My wishes for the New Year

I had end of the year resolutions and it had been going very well.  Just in a few hours, there will be the New Year.  I will not make resolutions.  There are wishes that I have.  I don't know if they will be granted this year.  I still not sure if I will be doing them this year.  This is why they are not resolutions and more wishes.  Nothing can assure me that my wished will turn into reality.  So, they will stay wishes for now.  I do not have any expiration date on those wishes:

-an hot stone massage.  I often crave for a massage.  I am also tempted to try an hot stone massage.  I am adventurous enough to try it.  I like stones enough to get them incorporated in a massage.  Nothing to loose and a lot to gain from the experience.

-getting better in managing my time.  It is more a goal.  Still working on that.  It may be the work of a lifetime.

-Perfecting the novels I had already written.  I have not worked on them much lately.  I should return to that depending how I am doing with the previous wish.

-Working in understanding the Lenormand's cards.  I want to break the mystery of interpreting pairing of the cards.  In this system, cards are read indiviually but work better in group.  I have problems reading those cards together.  I want to work on that.

-I leave a door open for more experimentation.  I like that and I wish to have more occasion to do it.

I think it is a good start.  Maybe there will be  more wish to add to that during the year.  I like to keep my option open.

Reflection

It is time to reflect on what happen during this year.  It been the year of doing scary things.  I have been out of my confort zone and taking some risks.  It was nice.  Of course, my life was not treatened.  It was more doing things unexpected or not encouraged.  It was also nice to express myself on crazy things (like the recent post on science fiction and those going over the edge by it).  That part of the year felt refreshing.  I think I have opened a door on something amusing.

I had a few elements that was in a continuity.  My return to woodburning was among that trend.  It was not the first craft that I had reintegrated in my life.  It was more the most recent return to something I did a long long time ago.  I am ready to go deeper with woodburning.  I am ready to go into new areas with this one.  I want to do more woodburning now.  When I tried it the very first time, I didn't do it for extremely long.  Now, I want to do more in the future.

This year, I had more time to decide what I want to do, what project I wanted to do, the direction I want to take.  It had feeled go to know more about my aspiration and to know where I wanted to go.  I hope to bring all this to the new year, the longest I can hold on that.

You're too much into crafting when...

-having too much ideas, all at the same time

-too much materials

-"where are the pliers?" (or any other tools/material)

-forget to do any essential (skipping some routine, not untentionally, of course)

-the necessary visit to the craft store if there is a lack of material (you know, didn't bought enough)

-feeling lucky to have excess materials because another crafty project can be done

-getting complaints about the excess materials or tools left around

-the "where did my day goes?" stare after seeing it is already late night and the project isn't near to be finish

-of course, there is the stereotype of the inspired crafter that is a night owl (my case, really, not good for the stereotype)

-"Oups, I drop a seed bead.  Where is it?" (when it happen, I always think "Baby, I losed it one more time" with the melody of the famous tune...)

-"Hey!  I am at work right now!  Stop mess with my stuff!"

Truely, it is hard, hard to be a craft person.

Famous science fiction and strange people

There are people who are taking themselves a bit too much seriously.  Some fan of science fiction are sometimes going too far on some point.  Ukraine seems to be a good place for fan of the Star Wars franchise.  I found an article on a guy, in Ukraine, that had changed legally his name and dress as Darth Vader (Darth Mykolaiovych Vader).  He tried to get elected as mayor of Odessa.  There was a Chewbacca that was fined.  As I look at the (ahem, coughing, hilarious) photos, there also some Storm Trooper that walk around town.  I am sure that Lenin would not approved of his statue being turned into a Darth Vader one.

I just hope it will not end in a battle of franchise (the eternal Star Wars VS Star Trek).  I have heard that some people who dress in Star Trek's uniform year round.  It is less eye catching and less news worthy than a full dressed up character of Star Wars, I guess.  I wonder if there will be an article on cities that can be related to both franchise (the town of Vulcan in Alberta, Canada and Tataouine, Tunesia).

I do like movies like Star Wars and Star Trek.  I am just a bit less tolerent on those who goes way over the top, like the ones in the article.  I find it is just too much.  I don't mind those who goes to convention in cosplay, they are sure have much time to make something amazing.  Maybe it is just me...

Internet VS Books

In this day and age, internet gives a lot of information.  It is great for a quick search.  I just came to the realisation that it can be good but sometimes, I felt in the need to go a step further.  A recent search on woodburning help me in differencing between the internet and books.  It was on woodburning.  I did found a few websites on the topic.  It is is mainly for really first time beginner.  (for example: http://www.wikihow.com/Woodburn)  I am not in this category.  I know a bit but I am not totally a beginner.  I would say I am an advanced beginner, almost into the intermediary level.

There are site that have a little bit more information or show some woodburning pens that I never saw before (http://www.patrickfaleur.com/pyrography/,  http://www.scorchpyro.co.uk/Techniques.html and http://www.instructables.com/id/Wood-burning-101-Techniques-and-Tricks/) and some that sound to be a constant work in progress but have a lot of info nonetheless. (http://www.suewalters.com/PyroSchool.html#1)

I was more lucky with books.  I had found more what I was looking for in books.  I had found a book that could field the last gaps that I have to learn (http://www.amazon.ca/Pyrography-Basics-Techniques-Exercises-Beginners/dp/1574215051/ref=pd_sim_14_7?ie=UTF8&dpID=51n5TKbh8wL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR124%2C160_&refRID=10DWT1S6S8SKTG9H7ZQB)
This one is similar to the other but I have not decided if I will take it.  (http://www.amazon.ca/Learn-Burn-Step-Step-Pyrography/dp/1565237285/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=51RDHBGv2cL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR124%2C160_&refRID=10DWT1S6S8SKTG9H7ZQB)
I found one that get me excited.  I think it is the type of book that I need right now.  I am more geared into patterns and creating my own projects right now (http://www.amazon.ca/Woodburning-Project-Pattern-Treasury-Match/dp/1565234820/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=61ykerHJ6oL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR124%2C160_&refRID=10DWT1S6S8SKTG9H7ZQB)
This one is tempting.  It seems to be complete and have troubleshooting too.  I do not know, at this point if I will get it right away: (http://www.amazon.ca/Pyrography-Workbook-Complete-Guide-Woodburning/dp/1565232585/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=617Vz5utQ6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR123%2C160_&refRID=01HWZNDC0CW3JK822KZ)
There are other books but I think these will wait a little bit before I have a look at them.  I don't know if I could find them in a local bookstore to browse all of them before buying them.  I may do that after the Holidays.  I am not in a hurry to get them.  I can do projects anyway.  I also think of looking on drawing ressources because I know it is a weak point of mine.

Learning about Baltic Amber

I know that the Baltic Amber is the most common amber in the world and that the famous Amber room was made fr om Baltic Amber.  Now, I know more about all the fuss about the Baltic Amber with this article:
http://archaeology.about.com/od/baterms/qt/baltic_amber.htm
Would be fun to see the amber trade route.  As I search, I found a lot of choice: https://www.google.ca/search?q=amber+trade+route&rlz=1CAASUB_enCA614CA614&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=701&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiRlYCdq9_JAhUEiRoKHctACZcQsAQIJQ&dpr=1
All or nothing.  Which one to choose?  I hate think kind of situation.   I have a legitimate question, my curiosity is awakened and I need to know.  After a quick search, I find more than I bargened and feel a bit confused.  Which one is the best one?  After seeing a few, I guess I can have an idea and it seems logical: it goes from the north to the south, even if it deviate a little bit to go to destination.

The article had wetted my curiosity.  I would have liked to learn a bit more.  There are reference, so I may check that first.  It is amazing the route that some gems can take to end at their destination.  I think it is the first gems that had made the most distance to come at the jewelry store.  If I count the antiquity, it show how the commerce could be developped even with less than modern mean of travel.

I find that amber have something that other gemstones don't have.  Of course, amber is not like most of other gemstones.  I don't know if it is me but amber seems to get warmer quicker than other gemstone when held in the hand.  The colors of amber makes me think of various beers.  I had seen someone working with amber.  I seems easy to work with amber.  Seeing and doing are two things.  I would be game to try work with it, just to see if it is easy.  It is a material that I would like to work with it, at least once.  It is for the experience.  I must admit that I would like to work with many stones, not just amber.  Maybe I will make a list of those stones, get them and do a projects.  There is a lot of things that I would try, I just don't know if there is a place where I could do that with someone more advanced than me.

What is my craft?

