Bring the dye!

I am not a fan of dye.  On the other hand, once in a blue moon, I desire some dye in my hair.  Yesterday, I put on some.  As usual, I am a bit clumsy in this area, so I did get some on me, even if I used protection.  I used a  blue dye (from there if you want to know: https://www.manicpanic.com/)  The end result is interesting.  Of course, the greying and few white hairs have dissapear.  My hair also look darker.   I like the result, anyway.

Of course, it was part of experiment.  I wanted to try this colour for a long time.  I did not expect this result.  I thought I had more of a purple colour but saw it was blue.  I am not good at this kind of thing anyway.  I don't know if I will have some reaction.  I also wonder if I could find a way to achieve something I have in mind.  I am thinking of something a stunning colour near the tips of the hairs (something like blue or purple) and up near the scalp, something unexpected (maybe some black?).  Or I think of a better mix of hair colour.

I am not someone who have a definite style.  I am  not really into that.  There is just time like this time, when I just done my dye that I think about a hair style colour that would be mine (and only mine!)  What I find sad is that I don't have the talent for that.  I don't have a clear idea in my mind that I wanted to translated into reality (well, in this case, it would be into my hair!)  Maybe I may feel that I do not know enough to feel confortable in this area to commit myself.  Or I just don't know where to start.  I may be a jack of all trade but I am not it in every area where it can apply.  Maybe I have to try a few colour and pick the favorite for a jazzy array of personal hair colours.  It jusst takes time.  I may be out of this phase more quickly than doing more experimentation.  Well, it may be a long breath experimentation with big lapse between trying the dyes.

It doesn't show well with a photo but there is a few hairs that have a blue tint:

The Art of Writing Letters

It is strange how things turn out sometimes.  If I remember well, around the 4th grade, me and the class I was in, we learned to write letters.  There was a substitue teacher and she wanted us to write to a future Everest climber.  So, she show us how to address the letter, how to write the letter itself and how to end the letter.  For the text, she dictated it to us. 

At the time, I was not interest to write to an guy heading on to climb the Everest.  It also seems to be forced on us.  We didn't say anything on this project.  The only positive in this experience: years later, I am using that knowledge in writing letters to do it.  Various occasion had presented themselves for letters to be written.  The most recent formal writing: I wrote, yesterday, a letter to an organisation that host some activities from another organisation.  The goal: that the first organisation keep the activities from the second organisation after a move to another building.  I do not know if it will work but I wish the best.

Not a wasted learning.  Only that I wished it was a little bit more exciting and more interesting.  I doubt that it is still be show in classes.  If so, I hope they do it in a more interesting way and with a better choice to the person.

A needed shopping.

I needed to go shopping.  It was for some needed items like 18 and 16 wires and soap base.

I could not resist the mods melt and the molds.  They were at a discounted price.  I also took some leaves like components because I like them:

I took the biggest soap base.  It was also the last on the shelf.  I am sure I will do a lot of soap with that:

For sure, it was heavy just because of the soap base but it was worth the trip.  I needed the wires and the soap base.  It was also nice to stumble on some discounted items.

Being affraid of the dentist only in this case...

People are affraid of dentists and dental care.  Well, after seeing this one video, I decided to be affraid only of the dentist of the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGYHPdMkt-8  It is an dentist that served in WWII.  That dentist seems to had an exceptional career in the military.  He seems to had been in the right time at the right place with the right set of skills/abilities.  Of course, the length of the video doesn't enable details.   I just wonder why that the army put him so close to the enemy fire.  For sure, he was talented in the tasks he was assigned for.  If I was in the rank of a general, I would had put this guy behind enemy line and let him do his job after the big battles had been done.  I would have considered him too precious to be wasted.

