure out the rest.  I find it reassuring.  It makes me feel I aren't that dumb.  I can use this sewing machine with ease.  It is more fun to handle than the one I used in high school.  I even figure out how to change the stitches.

I haven't try the embroidery side yet.  I don't have anything in mind for this yet.  Nothing concrete for now. I also want to gain a bit more experience too.  With the first use, I was pretty much able to do pretty much straight lines.  It is not perfect.  I just have to practice a little bit more to feel okay with this.  I think it was the first step, the first use that was the hardest.  I hope that with each use, I will get better and better.

Strip Cartoon

I like reading strip cartoon.  My taste goes to more classic ones (Gaston Lagaffe) to more modern ones (Yoko Tsuno, Les femmes en blanc, Pierre Tombal, le Scrameustache).   Of course, they are from Europe and I read them in French.  Many of them are there for a long time and I grew up with them.  Recently, I browse for possible new album.  I saw that Yoko Tsuno had been translated in English.  The order of the albums are not the same in French and in English.

I am thinking of looking for series in other languages.  I think that Gaston Lagaffe could provide some myths to the mythbuster.  They have tested the brown note.  Well, in Gaston Lagaffe, there is something similar.  In that strip cartoon, he have created a harp called the "gaffophone".  Strange things start to happen when he plays it.  For example, planes crashes, wallpaper fall and light bulb fall, really weird.  I know it is not possible to happen.   The mysthbusters have tested some myth that I knew wasn't possible in real life.  I just like see them going through the process of debunking a myth.  There are time where they do everything they can, even if it is a evident fail from the start.

Strip cartoon help me change my mind.  It is a great help to distance myself from some troublesome creative projects.  What I find amazing is how the authors comes with some word play.  Pierre Tombal and Les femmes en blanc does have a certain fun in that area, for their album titles.  Especially from Pierre Tombal.  There is often a title that takes words that sound alike.  It put at least 2 levels of interpretation when reading the title.  It is something that I like very much.  Would be great if I were able to do that when I write!

Museum expositions

I like to go to museum expositions.  A few years ago, I was attending special evening on temporary exhibition.  It was marking the beginning of the exposition.  There was an expose by some one who was liked to the exposition, usually where the pieces was coming from.  I miss that, sometimes.  I was going to those who where interesting me.  It was a local young museum, compared to the others who are older.

I was always refreshed by visits to museum.  It been a while that I have visited one.  There is one where I was almost always there.  There are a few other museum that I visited.  There is one or two where I want to return.  I am sure it had changed.  I just wonder if I would be able to return to those museums.  The way to go there is a bit vague.  A website search would be a good idea.  I also am in luck, there are many museums in the old town, not too far from each others.

I think museum can be a good source of inspiration.  I often felt inspired, not directly but in a unexpected way.  I should return to those visit, it had always been good on myself.  I just miss the time where I visited museums more often.

Soap Making and feeling like a mad scientist

Creative people have a lot of ways to express themselves.  A part of them like to makes stuff from scratches.  Those DIY people (Do It Yourself) are really independent on some level.  They seems able to furnish a whole apartment with almost nothing.  They seems to master many crafting arts.

I can reclaim a small part of this trend.  I am not as crafty as many DIYers   I am not a jack of all trade in the world of crafting.  I only have a few chords to my bow.  One of those cord is soap making.

I am not an experienced soap maker.  I still have a lot more knowledge and experience to acquire.  I just started to make soap from scratch.  I do have a few trick in my hand.  I have much more experience with soap bases.  It is the door that many soap maker takes at their beginning.

What I like in soap making are the essential oils.  I put many of those oils in my soap.  I like to read and learn about their properties.  I have a soft spot on mixing them to obtain maximum result.  I like to make blends.  For example, I had developed one for eczema and one antiseptic.  My blends have a specific purpose.  I also have specific people in mind when I develop a new blend.

I often give my soap to family members as Christmas or birthday gifts.  Homemade gifts are always well received.  It is what I have experienced.  I think often about how a mad scientist I can be while doing soap.  There are a sense of experimentation that put me in that state of mind.  It gives me a sense of power.  People around me don’t know the making of this art.  They are just receiving the pretty end of the process.  The rest have an aura of secrecy.  This is why I end up thinking of being a mad scientist.    I mix and have fun.  I am happy when a blend turn out the way I wanted.

I have a few other area of expertise when it comes down to being crafty and creative.   I enjoy each part in it own way.  The soap making is where I can express the mad scientist in me because I do lot of experimentation.   It is one aspect of soap making that I like.

There are times where I feel lost...

There are times where I feel a bit lost.  I have a certain organization in my disorganization.  So, when I search of something, I know where to look.  No problem as long I keep myself organize in my stuff.  The problem arise when someone else think: "oh, it is in the way.  I will put it in some boxes. I will give her that service".  The other person have good intention but I end up searching for everything.  All my point of reference is lost.  I end up asking the person who did the boxing to help me find what I am searching on.

Now, I have found all the material for advancing in my pillow project.  I have two pillow I want to finish.  I have the knitted cover.  I have the zippers.  I have yarn to close the sides.  I have my sewing machine to sew the zippers on the cover.  The problem is I am searching for my crochet hook.  I have a general idea of where it is.  I haven't found it yet.  More searching will be needed to find it.  In the meanwhile, I am a bit frustrated.  I feel that I shouldn't have that kind of stupid delay.  I have everything else ready.  I am ready to move on and finish this project for good.  I have to deal with a delay now.  I won't die, for sure.  It is just that it would have been nice to have a project crossed from my to do list.

I guess I better let it known to organize my own mess myself.  My mind work on its own.  I know how it work. No one else knows how it work  Even if my stuff look disorganized to others, I know how it is ordered.  There is also some advantage for my creativity too.  Of course, I am not as disorganized as some on some tv shows.  I keep a degree of disorganization limited to my creation stuff.

Resin and a project I found.

 I am following Mark Montano on twitter.  He isn't the only crafty person that I follow.  I follow a bunch of people, magazines and other crafty related stuff.  Usually, I look at their projects.  I do look more for the inspirations.  My mind start to spin to get inspiration for other projects that have no link with the original material.

A few days ago, I saw this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SR0BMXC1EU
It is showing how to do heart shaped rings with glitter and small bottom.  I just love the idea.  I knew it was a possibility to do rings or door knob, thing like that.  But this video triggered something.  It is a rare time where I want to try the project.  Not totally as they show.  I don't have tiny heart shaped molds.  Only big ones and it is for soap making.  I do have mold for resin.  I can used a few of them for the project. I just don't have the pieces for the rings itself.  I will have to go on a shopping trip to the hardware store, I guess.  I have to see if it's there.

I think I will have some fum putting my own spin on this project.  I think it will be a project for myself.  I will have to adapt the project to make more suitable for gift and I think I know how to do it easily.  I don't want to impose my personal style to others.  I know I have comment on my "hardware style jewelry" and it isn't coming from my relative.  So, I have to tweak this if I decide to do some gifts.