Some search for their career path.  Some search for their sexual orientation.  Some search for the meaning of life.  Some people are on quests to find answers.  My question is the same for the past few years: what is my craft?  Of course, being a jack of all trade have it's advantages.  I have various knowledges, I am not a specialist.  I just want to know if I can do something good, even to perfection and better than all the crafting that I know.

It seems evident for other people to know their biggest expertise, even if they can have knowledge in connected area of their expertise.  I can't say the same.  I had received many compliment on various projects that I made.  Nothing had come out as exceptional.  No one had praised me about one of my varied projects more than the others.  So, I don't have any idea where my strong area in crafting are.

I am too close of all the projects that I am doing to be a good judge.  My entourage is like all entourage: they compliment me whatever the result, even if I am dissatisfied with what I made.  I  can see the imperfection in my work.  It is not being a judge of what I had made, it is more with getting a good job, being a bit perfectionist.  I sometimes wonder if the ultimate test is selling my creations.  Could be but I am not ready to do it.  I have my own uncertainty.  I hesitate to put a toe in the selling waters.  I am not the only one to think that, I guess.  I better find a way to answer the question by another mean but I have not find it yet.

Maybe the real question is: what craft makes me special and unique?

Checking one task on the list

I am proud to show the before and after of a woodburning project.  The before show the project just after the woodburning part.  The after photo show the project with some paints.  I think I will leave them like that.  At the beginning, I was thinking to do something around the fruits, but now, seeing them like that, I think it will be too much.

I am happy with the result.  I experimented with the paints.  I think it look good in both way, even if I think that the apple is quite stunning without the paint.  The paint, on the other hand, add a little touch of colour and a bit of fullness.  The grape of raisins are bette with the paints.  I didn't thought that the paint would show up above the burned wood.  It truely add some liveliness to the grapes.

Now, I have to perfect the painting part, not to go out of the burned lines.  It will be fixed by taking my times and not feel rushed.  Breathing will help too, I am sure.  So, now, I feel more confident to do further projects using woodburning.  It only will get better, I think.  I have some basis for woodburning, the rest is practice, practice, practice...

Techno DYI

Just found this video about making a teleprompter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC1NY_5JV0Q
It is nice to see people are able to do some techno DYI gadgetry.  It prove that sometimes, we pay for the name of the compagny more than for the product.  There is other video, on YouTube, that does the same.  I am sure that the other videos are putting their own twist on the process and the result.

It shows that creativity is not limited to crafting.  Where there is a need, there is a way to do it the DYI way, even if it can be sometimes cheap.  In the case of some techno gadget like a teleprompter. I think it can be more advantageous to do it in DYI if someone makes videos as a hobby.

The video proves that creativity, some crafting, geek and technology can mix nicely.

How was I doing it?

Looking at the past is always done in pink google glasses, it seems.  From my memory, it seems all more simple and easy.  It seems that my life is getting more complicated.  If I had a clearer and more accurate memory, it probably be similar on some points.

It the past, it seems to be so simple to put crafting into my life.  Right now, I wonder where all my free time goes.  I don't do anything extravagant.  The rushes for Christmas must cloud my mind right now.  I feel I must be doing all the ideas I have in my head and all at the same time.  The "it was supposed to be done yesterday" syndrome is now part of my life, it seems.  Before now, I was thinking that I would never enter that way of thinking.  Now, I feel I was wrong.

Well, I must enter the "must be done" way of thinking, now.  It had served me well in the past.  I just have to not abuse that way of thinking.  It is great when under pressure but not on the long term.  I must get the rush to get things done out of my way as soon as possible.  It is nice when having the exhilirating sensation of flying throught the day and finishing projects.  I just feel the need to do it right now and have a little rest after the Holidays rush.

Not proscratinating!

Art proscratination?  Sometimes, I wonder if I get that bugs.  There are days where I don't have time to sit down and create.  It can makes me feel very bad, I admit it.  Creating something is a must have and is very therapeuthic for me.  If I skip it, I do have some shame that is associated with proscratination.  I am still figuring a way to have a daily dose of creativity.  Not always evident with many appointment and other life duties.  I still have to figure that out.

Evening is the best period, for me, on the creative side.  I am a bit of a night creative creature.  Most of the week, I could do creative pursuit then.  When I am not available for the evening creative shift, I am a little bit bugged.  I could try to do something creative during the day.  Not evident.  I should look at what I can do during the day.  Maybe some jewelry piece.  It is more doing than thinking.  I have a few ideas that are ready to get done.

Another thing that I am trying: in the downtime that could be called proscratinating, from a exterior eye, I started to think about projects I want to do, taking notes and brainstorming.  At least, in these times, i am receptive to new ideas.  So, I think that the word «proscratination» can be banned from my life.

Visible but not seeing it

There are time where I had little adventures.  Those little adventures often turned up as myself feeling a bit dumb.  It comes up as not seeing a important details.  My most recent example is about my woodburning pen.  I got it out a few days ago, wanting to do a project I have in my end of the year resolution (https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2758842815612261477&pli=1#editor/target=post;postID=6449630126498581940;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname).  I wanted to start away but the tip on the pen was not the one I needed.  I did not examine where the pen was (the original packaging) so I did not see the other tips.  I have lost a few days searching for those tips.  This last evening, I look at the packaging and saw the tips.

So, it was a case of having something under my nose and not seeing it.  It is frustrating to have lost a few days searching for something that was not lost.  It is not a first time nor the last time, I am sure of that.  I think that for those kind of situation, organization is not the problem.  I have to be more careful with the details.  Maybe a little sticker notes will do the trick.

End of the year resolutions

I want to do things a bit differently.  People like to take New Year Resolution.  Well, why not take a end of the year resolutions?  I would like to have a few resolutions to work on for the whole month of December.  I have to change my mind from the madness of Nanowrimo (nanowrimo.org).  So, my end of the year resolutions will be on projects that are not written.  So, no novel and story writing during the month of december.  Time to do some crafting.  December should become the perfect month to do crafts!

My first priority will be the Christmas gifts.  I do have two piece of woods that wait for me.  They will be used in a woodburning project.  I just have to find pictures or  make a drawing on them first before using my «wood burning pen» on the wood.  It will be a big chunk of work.  It is better not going quick with the «pen».  After that, there is some sanding to be done, to put everything smooth.  Finally, there is varnish the wood, for a protective coat.  I will have to buy a transparent varnish, it is the only item that I don't have with me.  It will be a real surprise for the one I will give that.

Of course, I am thinking doing some jewelry pieces and some soaps.  My stockpile of soaps is on it's end. For the jewelry pieces, well, it is a classic of gift and I feel inspired lately.  Having some extra soaps and extra jewelry pieces already made are also very handy in case of an emergency and last minute gifts, real life saver!  It also makes people talk.

Finally, I am thinking to try my hands on the Kuhuhimo.  It is a type of braiding (a site here: http://www.kumihimo.com/).  It seems easy but seeing and doing can be two different things.  I do have the starter kit.  I don't have the tread, even wonder if it is needed.  I am tempted to try with other cords.  Nice experimentation to try.  I like experimenting.

Where is the glamor of the artist life?

Recently, I had a talk with some one who know me.  It is a well known fact that I have the artistic bent.  I got all  praise on the artistic part of myself the whole encounter.  It is fun to have compliment on what I make but why do give praises just for the artistic traits that I possess?  I do not understand that.  It does not based on something concrete.  Would be great to be rich each time people praise creativity.

Glamor and the artist life seems to go hand in hand.  Pretty illusion and maybe some artist had entertained that idea to an ideal.  It is easy for those who are well known to reflect the sparkles.  The current system that surround some present artists gives possitive feedback to those who had succeedded and that are making money.  It is true for actors, musician and singers.

It is nice to get some praised for what I had done or what I am.  On the other hand, I do not makes my living out of my creativity, not yet.  So, I do feel it is a bit of nosense that some people praise me on something that is part of me but that is not yet used to it's full potential.  In addition, it is one part of my life, not the total sums of myself.

Next time someone does that, I think I will ask for a glass of absinthe and excuse myself by saying that I needed to visit the spa.  If glamor and artists are linked together, better laugh at the stereotyping.  I do not fit the stereotype, so I may have to play with it.

Sending my thanks to a teacher.