On the less serious mode, there would be a lot of dentist jokes that can be done on this topic.  It would be too easy to do those jokes too.    Killing 98 soldiers single-handedly may be a bit farfetched, there was no witness on that part but that guy had done something heroic.   Dentists, before entering dentist's school, have to do their medecine, if not mistaken.  In addition, in those time, it was a vocation to be in the medical field.  It would had been ingrained in him to have done what he did (well, saving his comrades is what I am talking of).

The video is part of the badass week.  I am a bit surprised not having seen that sooner.  I am sure that this world is full of badass people who had done amazing things.  Well, they don't have to be perfect even if they are that badass.  It is part of their charm to be badass and kicking some cushioned behind.  I like learning about them, just because they are quite a deal in their acts.

the regular tree trunk show

Yep, it is time again to talk about those awful trees trunks.  I am realizing that those trees are growing on me.  What I like is their leaves on the trunks.  It comes back year after year it seems.  It is almost like those pesky weeds like dandelion.  I find it is beautyfying the trunk by hiding it.

This year, I notice the nice little cozy home, well, the possible nice little cozy home critter can have at the base on one tree:

As see, there even shades provided by the leaves.

I also noticed that the leaves makes garland around the trunks:

There is also a tree branch that have leaves under it, making me think of the tree version of an armpit with hairs:

Some say stockpile, some say variety.

Some would say it is a bead stockpile.  Some say that I have diversity in beads.  I say it is all mine!  My personal problem: I find it hard to use all those beads in my projects.  Those beeds are too cute!  I can't resolve in using them.  I have more fun looking at them.

Where I stand creatively

With years, creativity became my life.  I started from zero.  Very young, I didn't have much interest in music, in crafting or anything along those line.  I was the weird kit that was doing thing differently from the others.  I put different colour when coloring a clown.  I didn't put brown for the shoes, no red for the nose, no orange for the hair.  I was totally off the norm.  I didn't felt I fit with the others, at the same thing, I liked to be different.  The others didn't really came to bother me for my differences.

I liked when I was going to the psychologist.  I felt free there.  I could go into a room full of playthings.  I could choose one and answer questions while I played.  Fast forward as a teenager, I had some interest in music but I didn't have discovered all the music and musical artists that I like today.  No interest in the art classes at the time.  Music class was a bit interesting but the teacher was not really totally present to show us more musically wise.  He had personal problem to attend to and was isolated from teaching.  I haven't figured out why he didn't took a leave from teaching in that period.  In those years, I started to get interested in writing.

In more recent years, let say in the past 11 years, I got into more various interests: jewelry making, fimo, soap making, candle making, returning to knitting, returning to woodburning, maturing in writing (still learning), etc...  So, it is not evident to see my path now.  I feel a bit a jack of all trade and master of none.  What is defining me the most right now?  It is as if I knew too much and that I can't choose, I can't decide what is my favorite crafting moment.  Some times, I wonder if I could embrace the diversity I acquired and not bothering about anything else.

I guess I am still doing some soul searching. I didn't found my creative individuality.  It is all a work in progress.  I know that I am not to the teacher level of what I am good at.  I had given some advices to some people.  I guess that having a creative voice is not evident for everybody.  I still have to work on my various craft in hoping to get an «ah-ha» moment.

Talking and conversation

Having a conversation can lead to some interesting results.  I had, recently, talk about some fan made short stories on some created human superheroes.  Here is one of the book that my discussion was one: https://www.amazon.ca/Cyber-Age-Adventures-Frank-Fradella/dp/1583489827/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1526263365&sr=8-6&keywords=frank+fradella  I also found the youtube channel of one of the editor/writer: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSEDSaHPevVIHxt_2EVjrA  There was a compagny related to that: CyberAge Adventure that turned into iHero Entertainment.  Pretty much everything related to that seems to be on hold.  No news for a long time.  It is a shame because there was good heroes and stories from that adventure.