Many years back, I had a teacher.  He made us work hard.  How?  By asking us to write a paragraph on a theme.  I remember the first one: hammer.  The class did not came with much.  It was kind of a failure, as a homework.  He patiently help us brainstorm.  He show us the things that we considered common knowledge: the hammer's shape and of what material it's made.  The uses of an hammer, how we can hurt ourselves if we do not coordinate our mouvements,  It can be used to assemble so much things!  It is a common tool on any construction site.  It can also be finded in most homes, to do quick repairs and it is an handy tool to have around.

It had opened a window at the time.  When he explain the things that can be done and how the hammer is made of, I thought it was cool to see in that angle, even if it was obvious knowledge.  In a way, that teacher had showed the class how to brainstorm to write a paragraph on anything and that can be useful elsewhere.
Now, I can see how useful it can be.  It had helped me for description, in writing and not always rely on a plan.  I can have a picture in my head of an object and describe it on the paper without any problem.  It work best when the picture is crystal clear in my head.  My fingers, then, had to follow my line of thoughts and what I see clearly in my head.  In those times, word count fly and I feel confident on where I am going.

It is been a long time that I haven't saw that teacher.  So, I could not have the chance to thank him personnally, face to face.  Would be nice to be able to thanks him one day.

Munchies and creativity

It have hit me this week: munchies and some foods are pertectly matched with creativity.  For me, pretzel and writing are perfection.  This year, I have this craving of pretzel while I am writing.  Not good for the salt part ande the weight too but so good.  Must be related to feed the brain to makes him work full speed.  This year, the pretzel have helped me, even if I am not constantly eating them.  Maybe I should put a scene with a character eating a bag of pretzel, just for fun

Other people play with their food, you know, placing them in certain ways or shaping them in some familiar shapes.  It is another form of creativity.  Not really my kind of creativity.  I just find amazing what some people can create with food.  Did I dream about seeing dresses made of chocolate inthe news?  Too bad I have not save the link.  If I rememberm, there was an exposition with raw meat.  I do not remember if it was about this artist who scupt with meat and that received a prize: http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/meat-dress-sculptor-wins-governor-general-s-art-award-1.1255728.  My mind can be selective about trivia facts.

In painting, there are countless art with fruits and food.  I guess that I am not the only one that have craving with food while working on the creative side.  Makes me think that I could try in doing some fruits or other food in woodburning, at least try.  It would be a nice little irony to burn pictures of food in wood, add some colors and see the result.  Food is really an inspired topic when hungry...

Time to hit the hardware store

This is time for shoping for the Holidays.  Could be fun.  On the other hand, I have not shop for gifts in a long while, so it does not really apply.  Right now, I am more in a mood to shop for myself.  I won't go on fancy things.  I am thinking to go to make some shopping in various hardware stores and maybe one or two dollar store that are on my wishlist to visit.  i also want to shop in a beads store where I wanted to go for a long time.  I had spot the location of the store and it is accessible with the bus.  So, no more excuse for not going there.

The goal?  To replenish some items that had gone way too fast because I am too fond of using those items in my crafty projects (thinking of metal nuts, for example).  As I had mentionned many times, I like to hijack some items to use them for other things than their original purpose.  The hardware store and the dollar stores are great places to find pieces for that purpose of mine.

So, instead of shopping for gifts, I will shop for material to use in my crafting projects.  I do not have a fixed lists. I alsways keep my eye open for inspiration and it can happen on the spot, in the store.  There are times where a item had caught my eye.  When it happen, it is a memorable shopping trip.

Coincidence or the world return something that I have said?

 Recently, I talked about pyrography:
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2758842815612261477#editor/target=post;postID=3654799874492616909;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=14;src=postname

In the post, I think I mentioned I haven't seen a kit for pyrography recently.  Well, I think I didn't look at the right place because I have stumbled upon this today:
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00000JB9N/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=BX4C6XMN6RUJ&coliid=I3CXUUJWXQRIWG
So, pyrography's kit still exist even if the boxes had changed since my youth.  I did not search for that,. I  was looking for something else.  It is strange that I have stumble upon this kit after mentioning it.

I also found a kit with just the equipment to do wood buring (like the tips and the mini iron that I like to call an wood burner's pen).  It even contain a project book: http://www.amazon.ca/Weller-WSB25WB-25-Watt-Barrel-Woodburning/dp/B000EMBEY0/ref=pd_rhf_gw_s_cp_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=41sRDJAkd9L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_SL500_SR135%2C135_&refRID=0E8MXYZXEMP5NQTES2Z0

This kit seems to be the best one for someone like me who had done some wood burning before:
http://www.amazon.ca/Weller-WSB25WB-25-Watt-Barrel-Woodburning/dp/B000EMBEY0/ref=pd_rhf_gw_s_cp_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=41sRDJAkd9L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_SL500_SR135%2C135_&refRID=0E8MXYZXEMP5NQTES2Z0

Thinking about it, I may go for the books on the subjects like these ones:
http://www.amazon.ca/Woodburning-Basics-Dick-Armstrong/dp/0764326759/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_cp_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=51ESuNS4gkL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_SL500_SR104%2C135_&refRID=16RXYD7PKFM9VMFAY5KH

http://www.amazon.ca/Learn-Burn-Step-Step-Pyrography/dp/1565237285/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=06TMJ7WPJ335S2M8HNDR

http://www.amazon.ca/Pyrography-Basics-Techniques-Exercises-Beginners/dp/1574215051/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51n5TKbh8wL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR124%2C160_&refRID=137DXN2EPQEHTTA5NYKF

http://www.amazon.ca/Pyrography-Workbook-Complete-Guide-Woodburning/dp/1565232585/ref=pd_sim_201_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=617Vz5utQ6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR123%2C160_&refRID=1HQ8CXRKWXDDPW6C5TRE

Pyrography kits can be nice for someone that would like to try it out.  I am in the next step and I have the equipment.  I just have a few projects around that would be greatly enhanced with woodburning.  Maybe I wished for the kits because they had pieces of wood in them and with design already made.  Seeing that there are books on the topic makes me think that I should go for my own design (and with the capabilities of my drawing).  After some refflection, the wood would be easily obtain.  I already got an card holder made of wood, I just have to keep an eye open for other souces of wood.  I could go for wood shops or hadware stores to see what they have.  I could also look for scrap piece of woods that I could use.  For that , I could ask some contact that I have.

I am really in a brainstorming mode and it is contagious for all aspect of my life.

Art therapy

I am thinking to do some art therapy.  I always said that being creative and working with my hands are my own therapy.   Be it jewelry making, knitting, writing or photography.  I now feel it is time that I take a step further.  Usually, psychologists are doing their work with their patient while talking, in a conversation.  I had done that in the past.  My problem with talking is there is some translation to be made on my part, sometimes.  When I get ideas, they often comes in a visual form first, this is why there is some translation to be made.  My mind work that way: with images, feelings and sensation, words can comes last.

This is why I am thinking to go for art therapy.  Instead of talking, there are the creation and making of something, like a drawing, for example.  It is usually used with children and it work well with them.  Until recently, I haven't realized or thought that it could be used with adult.  I have stumble on this site on a art therapy association (http://www.aatq.org/en/home).  I am in the process of looking at the therapists listed on the site.

I am curious about what would come out of what I create.  My nose is right into my creations, so I can't feel good in taking a step back and see what someone else is seeing.  I feel the need to see what a profesionnal see in what I am making.  Maybe that person will be able to translate my imagery.  I think I could get something concrete out of it.  I want to know where I am going creatively.  Doing so may help me feel less of a jack of all trade...

Brainstorming the crafted gift for the Holidays

I have started to do some brainstorming for gifts that I will make for the Holidays.  I started doing gifts myself in the last few years.  It give a really personal touch to the gift, making it really tailored for the receiver.  It also reduce the cost.  The amount of gifts already made can be high.  When I make this, I have the cost of the materials to cover.  On the other hand, I don't have to pay much for the materials.  I have a stock pile of material for my craft, most of them anyway.  I also have some material that were hand crafted by myself.  It reduce the cost even more if I need that material.  For the time giving for making the gifts are on me: I don't have to pay myself and I am doing the gift for a person that have meaning and importance to me.

I usually have done the brainstorming by this time.  There are some projects that can takes time to do, because they can be very elaborate (like a project done with jump rings).  For others, I may have to do some problem solving because some unexpected problems had arosed during doing the gift.  I do not foresee everything everytimes.

It is one of the rare times in the year that being a jack of all trade is useful.  I can then use many techniques in one gift.  This year, I am a bit late for doing my planning.  I want to get out of my confort zone.  I want to have new ideas.  Give something that is unexpected.  It gives me an extra hard brainstorming.  I have to get out of the box.  I think it gives me the permission to go elsewhere, a breath of fresh air.  It is give me an extra challenge and I think it is a good thing.

Mental rust and a bit of brainstorming

Right now, I am concentrating on writing and doing Nanowrimo (nanowrimo.org).  I have a slow beginning there.  So, I feel rusty.  It is more about big fat long text that I feel rusty.  In additionI think that I did not much planned my text and I also feel a bit uninspired even there are action scene and technobabble that could help me fill the pages.  I do have idea but I find it hard to put it on paper.  Maybe trying something new will help me to put what is in my head to the paper or screen.

I guess it would be time to reevalate a few things about writing.  Doing Nanowrimo is a great way, for me, to get some writing done and to put stories into paper and on computer files.  I need a dealine and it is one thing that Nanowrimo made me discover.  Now, I use it to get a sprint in my writing and do the most difficult part of writing a novel: the first draft.  On the other hand, I wonder if I would write and work on a novel during the rest of the year.  Of course, I will do that on a more leasury pace.  It is something that I am tempted to do.  I just have to find a idea and work on it too.

Another thing that I would like to try: a collaboration.  A few years back, it almost saw the light.  I had talk with two other people to write something.  We each had a character, our main character and we would makes a story with them.  Life got it's way with it and the project never saw the light of day.  I think I will be more modest this time.  Let's start with only one other author and start from nothing.  Maybe it will be easier.

So, those will be New Year resolution done a bit in advance.  Now, I think I will have a little bit of brainstorming for my current writing project.

I wonder about what people can do

Recently, I saw two similar news.  It is about two different art perons.  One is a poet and the other one is an artist.  Both took a chinese pseudonym to get their arts published or sold.
This is the video on the poet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ5NoFqYmnQ
This is an article on the artist but it is in French: http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/insolite/201511/06/01-4918014-un-francais-camoufle-en-artiste-chinois-pour-augmenter-ses-ventes.php
I think it is a bit drastic to do what they have done.  They have created something.  I think they are lucky.  They got out of the bandwagon before it become a trap.  I think I have heard of an author who took a pen name and slowly, it killed him over the years because he felt trapped in his lies he had done in his pen name.  I tried to find his name again but was unable to find it.

When I heard about those two guys (the poet and the artist), I found it strange that they felt the urge to go under a false personna to find success.  I don't think it is always greener in the propriety of the neighbhor.  Did they had success because the personna they took was a stranger?   As nobody is a prophet in his own country.   Okay, they had found a flaw and play with it.  There may be some people that may be tempted to try the same stratagem.  If so, will that phenomena will loose trust in the art field?  Will be people be more sceptical if they see strangers names in a gallerie or an exposition in a art museum?  Is there other artists who had done the same to come to their end means?

I don't think I will go for the extreme they had done to gain success.  I had found my pen name for my written project.  The pen name I had choosen have a personnal meaning to me.  I won't tell it and, anyway, there are some people that may guess easily my real identity as they will see my pen name.

What I feel when I write and not all monster are the same

Since I do nanowrino (nanowrimo.org), and it had been a few years now, I discovered something wonderful.  It is more a feeling.  While I do nanowrimo, I feel empowered while writing my stories.  It is mainly because I get ideas and somethimes, it is devious ideas that get the plots more interesting.  I call this feeling the "mad scientist" feeling.  Why?  Because I took full consciousness of the feeling as I was working on a story with a mad scientist in it.  The mad scientist was the bad guy of the story.  Curiously, I was more interested in tourmenting my poor mad scientist and giving him false illusion.  I like working with this mad scientist because he can be machiavelical as he want and I would follow him in his grandiose ideas before making him crash against reality and that lead him to his doom.

I am surprised that with our age on technology and science, that the mad scientist archetype isn't much there.  Is it because it is more difficult to come with the pseudo babble or science facts are harder to bend to fit the delirium of the mad scientist?  Other archetype are more "successful" right now  the mad scientist.  Zombies and Vampires are mass market sellter bad boys.  Werewolves are a bit of the under dogs right now but I wonder if they will join the high rated zombies and vampires.  Beside The Young Frankenstein, there isn't much movies that made an honor to the Frankenstein's monster fame.  Well, I guess not all monster and archetype are an hit.  Not all of the monster are equally marketable.  It is sad for my mad scientist.  I think he have some potential.  There are many bad guys in movies that rely on science to put their plans into action.  I am sure that those bad guys haven't done all the science part of their plan all by themselves.  So, the mad scientists could start with a small part (some movies had done it a bit, I think).

Well, I like my mad scientist.  I still enjoy writing for him.  I like writing his lines, to show his megalomaniac personnality or all his devious ideas.  I like to show how he enter and quit the story.  I like to kill him and find a way to revive him in another story.  I don't have this personal playfulness and special connection with other characters.  My mad scientist is my favorite character.  Maybe he will be, one day, have the spotlight he deserve in the published world or in a movie.  I like to dream that way for him.  Isn't it comparable to the sentiment a parent have for it's child?

Another stone discovery edition

I found a few surprising things that I didn't necessary knew about some stones.
First, I discovered an manufactured stone with the name of Fordite (it is a no brainer where it can be from):
http://jewelrymaking.about.com/od/Beads-and-Stones/tp/Fordite-A-Surprising-Stone-From-the-Modern-Era.htm?utm_content=20151101&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exp_nl&utm_campaign=list_jewelrymaking&utm_term=list_jewelrymaking
I do like the colors of the stones that are shown in the pictures,  I don't know why they aren't more known.  It would fit my kind of stones.  I know I would use it in a more industrial jewelry pieces because the match would be perfect.  It is a really original stone.  Too bad it is hard to get by.  I think it would and could be a gem success story if well promoted.  I can even think of a slogan: "Diamonds are forever, Fordite in your car's playground".  I guess I am having a blast with this stone.  I have to admit that I have been moonstruck on that one.

My other discovery continue a recent post I had on the opal (you know the "opal and jewelry store": https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2758842815612261477&pli=1#editor/target=post;postID=323130745002733557;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=10;src=postname).  Well, I found that a new kind of opal had been found, which had got me more interested.  You can have a look there: http://jewelry.about.com/od/birthstonefactsandfolklore/ss/What-is-Welo-Opal.htm
So, this opal is a Welo opal and comes from a province in Ethiopia.  There is another kind of opal that is more fragile that comes from another province of the same country.  Well, it is fun to know that not all opals comes from Australia.  I wonder which are the best: the Welo opal or those from Australia.  Or is it more a question of personal taste?  Makes me think that I should start looking at the provenance of the obsidians I buy, just to see the areas I like the stones best...

The last stone is on Topaz.  I don't remember talking about Topaz (or was it very briefly?).  Well, I found a few facts that I didn't knew about Topaz.  I found them here: http://jewelry.about.com/od/birthstonefactsandfolklore/tp/Interesting-Topaz-Facts.htm
It makes me more aware now.  I was thinking buying blue Topazes since I saw two from someone I knew, a little while back.  Now, I will think twice before buying them.  I usually dislike buying treated stones or one stone colored and sold as another stone.  The imperial Topaz caught my eye.  I did not knew about that kind of Topaz and found that stone to have a nice and different color.  In addition, Topaz is a hard stone.  So, if, one day, I work with this stone, I will be less affraid to work with it and not break it.

I like learning about stone.  It is even more fun to discover facts about unknown stones.

Writing time

I have started to do Nanowrimo (nanowrimo.org).  It is a challenge that help me make the transition between my head and a written document.  I was able to do that for many stories.  This year, it is a story that I had hinted last year.  Also, last year was an addition to a story from a previous year.  I think that this trilogy will be enough in that world of secrecy and scientific research.  I will concentrate on this year story.  I don't know what I will do next year if I do it.  I usually do one year at a time and often, I get an idea during the year, even if it can be at last minute.

This year, I am also making a breakthrough.  A few years back, at this time of year, I was reading gothic stories (the early classic like Melmoth the Wanderer, The Castle of Otranto and books by Anne Ratcliffe).  It was helping me mentally in this darker time of the year. I was beginning in the end of September or really early October and I would finish at the end of December, max early January.  Since I started Nanowrimo, I didn't pursue that tradition.  I am thinking of taking it back, maybe next year.  I would like to see if reading and writing could go along well.  This year, I want to finish a few books I have started before starting new books.