It was something promissing.  Well, it was from a very good idea.  I don't know if it could be picked up from some one else.  It is also hard to find more recent information on this topic.  It was fun talking about my favorite characters and about many stories.  Talking about it with someone else was good to remember more.  It is also inspiring.  Creating new super heroes is not evident.  Before stumbing on those heroes, I thought this area of writing was all explored.  Those heroes and stories were great to see heroes from another point of view.  It get me interested again in dreaming about people with exotic or unexpected powers.  It refueled my mind.

It is also great to find another person that have the same connection with this creation.  Making a connection with someone else does makes all the difference.  It is sure making a impact on my creative life.  I know it is inspiring me.  It been a few years since I thought about it.  Now that I had been reminded, it will expand the limit I have about adventures and characters that goes out on the unexpected.

Mother's day

Each day seems the day for someone: be it a birthday, a special day, the day for an health condition, a day for each profession, a day of celebration, a day for being grateful.  My main concern is that the calendar become a little bit crowded.  There is the strategy to choose what to celebrate.  I like to take a neutral stance to all of this.  Yesterday was mother's day.  I got some gifts.  It was nice but I did not reminded anyone.  No expectation.  Of course, I won't refuse a bottle of absinthe.

It is nice to be reminded, on a specific date for mothers, for example.  It should also be the case every days too.  There is a lot of gifts to be given to mothers and other remplacement of moms.  I have not see any books on history of mother's day.  I am just too curious.  Must be more on the story telling side or on the internet, being spead from person to person.  On my personal level, my other problem would be the closeness of my birthday with mother's day.  When I  was born or was younger, it would had been convenient: my own mom could have celebrated mother's day quickly after my birth and think «Well, now I am a mom»

Well, it is all nice.  It could also be a way to talk about moms and all mother figures around the world.  Even if I am not really interested in celebrating mother's day actively, I must admit of certain advantages of being a mother.  Since I had become a mother, I had to find a new balance in my life.  It also made me feel a better creator.  I created life with mu co-parent.  I also get organized.  There are time for children and there are period of time where I can sit down and create something. 

In that area, I feel that I get an improvement.  Now, I can have time and write or do some jewelry or other creating pursuit.  Before having children, I was a bit of a proscratinator.  The syndrome of «I can do it tomorrow» pretty much each day was not a great motivatior.  Now, there are times where I sit down and thinks: «I have to do something because tomorrow, I have an appointment with one kid»  It is as if my children are pushing me to get more structured.

 Certainly, a day for mothers makes me think of my own definition of being a mother.  Each day that have a similar even will do the same: makes me think on a certain topic.  It makes me think from a fresh angle that can be put in good use.  Of course, my experience with being a mother will impact on some aspect of my creativity.  If I write about a character that is a mother, it will be a closer depiction of my reality.  So, happy mothers' day for every mother figures in this world, even if it is a day late.

In my stash with good intention

I do have a few items that I have stockpiled over time.  They are nice and interesting.  The problem: they are sitting there, not being incorporated into any projects.  It is always my problem.  I go shop, see various interesting component.  Then I think: it is great, I could find something to use that!  Once home, it goes to the stash and they stay there.  Here is a few example of possible crafting items that are currentlysitting there for a long time:

Turning back to the mind as in rediscovery.

Strange how my mind work.  Sometimes, there are times where forgotten things pop up in my mind.  There is an artist that I haven't thought in a long time that pop up in my mind today.  I do a search to bring the website.  Instead, I found a nice surprise: there is music video on youtube.  I found this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k90-IpPYG0  It is a nice song and a nice visual.  I don't remember hearing that particuliar song.  I should bring the cd I have from this artist to listen to them again.