Writing, as any craft, always helped me on the mental level.  It is therapeutics.  It also help me to concentrate on something.  Since I started nanowrimo, it had helped me even if I stress out a bit.  I am a bit competitive.  I always felt the pressure to complete this challenge.  I learned a few things in each time I participated.  I also have periods where I improvised.  It was not something easy to do but I got great ideas while improvising.  I also learned that an great idea doesn't mean an 50 000 words story at the end of the month.

So, the month of November had become a period to write for me.  I am thinking to try something next year.  I am thinking to write during October but it won't be related to nanowrimo.  In a way, it will extent my period of writing. I want to write something shorter and not as intensive.  I don't know what I will do then.  I think to take the month of October as a warm up for November.  I'll see what will come out of it.

I think I had post about it,,,

I think I have post about the giant wheel they had put on display near where I live.  It is supposed to be an work of art and they had put a lot of money on it.  It is suppose to honor public transport and people are not agreeing on the utility of this art work.  There was an inauration day (under the rain) a few weeks ago.  Here how it look like, I took a photo from afar.  Maybe I will take a closer picture if I feel confident enough:

I took three picture to give an idea where it is.  It is supposed to honor public transit but it's emplacement is on the cornoer of two big boulevard.  Two busy boulevard.  Of course, there are buses that goes on those two big street.  Beside that, not much of transit.  No subways, no railways, no places for other mean of transport except buses, cars and trucks.  The boulevard that is show on the photos is one big entryways of the city.  So, there is lot of traffic.  There is lot of traffic on the other boulevard too and it help feed the seen boulevard.  They want the wheel to honor public transit?  My eye!  If there where more public transit other than buses, I wouldn't say anything.

My other problem is about suicide people.  This wheel will be tempting to those with suicidal thoughts.  They will be attracted to the weel, I am sure.  It is only a question of time.  Those kind of people doens't care where they do their things.  The result shock us but they usually don't feel anything after dying.  They will only see a good place to put a noose with enough room to do their deeds, even if they really don't want to do it after all.

Makes me think of an anecdote from my childhood.  It really had happened.  There was a guy that hang himself in a cemetary.  You may think it is a fitting place to commit suicide, right?  Well, the cemetary in question was just beside an elementary school.  I was going there and I remember that the cemetary was clearly visible from the background schoolyard.  There was even some students that had seen the deceased person still hanging from the tree.  So, it was a fitting place but not the best one due to the neighbor.

So, for the wheel, I am waiting for the first one who will have the idea and commitment to do it till the end.  I don't know if I am the only one who think about the possibility but I won't be shocked if it happen one day.

It is serious matter but irony set in

There are signboard and they often inform us on important matter.  There are time where some are hilarious the way they are written.  There is also time where I feel some irony surging in me.  Here an example of ironical sign I found:

I don't know if it is readable but they are renovating their windows and washroom.  I don't know why they feel the need to inform us about it.  I can guess it for the windows anyway.  They have some apparatus visible for the windows anyway.  It can't be used for any other purppose exept maybe washing the window panes.

Where I feel the irony is about the washroom.  Do they have to tell the world about that?  I had always thought that what happen in the washroom stay in the washroom.  If I would exhibit my own renovations, I would skip the bathroom because I want to keep some shy reservation about it.  This place is a public educational place so it is sure their washrooms need some work.  I just don't feel the need to know about it.  It is not like slowing a car near a accident but I am sure people aren't slowing down to look at this sign.  There isn't any boody appeal anyway.   I won't even talk about the amount spent on the building. Usually, it is needed just to keep the building standing.  It is probably money well spent on this case.  They probably getting things better.  It isn't a exceptiomnally pretty place but I am sure it is justified renovations.

So, beside the washroom, I have nothing to say about this sign.  Some may say it is important to have transparancy about public spending.  On a personal level, I would have omitted the washroom or have put some other wording (isolated public space?).  I may be the only one feeling that irony.  It doesn't bother me to be the only one feeling this way.

Peoples and characters

Yesterday evening, I saw someone that look special.  He had a big container of putty (for the wall).  His faces was dirty with the stuff.  He appear whitter than he was.  In addition, he had a white coat.  His hat was a little bit strange but a nice color of light apple green.  He look a bit like a ghost.  I guess he work in the construction industry.  In this time of year, he would be a good looking ghost at an halloween party.

It made me think.  He is the type of person with a look that would be perfect for a character.  Not the first time that I see a person that would be the perfect model for a character.  There are some people who look or have a personna that fit perfectly in the fiction world.  Maybe it is wanted.  I wonder how they found that look or the way they are.  I am a bit bland when it come to look.  I don't make any research for my look.  I never really searched for a particuliar piece of clothing.  I am the type to take clothes with no logo.  On the side of personnality, I am more the outsider of the outsiders.  I usually feel that I don't belong to any group, not feeling at ease in subculture either.

I wonder if this neutrality is helping me when I write.  I sometimes feel like I am like the Swiss, being neutral, so I could write various characters.  I like when I see a person that catch my eye.  It usually end up influencing me in creating some characters.

For those who lives dangerously

As I was freely browsing, I stumble on this: http://weirdandamazingtravel.about.com/od/Weird-and-Amazing-Transportation/tp/The-Worlds-Most-Dangerous-Airlines.htm
It is about five dangerous airlines.  They seems to be small and far away.  I don't know those airline, so I can't judge them.  It is understantable that Tara airline and Nepal airline are more at risk to be dangerous because they cover rough and high terrain.  I wonder if trill seekers are tempted to use those airlines.

I was tempted, for a time, to write something related to flying but I decided to drop the idea.  It is an area where reality go beyond fiction.  When reality is better than fiction, the need to create fiction become obsolete, I think.  On the other hand, I am thinking to do something on the ground involving something similar to the Silk Road.  I am thinking of groups of nomads moving from place to place, helping travellers, transporting goods and offering entertainment along the way.  Of course, some groups will be more ethical than others.  There will be a few groups that would be rogues, similar to some groups in real life.

I also got another idea.  It involve trill seekers that would explore new ways of travelling.  Of course, it will be in a fantasy kind of world where there is not much option for travelling or news spreading.  There would be a event that will trigger a new mean of travelling.  Those trill seekers will takes on their shoulders to test the winds and to learn everything on this new transport.  Premise of great adventure.

Location seems so much over rated!  I say that triggers is the best friend of the creative person!

Characters

I was looking for Abby Cadabby, just out of boredom.  I haven't anything in mind while doing this.  I stumble on this "article": http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Abby_Cadabby
I was a bit surprised but it is logical to have an muppet wiki.  I also took a look for Cookie, Telly, Elmo and Big Bird.  It was fun reading about the creation of those character.  I find that Cookie Monster have the most interesting creation yet.  I didn't knew his origin was with some unaired ads for tv.  I always thought that Big Bird was a big canary but he identify himself as being a lark.  There are info on his family too.

All this is a fine discovery.  I find it inspiring, for myself.  I do have some characters that have interesting back stories.  I just haven't put it on paper.  Looking at the muppet wiki, I found it was interesting all the infos it contain.  It is not perfect but it help to grasp better the character.  I do have much in my head and I think it would be a necessity to put it on paper could help me.  It would help me show and expand on the richness of my characters.  They will be better defined.  I have seen some way to record characters but I always found it restrictive on the physical side and not precise/inspiring on the mental and past side.  The wiki is inspiring for the more mental and past side of the characters.  It will help me a bit more for my own writing experience.

It is strange how an unexpected research can turn out.  It triggered something in me.  It is not the first time.  I would like to find how the unconscious work to link what I see with the ideas I have.  It seems to be a bit mysterious to me.  There are links that form between ideas and what is seen, a connection.  Beside that, I would like to know if there is more to that.  Launching the question may break some dams and I may stumble on something on the subject.

Getting things out of my system

There are times where I get a few things on my nerves.  Not always in a bad way, just that I find that tiring.  It is turning me into a fit of obsession.  Usually, I concentrate on that until I get out of it.  I often end up burned out on a relatively short period.