I found that artist with a song called «Please Dear Machine».  I had found the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCMhwRzcumE    The video is a bit weird.  It is the first time I see it but I like the song.  It was a track on a cd that was a companion to a magazine.    It is a nice discovery.  It was not the only one that I made that way.  I also discovered the band Nightwish that way (official website: http://nightwish.com/en wikipedia page on Nightwish: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightwish and a music video, just to give a idea of their music:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPonioDYnoY)

It help me when I write.  It is strange how music help me in my writing.  When the music is right for what I am writing, it put me in the right mood.  There is some songs that helped me in the creation of story.  The lyrics don't have a connection with what I am writing.  Strange that old things pop up in my mind and it comes into a cycle: discover, following the artist, forgetting to follow the new albums/new songs and after a time, coming back in my mind and I get up to date.  Really, my mind is working strange.  Even with that, it is nice because I can stumble on something neat again.

Creativity have interesting outlet

World War 2 have a lot of stories of courage, valor and creativity.  Surprising enough, creativity can save lives.  I discovered a story that show it.  I discovered that story while listening Mysteries at the Museum show (season 16 episode 2, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076566/)  It is about a dog (Judy) and a man (Frank Williams) in a prisonner camp during World War 2.  They become friends when the man gave the dog his own ration.  Both become inseparable.  To get the dog safe from the guards, the man get an idea.  I do love his way of thinking and it is my favorite part of the story: the man was able to secure the dog as an prisonner of war.  Being a prisonner of war gives some protection (because of the Geneva Convention)  That man spot the two weak point of the head of the camp.  Choosing the right moment where the head of camp was intoxicated, the man came to the head of camp.  The man makes his proposition, promissing a puppy if the dog had a littler.  The head of camp would be able to give that puppy to his mistress.  It was a scealed deal and the dog even got her own ration.  The man saved the dog.  By doing so, he save his own life.  After the war, the dog got a medal.

This is why I find creativity so important.  The man got an ingenious idea to get the dog out of harm way by giving a legal protection.  In addition, it worked out perfectly.  It is creativity at work.  It show how great ideas can spring up from harsh and dangerous conditions.  This is why creativity should be cultivated.  We never know if it will be needed.  It should be part of our everyday life, not just in context of war.  The dog and the man are a extreme case of creativity.  Also, it is not an extreme case of a person getting creative, in a Dali or Picasso's way.  The case of Judy the dog is more a practical use of creativity.  This is down-to-earth creativity.

I found 2 references about this story.  There is an article from National Geographic (https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140518-dogs-war-canines-soldiers-troops-military-japanese-prisoner/) and a  book on Judy the dog (https://www.amazon.ca/Judy-Dog-Million-Damien-Lewis/dp/1848665369/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1524666216&sr=8-2&keywords=judy+a+dog+in+a+million)

Persephone -- Punky Gothic Party Girl?

Persephone, daughter of Demeter and married to Hades, god of the Underworld.  It makes her a goddess of the underworld.  Being the daughter of Demeter, Persephone is linked with agriculture.    Thinking of it, Persephone is a link between farmers and the underground.  It would make her a kind of a chthonic messenger.   Hermes is one messenger that goes to the underworld but he lead spirits of the decease and messages.  Persephone is a messenger of hope, of rebirth and of a new year of farming crops.  Her return on Earth, above it, is the signal of the beginning of growth of plants.  It is dues to how she became the goddess of the underworld.  She is brought down to the underworld by Hades, the lord of the underworld.

That myth is well known.  Hades and Zeus get a deal where Hades can bring Persephone to the underworld.  Both don't deems necessary to talk about it to Demeter and Persephone.  While Persephone is picking flowers in a field, Hades comes up from the ground to take her.  Demeter heard Pesephone.  Demeter start to search for her daughter.  When Demeter learned what happened, she decide to turn her back to Mount Olympus.  The earth become barren.  Zeus turn to Hades.  They must talk and see what would appease Demeter.  Persephone must return to her mother.  It is what is decided.  The problem, Hades had given pommegranate seeds to Persephone.  Persephone had eaten some.  Since then, she must travel between the underworld and our world.  This also signal the beginning of the Eleusian Mysteries.

How she became the goddess of the underworld is the biggest and most known myth of Persephone.  Another myth involve a guy and Aphrodite, the goddess of love.  The guy in question is called Adonis.  Aphrodite is in love with Adonis.  Aphrodite had put Adonis in the care of Persephone.  In the end, there is a dispute between Aphrodite and Persephone over Adonis.  Zeus is the judge in this case: one part of the year with Aphrodite, one part with Persephone and one part with whoever Adonis wanted to be with.  It is a no win situation because it can makes one goddess angry because of the part of the deal where Andonis choose who to be with.  In the end, Adonis dies while hunting a boar.

Another myth involve Persephone and Zeus.  In one myth, they are the parents of Dionysus.  The Greek Divinities are well known to have incest on various levels.  The union is done while Zeus is in a snake form.  It is not the only birth story of Dionysus.  Many gods and goddess may have various story related to their birth and parentage.  For sure, there was no DNA test at that time.

Fastforward to our modern world and the general feeling about Persephone: she is a party girl with a goth or punk look, doing rave.  It is a nice picture of that goddess even if she is linked to the underworld.  When I think of the underworld, I think of a boring place.  It is nice to think that she put some life and partying in the underworld.  What bug me is this: we don't have her point of view.  We don't hear of her talking her mind.  The only exception would be in the myth of Adonis where she want to have Adonis all for herself.  Otherwise, no opinion coming from her mouth.  We don't know what she thought when Hades takes her in the Underworld.  She is kind of voiceless.  We don't know her side of her story.  I find that state a bit a sad.  It is as if Persephone is not important enough to express herself.  I am sure she have a strong mind, as strong as other goddess like Hera, Artemis, Athena, Demeter.  It gives the impression that the other goddess have too much presence and place.  It put Persephone on the side line.  It is nice to see the strong presence of Athena in the Odyssey, for example.  It is right too.  It is just not fair for Persephone.  In her case, I think that her point of view would had added a layer to her life story.

For now, I have to deal with Persephone being a mysterious figure of mythology.  It may be what is attractive to her.  Sad that people don't always see that at first sight.  It is always good to dig a little bit deeper about gods and goddesses.  There is more that meet the eyes.  It is particuliarly true of Persephone.

Transmitting cultural reference - a way to creativity

It apply for children but also can apply to people who migrate.  It apply for world cultural happening to a more local one.  I got this illumination on two occasion: one with a 10 years old and the other one with an adult originating from a different speaking country.  With the 10 years old, I talked about some Superman (the superhero) mythos  and characters (Kandor, who was Jimmy Olson and Lois Lane).  For the adult, it was about a 80's dumb song that was popular in my area.  I guess it was probably popular in France too because the singer was from there: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQTrFBXqBwQ.  Sorry, I could found the video version I had when I was younger.  Just in looking at the guy, we can sense it is something dumb.  The theme of the song: what to do in various ages.  The title translate into Stop or Again.  Sorry if I get the image of Zoey, 80's original, from Sesame Street for that one.)

So, being in contact in transmitting some cultural knowledge is good for creativity.  It had forced me to think about this and to incorporate into creative endevour.  Of course, putting a soundtrack while writing or into a writing universe is an easy one.  It is just the obvious.  There is also the one about superheroes parallels with some mythologies (you guess it, Thor and The Flash aka a modern version of Hermes being the two obvious ones)  I think there are movies and characters that had received a similar treatment.

On a personal level, I am more into deeper inspiration to spin on my own creation.  I had done it once.  It was not really conscious at the beginning.  It was done over time.  I took the movie Sissi (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048624/?ref_=nv_sr_1), the first of the trilogy.  It began with my version of the movie in a dream and there was a few of my own development.  Over time, it became more and more a stand alone story.  It was no longer ressembing on what it was based on.  The story became mine.  I wrote a first draft of it and still working on it.  I am sure that no one would see the connection between the two.  So, I like this inspiration.  It gave me a story even if the take off was totally different.