There are other subjects that comes in and out of my mind.  I just realized that recently.  In the past, I had stumbled on some informations on the Silk Road in a newsletter.  I thought I had outgrow of it, having gained a lot of informations in a short time.  Today, the Silk Road had returned to my conscious mind.  I decided to make some new search.  I found something on the UNESCO website: http://en.unesco.org/silkroad/about-silk-road
In the text, I found something that reassured my thoughts on the Silk Road:
"'Silk Road' is in fact a relatively recent term, and for the majority of their long history, these ancient roads had no particular name. In the mid-nineteenth century, the German geologist, Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen, named the trade and communication network Die Seidenstrasse (the Silk Road), and the term, also used in the plural, continues to stir imaginations with its evocative mystery."
So, I was thinking right.  Silk Road could be used in the plural.  It makes me feel good to have guessed something right.  I don't know if it will be nailed down by the Silk Road bug for now.  I just find it strange that a thought can lead to some confirmation on a subject.  Was my mind working to get at the right time and right moment to discover the right thing?  In a sense, it can be amazing.  On the other, I hope it will help me get the Silk Road out of my system and be able to move on to something else.

Return to pyrography

Pyrography is burning wood. As a child, I learned this in school.  I liked that and was good.  At the time, I had a kit with all the material.  There was a pyrography pen, some tips for the pen and some wood planks with drawing on it.  So, I was able to follow the lines and have great results.

Now, I had recently bought another pyrography pen.  It is diffent that my first one.  The feature of this new pen is the integrated holder.  I now can put it on the table, not bothering about any burned surface.  What I like less is there isn't any wood plank with drawing on them.  I am not the best in drawing.  While doing some woodburning project, there is already a smoke's smell.  I don't want to add to that smell with a paper template.  If I want to get really serious, in this situation, I will have to find a solution.

The other solution would do free hand drawing.  It limit me but I can find some plain and easy things to reproduce on the wood.  Maybe some tribal pattern or geometric pattern could be a start.  Here one simple project I had done, as I was returning to pyrography:

Getting a bit better with a camera

Not long ago, I decided to experiment with my camera.  I wanted to get better results.  I took photos with different settings.  It is great how a little bit of practice can makes to better understand theories!  There was one "subject" I had more trouble getting a satisying photo.  It is not perfect but it is the closest I could make.  Here is the result with an failed attempt.  The failed attempt is the first one:

I experiemented a lot with the setting to get the result I wanted.  I almost stop trying.
I also tried to get some photos with the colors of Automn:

I think I should work more on my balance of white.  I think I will ask for advice on taking photos where one part is in the light and the other one in the shadow, like this photo:

It is not too bad but I think the last photo could be better.  I feel the shadow hide the folliage.  I am thinking I could have taken the photo earlier in the day.  Would had eliminated the shadow.

I now feel more confident in changer the setting of the lens piece.  I was able to see that the 18 setting don't give the same result as the 35 one or the other ones.  For sure, I will use that part more often now.  It makes a difference and I will not be shy on using it more.  I also seems to be more interested in taking pictures of nature than doing portrait or "sporty" sphotos.

Opal and jewelry store

I just found this article on Opal:
http://jewelry.about.com/od/birthstonefactsandfolklore/ss/Interesting-Opal-Facts.htm
It is a well known fact that I like to learn more on stones.  I never saw that gemstone up close and personal.  Looking at the photos, it seems a gemstone that fall in what I like.  It is an original stone that shimmer.  There was none when I was going to the Gems and Mineral shows I go.  Opal seems to be nice looking on the photos.  I don't know if it will be different in my hand.  Sometimes, I felt there was a difference between the photos and a contrete gem.  Did I expected too much from stones?  It is a possibility.

I wonder where I can have a piece of that gem.  I know most of the Opal comes from Australia.  I don't know if a jeweler's store have some.  I usually don't go into a jeweler's store.  I have been into one when I was a child, with my mom but since then, I didn't go there on my own.  Strange how thing happen.  So, I feel like a novice.  I don't know what that kind of store have or don't have.  It can be paradoxial that I make some jewelry but I don't have any experience dealing with a jewelry store.

I wonder if an opal is too much exotic for a jewelry store  I think it wouldn't be exotic in Australia but I live on the other side of the world.  I don't know everything about gems' trade.  I don't know everything about all the gems.  So, I still have a lot to learn.  It's only since a few years that got really interested in gems and jewelry.  I have learned a lot but I still have to learn.  Maybe the next step is to have more experience with the jewelry store.

Images is not an universal unique language

I have started to study the Lenormand oracle cards.  (Here is an example of the cards: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/lenormand-oracle-cards/)  Currently, I am slowly reading The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook by Caitlin Matthews.  (http://www.amazon.ca/Complete-Lenormand-Oracle-Handbook-Language/dp/1620553252/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444183861&sr=8-1&keywords=lenormand+oracle+handbook)  Before starting reading this book, I look at those deck with puzzlement.  It was as if the pictures were another language that I didn't have any access.  I didn't have any keys to decode those images and I didn't had access to a rossetta stone for decoding them.

As I am reading the book, the code start to fall in place.  I now have a guideline on how the Lenormand work.  With some practice, I think the puzzle piece will fall to place.  All this "discovering" makes me think.  Images is not an universal unique language.  There is variations from places to places in the way the images are interpreted.  Not everyones interpret the same image quite the same way.  There are layers that look universal but they also have a personal layer that is linked with the person experience or point of view.  Images in not one unified language that have the same significance all other the world.

I feel a bit under an small electricity shock.  It is not earth shattering but it shook my world.  Images is my personal inner language.  There are times where I mainly think in pictures.  When I get an idea, it often look like a photograph or a scene.  It is depicted in a graphic form.  The rest comes to me as an inner knowing, providing the context and everything I need to know.  I feel loosing my innocence.  I always thought that there was some convention in reading all the graphic symbols, that ways of decoding the graphics world was more uniform that it is truely is.  I seems to have miss the subtilities.  Seems that I will have to work on that a little bit more...

When synchronicity happen...

In a recent post (https://themusesamongus.blogspot.com/b/post-preview?token=JuNvQVABAAA.eaN38c_IGI-IqmSr1W_2_YCvqjblMx4WcVcRqvlzypiiUWp4Rf5D4r1HXjrSV_RSQZ6jOEWE1dY7HEZ1QySjuQ.a3CkZTTeuvWtYfgqBI_UOg&postId=8577106876343820542&type=POST), I talked about one creator (a painter: Theodore Gericault) and his investment (all the research he had done to do The Raft of the Medusa).  All energies to create a masterpiece.  From what I understood, he was kind of obsessed to get realistic with the colors and he was careful with his intention, by what he wanted to show.  The end result have quite an impact. (http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/raft-medusa)

Creating is an act of dedication.  The creator is absorbed by the creating art.  When I create, most energies goes to the creation but often, I have questions running in the back of my head.  It is like a probe looking around on how things run in the forefront: Where all those ideas coming from?  How the flow keep going on? Why do I have all these ideas?  It seems to go like an hamters' wheel, it keep going in.

How the synchronicity comes in?  Well, I found two articles that shed some lights.  I think it is a link with what I wrote on a creator investments in his masterpiece and my quest on the creative process.  The first one list 10 Characteristics of Creative People: http://psychology.about.com/od/problemsolving/ss/10-Characteristics-of-Creative-People.htm#step1
The second one is titled What is Creativity? : http://inventors.about.com/od/creativity/f/What-Is-Creativity.htm

I like the little links for getting more creativity flowing at the end of What is Creativity?
Saying all that make me think that there is a few things that I would like to experiement more, getting my hands on.  The first thing I would like to do again is the exercise I did in a workshop: automatic drawing.  It was quite fun to do.  I also did briefly authomatic writing on two workshop but the automatic drawing was quite telling of my mind.  While doing the automatic drawing, I didn't look at what I was doing.  After the free drawing, we look up what we did.  With another color, we would highlight some forms we were seeing.  In my sheet, I saw a few boats or it could also pass as crescent moon.  I also saw the sign for the anarchists (do I take that as my subconscious as being an anarchist? Or is it just the sign being just a sign, the fruit of coincidence?)

I also took a serie of workshop where we were doing a kind of stationary dance.  Our feet were "glued" to the floor.  The rest of the body was moving in a shaking manner.  We did that a few times and each time, it was a little bit longer.  Each time, there was a different music.  The last time we did it, it was like 10 or 15 minutes with a drum and rattle music.  I found the combination quite powerful and I remember entering a trance.  I no longer "shake" as I was suppose to do.  I also got the impression there was variation in the music (but there where none of that).  It can sound crazy but my mind was altered.  I promised myself to enter that state with the same state using the same technique at a later date.  I haven't done it yet but I feel it would be a good thing to try again soon.

A creator's investment

I recently saw an documentary called "La véritable histoire du 'radeau de la Méduse'" (the real history of the 'raft of the Medusa') (http://www.arte.tv/guide/fr/049878-000/la-veritable-histoire-du-radeau-de-la-meduse).  The Raft of the Medusa is a painting of Théodore Géricault (more info here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_M%C3%A9duse_(1810)).  The painting is based on a real event: a stranded ship.  There are survivors who had been found on a raft two weeks after the ship had been abandonned.  The painting had been very controversial when it's inauguration.  The documentary have a reconstitution of the raft.

The painter, Théodore Géricault, had put a lot of research and work into that painting.  I know he invest much time with some survivors of the incident.  He also experiement with paint colors.  Doing so, he was trying to emulate the color of dead tissue.  I think he also spent some time in insane assylum.  More on Gericault here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9odore_G%C3%A9ricault.

As for many artists, he died young.  He also invested a lot of time in his work.  He wasn't affraid to go to some unsettling place.  I like artists like him.  He was ready to go to great lenght to give a realistic result.  He also made a piece of art that was unexpected at the time.  He was following his own path, it is what I admire in him.  For his painting of the 'Raft of the Medusa', we was not affraid to take a maritime tragedy and turn it in a big painting, strong with emotions.  It is what I call a powerful art piece.  It trigger something viceral, stir the darkness and it is there to stay exposed.

Temptation and weakness

It is interesting to see how the mind can do some connections that seems trivial.  There are times in life where some temptations are more attractive than other time.  Right now, I have a craving for fudge brownie.  I ain't into chocolate but fudge brownie is one of my weak point.  At one point, I had found a place where they selled lip balm with the scent of fudge brownie.  Loved that product!  Last time I looked, it was no longer available.  I feel a bit sad because this lip balm was a pick me up when I feeled a bit low.  Last time I search, I didn't found any remplacement.  Time to go shopping again, to see if I will be lucky this time.  I am tempted to try one of the two: https://www.etsy.com/listing/243496917/fudge-brownie-all-natural-beeswax-lip or that one: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00TBYBP2I?colid=BX4C6XMN6RUJ&coliid=I2M70RW49QCIBX&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

So, I was linking about my sweat urge.  My mind go forward.  I start to think that a good fudgy brownie is a temptation.  It is also one of my weakness.  Put a plate of fudge brownie under my nose and beware!  The plate will come back empty except for some crumbs (and I think that even crumbs won't survive my attack!)
So, here come the conclusion of my train of thought, done by my own brain: What are the weaknesses and temptation of my characters.  It is easy for some.  Other, I will have to think a bit more.  Is it vital for all characters?  No, not at all but there is at least one story that use a weakness for the two main characters.  Their weakness is their nemesis.  So, if they encounter their nemesis, watch out, the main characters sees red!

I seems to be in a period of more dreams that I remember and I also seems to be more geared up for fiction.  I wonder if there is a connection between the two.  It is a possibility...

Unexplained: left-handedness in the news

I found this article on weird news related to left-handedness: http://weirdnews.about.com/od/eccentr
icalmanac/fl/Weird-News-For-and-About-Left-Handers.htm
I like the left-olution and I laught at the left-handed marriage.  As a left-handed myself, I know how it isn't always easy at school.  I remember how much smudge I was making at the first grade (I know that there is an smudge guard now but there were none at the time).  I could not keep on smiling on the left-handed marriage proposition.  I spotted right away the irony.  Also, there are people who tend to jump right away into a debate without using their common sense.  Those people usually have an obtuse way of seeing matters. In addition, who care about two left-handed people being together.   The same apply to gay people.  They have the right to be together if they wished.

I found the weirdest news to be the left-handed underwear.  I used a few objects that are designed for left-handed myself but it is more common ones like scissors, hockey stick, baseball glove.  Maybe the underwear was a marketing ploy.  I think it was going for a too obtuse segment of the population.  There are things that aren't that easily adapted for lefties.  It leaves the lefties to adapt to a right-handed world (no wonder lefties have a so huge legacy in many fields!)

The oopsy goes to the statue of Babe Ruth.  The ones involved seems to reject the blame elsewhere.  They had been very careful for the rest of the statue.  They could kept on the details on that detail.  I don't bother about the dentist.  He gives an easy excuse.  As being a lefty, he had the possibility to figure a way to treat patient without poking at them.  I am the only lefty in my family, so, I end up sitting at table's end in restaurant.  I am sure he could found a side where poking was not problematic.

The last one, on the dominance of one side, didn't surprised me.  Maybe other people doesn't think about laterality.  It is common, so it is under the radar.  From what I could see and my own experience, there is a spectrum left / right side.  I know that I do many thing with my left hand.  I know I can peel an orange with both hands but I often peel it with the rigth.  I do have to think that I am able to do it with my left hand to do it.  A strange thing but it is what I do.

There is a lot of unknowns about left-handedness.  I like that because it gives me an aura of mystery.  I know that in the Mars Trilogy (http://www.amazon.ca/Red-Mars-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553560735/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443717689&sr=8-1&keywords=kim+stanley+robinson+mars+trilogy) from Kim Stanley Robinson, there is a mention of left-hander more prevalent on Mars.  I am thinking of making a parody of an utopia world with left-handed.  I don't know if it feasable.  Short story?  Possible.  Would like to try.

Getting out of the confort zone

Getting in the Fall season is hitting me hard, as usual.  My way around that?  Reading some comfort mental reading: mainly old gothic novels.  Strangely as it sound, it have an uplifting effect on me.  There are some of them (the classics) have some twisted plots as I like them.  We don't see all that is coming but there are some times where I could see what is comming, near the end.  Some of the twists makes me smile.

This year, I want to add on on the experience.  I want to get out of the box.  I want to try writing in a different genre.  Maybe more convincing horror with some element of gothic.  I tried in other genre in the past but it wasn't really convincing nor very successful.  The main genre I write is fantasy with some little science fiction (usually at the beginning and/or the end).  I tried my hand, two years ago, in erotica but I was not prepared in my usual way and I felt into some porn before finding the threads of my story.  It was fun to write more freely.  This year, I want to write a story that parallel the one I wrote last year.  Last year, it was a bit more action, even if the story isn't to my satisfaction.  I can add more action to the story.

This year, I want to go more into horror.  The story will suit well with the horror: there will be werewolves in the story.  I won't put too much gore.    I don't want to write about pool of blood everywhere.  As last year, I want it to be part of a secretive research lab.  I think it was four years ago, I wrote about the section on psychic research.  Last year, I did the part on zombie research with an zombie apocalypse (it was on controling the young zombie population.  With the twist on the zombie that I had, it was more action than horror).  This year, I want it to be on the werewolves research.  So, with the werewolves, there is a dangerous part even if I want to put a 'tribe' component to the pack of werewolves.  The threats could be from outside.  I have to do some more brainstorm on the story.  I have already the setting/world and many characters.  I just have to work on the story.  I feel that I will have less work for this project.

Déjà vu

I have periods where the déjà vu impression is all over the wall.  Déjà vu, for me, means that while I look at something, I have the impression that I have already seen it elsewhere.  I don't always remember where I saw it first.  The first time I experienced déjà vu was as a child.  An invited person explained something (about drawing) and I sense I had déjà vu this scene somewhere else.  In that case, it was a dream.  When it happened, it was dream like anyway, so it must have tainted my feelings.  I had many more after that.  I have a few occasion where gut feelings were guiding me and there was an undercurrent of déjà vu, as if I knew what I was doing.

Recently, I seems to enter another period of déjà vu.  Not long ago, I saw a video where one person stroke a cord with me.  I seems to have seens that person somewhere else.  The music too seems to resonate with me.  I just can't pinpoint where and when I saw/heard all of this.  I must have seen that once or twice, I think.
I don't know if there will be other events like this in the near future.  I find it amusing to experience that.  I like in trying to pinpoint the source of the experience.

Strange that I am addicted to the déjà vu experience.  To each it's high, I guess.  I can always use that in fiction.  I think it would be a nice description for a prophetess, in her mantic job.

Kelp Caviar

I consider myself as a picky eater.  There are lot of food that I don't eat and that I don't like.  When it comes to like and dislike, it is all personal.  When I was a child, it was hard for me to taste new food.  I think I was alike other children.  It is not always evident to taste new and unknown food.  There where some food that I tried as a child.  It ended that I didn't like those food.  I also felt a little bad to ask for a food and ending not liking it.  This isn't helping when occasion arise to taste new foods.

As an adult, there are a few times where I felt adventurous.  All of them happened recently.  I no longer have to ask.  I also live with omnivorious, they aren't picky.  Maybe all that help me feel more adventurous on the food side.   Recenly I saw how kelp caviar is made.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIPud24k41s).  I admit that ordinary caviar is a bit repealing to me.  It is more the idea of eating fishes' egg, even if I would like to kown how it taste.  Could be a love / hate relationship.  Dislike/Curiosity to be more precise.  What I like about the kelp caviar is the vegetarian side to it.  They use an specie of seaweed, if i remember correctly, as a base for the caviar.  I remember more how they form the pearly caviar.  I find it cool.  It is like little droplet from a leaky faucet.

So, I was curious to try it.  I odered here: http://www.amazon.ca/Kelp-Caviar-Sturgeon-KELP-CAVIAR/dp/B0089CDS1Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443296750&sr=8-1&keywords=kelp+caviar

I took one with sturgeon and one salmon flavor.  There isn't much difference between the two.  I am hesitant to try the other flavors (ginger, wasabi, chili and truffle).  I was feeling adventurious but not too much.  The flavors that I haven't tried are a bit spicy.  I am not ready to try them yet.  Don't know if I end up trying them yet.  I tried them with family members.  One of them didn't liked it.  Another reason not trying the other flavors.  What I liked the most about this is the texture.  It made me think of some little peals of jello.  The one thing I didn't liked was the saltiness. 

It is rare that I like something and the other doesn't like it.  I don't know if I will try other exotic products.  I never really talk about food in my fiction.  I could put this experience in one story.

Inauguration

I am a bit late in some events, sometimes.  Over the past weekend, there was the inauguration of a big wheel.  It is an "work of art".  No ones can go into the wheel.  It look like this (there is also an article on it): http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/sculpture-in-the-city-art-trio-bgl-reach-new-heights-in-montreal-north
Of course, there are people who get the idea, other dislike it and there are the indiferent.  My opinion is pretty simple: I am sure there will be someone who will use it to makes a statement.  There are always people who will see this wheel in a distored way.  There are some places (like bridges) where some people goes when they are troubled.  I wouldn't be surprise if one morning, there is bad luck in this area.  There is also the possibility for some "coup d'eclat" where people would attach messages on this big wheel to make a statement.

All this metal add on to the image of a city: asphalt, concrete, building, cars.  Pretty disconnected from nature.  As someone who do art, I do use metal.  I also want to incorporate some natural coponent to it.  The photo doesn't show underneath.  The wheel is fixed in concrete.  There are bushes surrounded it but I find it add to the lack of soul of the place.  The bushes are bland and seems rusty.

Art is a personal taste.  I agree the place was a good canditate for art.  I just don't agree on the piece of art that had been erected.  The idea behind it was all good intention but I would had made more brainstorming behind it.  Maybe using other material would have made it more successful.

In need of more greenery

Right now,  I live in a big city.  There are many city's parcs in my area.  I find it nice.  I had been in many of them, just to sit there, to relax and get inspired.  What I find lacking is the trees.  I don't find there is enough trees in city's parcs.  They seems to be a bit apart and don't always cover much of the parc, compared to the grass.  Grasses seems to be more everywhere.  I don't need the parcs to be like the forest like on this photo:

It could be something more surrounding, where we don't see that we are surrounded by streets.  Or something that could be less sanitized and manucured parc.  There could be a part that look a bit like that:

I think that I enjoyed taking forested area.  I had found it refreshing.  It is where I also thought that cities' parcs are a bit tame or timid compared to forest.  The parcs that are a bit wilder isn't that much accessable in my area.  Well, they are a little bit far and they are more near a river.  I don't necessarly want to get close to a body of water.   I better like the woody part of those places.  I haven't found the perfect balance for a city's parc yet.

Cats can be technological!

This photo is on my desktop.  I do have other ones like that with another cat.  I said "Cats can be technological" in the title, just because I found it matches the photo.  I find both compliment each other.  I even wrote, a long time ago, a string of small stories with working cats.  Those stories had  a cast of characters that linked them together.  I wanted those stories be part of a bigger one.  Maybe it is time to rework that piece.  Maybe upgrade and change a few things.  I wanted it to have a comedic bend. Don't think I succeded back then.  It was more fun to write them than anything else.  Of course, if my upgraded story with working cat are published, I probably take this photo as a base.  I may ask to get it edited a bit.  It is an old photo.  I am sure it is good material for something better.  With my little experience, I don't think I will be able to edit it myself.

Pets are great inspiration for stories.  It is what I had fount out over the years.  I haven't used all the pets I encountered in the piece of working cats.  Right now, I think of all those I had left out in the past because I didn't thought of them at the time.  It would be another motivation to return working on my cat story.  I will add an cat and expand it to include a few dogs too.  I think I better take some notes now.  I got an idea involving domesticated pets getting in the wild, in the forest to be exact and they could cross path with some wild animals (thinking of a cariboo, deer, beaver, skunk, wolves, bear, crow/raven thing like that).  I will have to find some details for each animal.  I want that each encounter won't be stereotypical.

Many ways to get high

Here are many ways to get high.  There is the usual culprit (drugs) but there are also those addicted to sex or to adrenaline.  I had a vague idea that some foods could get us in a high.  I found a video that explore this topic:
Here is foods that can get us high:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gP8jF5V6ok
Coffee, cocoa, mushruooms and poppy seeds bagels are no surprise.  There are a few items I didn't knew their potential.  I think I will keep clear of stilton before bed.   I have no interest in talking solf toys and guest being traded for camel.
Unripe mulberries should be more popular as a laxative.  I wonder if unripe mulberries are more laxative than prunes...
The chili peppers are the ones that I didn't expected to be on the list  I never heard of sarpa salpa.  Romans soldiers seems to know how to get the most of that strangely named fish.
I knew that rye could be intected by ergot.  Does it get infected today?  I would dare to try.  I think there is a beer made with that ingredient.  Something to look upon...
Seeing the nutmeg on the list made me smile.  It seems to be so inoffensive.

It was nice to see this video.  I am thinking to use that in some fiction.  It will use it my way, giving it a fun twist.  I am thinking about fine herbs, something similar of catnip for cats.  Also, some components used in pastis and absinthe (anis, fennel and wormwood (artemisia absinthium)).  It won't be a big part of the stories but it will add to the fictional worlds.

Creativity and mental illness

There seems some kind of synchronicity sometimes.  Yesterday, I had found a video on ideas for DYI projects and today, I found this video on creativity and mental illness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWzhVauFbSU
They say that creativity and mental illness seems to be linked.  Both seems to feed each other.  It is what I understood from the video.  I think, on a personal level, that there is an higher incidence between the two. Not every person that have mental illness is creative and vice-versa.  There are well known cases, those where there were a clear link between creativity and mental illness.  I don't have to say the names.  They had made the headlines one way or the other, having tragic ends and shooting stars careers.

I find that creativity and mental illness can be hard to study.  They are intangible.  There is no telepathy to see in the mind of people.  Nothing to go directly into the mind, like a microscope.  The scientists who had done the studies, in the video, had to take the word of the "patients" or the written words in files.  All matter of perception, interpretation and translation.  So, there are extra steps to understand and learn more on the topics.  Words of mouth.  So, we have to be careful.

The relation creativity and mental illness doesn't surprise me.  There is a reputation that link the two together.  It is mostly due to some events and peoples.  People are quick to jumps to conclusion.  It is easy to get some assumption.  It is just that when it comes to the mind, I know that nothing are to be taken at face value.  It is what I learn the hard way.  I find those finding nice but it would be even more nice to have the right tools to study the mental side of ourselves.  It is a slippery slope and science have a lot to do in this area.

Creative DYI video

I found a video listing 25 ideas for DYI projects:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5RhoA7DZgM
There are many of those that I would like to try like the number 19 and 20.  Most of the ideas takes objects and highjack their purpurse for something else.  It is one thing that I love to do.  Of course, I may try a few on this list.  I also may get some inspiration too.  Anyway, this list contain projects that I haven't seen elsewhere.

I wish that I would be able to have more ideas like that.  I wonder if I would get ideas during brainstorming sessions.  Would be worth a try.  It feel nice when people notice the unusual.  It seems to be more visible.

A idea just pop up in my head.  I could do some experiment with my hair's barettes.  I would like to try washers instead of bolt or hinges.  It would be nice and add some variety.  I will have to find a way to assemble them and put them on the barette.  The threads I usually use are a bit too big.  Gueing them directly on the barrette isn't better, it would lack solidity.  I will have to look for another way.  A bit more thinking and I may find the solution.