Tag Archives: Imagination

Day 187: My Bride Paints Octopuses

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Fun fact, in English the plural form of octopus is octopuses, octopodes is the old Greek plural, and octopi is simply incorrect all around unless you yourself are an octopus because it’s inclusive. There’s your random bit of trivia for the day!

My bride is an artist. A pretty darn good one in my opinion. We’re both animal lovers but I’ve got a passion for weird and wonderful creatures. Octopuses have been something of a running joke with us that’s now transcended humor to become a symbol of happiness for us. Once we decided to move to an island my bride painted an octopus. It hangs on the wall of our living room. Our conversation this morning over breakfast and coffee turned to the painting and the others around it. She thinks of octopuses when she thinks of me and is painting. I’m flattered.

Her painting is the header image for this post.

My Bride Paints Octopuses

Day 167: Dragon Treasure

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Twice I have been given assigned the exercise of personifying my muse. The purpose of this is not to create another identity within yourself–that’s simply unhealthy–but to give oneself the vision of something that can be trained or overcome. We are creatures of story and when you give a story to your creation process it becomes something more manageable. By training your muse, by overcoming it, you are in effect overcoming your own internal obstacles. It should come as no surprise to any that know me that I envision my own muse as a dragon.

Dragon Treasure

Days 162 & 163: Untitled; Living a Story

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Confession. I hate yesterday’s poem. I’m sure I’m not alone as a poet who occasionally produces something he or she is unhappy with. I kept waiting for inspiration to strike me with something better and it never came. Lesson learned: push forward anyway. Momentum is more important than perfection. I’m beginning to suspect that I’m a rather dense student because this lesson seems somewhat familiar by this point.

In that spirit of moving forward, here are the poems for both 162 and 163.

I wanted to write about prosperity and this is what came out…

Untitled

I was contemplating the nature of control this morning and realized that I have several personal hangups surrounding it that I need to work on. One of which is the struggle with the idea that I am not the author of my own life, but rather the protagonist in my own story. It’s an interesting reframing that’s given me much to think on and at the same time is more than a little freeing.

Living a Story

Days 157-159: Enough for the Stories; Free the Fear; Sniping for Success

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I’ve got a bit of backlog again. I’ve been writing but not publishing my writing as I should. I’d intended to spread out several of these backed up poems out over the course of the day but the day had other plans. So did the next. And it has been brought to my attention that when a backlog such as this occurs, that those following his blog do not like being suddenly inundated with multiple updates. So, here is my attempt at compromise. One post. Three poems. Today’s own post will follow shortly.

Day 157: Enough for the Stories

This poem was written in an effort to recapture the loss of the poem, Creative’s Career, which I started in a moment of inspiration that was cut short and the scrap of paper I’d written it down on was thought lost. While the opening is very similar, It ultimately became its own thing. Every time I finish a book, my mind is overwhelmed with ideas. Many of them for entirely new projects or for things I’ve set aside to do later when often what I need to do most is push forward onto the next book in whatever series I’ve started. So many ideas. So many stories to tell. It’s a little overwhelming.

Enough for the Stories

Day 158: Free the Fear

I have been my own worst enemy with my writing. I’ve said before that part of the reason I use pennames is because they give me permission to fail. Permission to simply write. In essence, when I go into a piece knowing that I am going to publicly claim it as my own, I am writing from a place of fear and I think it is undermining my efforts. That got me thinking about the nature of fear and courage and what is required of me with regards to both if I am to succeed as a professional creative. Perhaps what is required of many of us going forward.

Free the Fear

Day 159: Sniping for Success

There is a principle in professional investing that is difficult for many to wrap their heads around, let alone embrace, and which I feel applies to many areas of life. Diversify your investments. Bleed money. Aim wide. The idea is that you’re waiting for something called a “black swan,” which is to say the rare and unpredictable success. Something is going to do well eventually and it all boils down to a test of endurance. Waiting for that single critical moment to strike, the build off of. Then repeating the process over again.

Sniping for Success

Day 139: The Next Unsteady Step

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The hardest part for me about being a professional creative is the period of time that follows the completion of a project. The world and work doesn’t care that I’m done. I do. I’m tired. But there’s the next phase of the process. Marketing, production, making sure everything is formatted and edited just so. And, of course, there’s a thousand other projects all screaming for my attention.

Today’s work though isn’t just for myself. Some dear friends are experiencing something similar. They’ve undergone an impressive journey and are now reaching the end. They’re entering the post-conclusion crash stage. You’re not alone, my friends.

I typed this one out after running out of space on my notebook’s page. It had to happen eventually. I’ll take it as a good problem to have, just like this post conclusion crash, because it means I did it.

The Next Unsteady Step

It comes as a surprise

When a project labored over for so long

Is finished

Complete

Done

Like the Abrupt Conclusion

To Stepping Off a Cliff

Is there a Next?

So Many Nexts.

But my mind is still reeling

From the journey that

Felt like a Fall

My spirit still flattened,

Pulling Free From

The Impact Crater.

The World is Still Spinning

And screaming

Behind my Head

For the Next Step

–Take It Already!

There’s No Time For Triumph.

The World Doesn’t Care

About Your Fatigue

Dismissive of Your Disorientation.

The Challenge Has Been

Issued

So I Issue Back One of My Own

And Take That Next

Unsteady Step

Remembering–and Grateful–

That I am Not Alone

Day 125: Appreciation

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I was privileged to share a wonderful day with my bride and parents at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston touring their Van Gogh exhibit. Some interesting conversations arose about the way we appreciate art. Yet what stood out to me the most with this exhibit was the recognition it gave to Vincent’s brother Theo, who supported him for years.

It is so easy to become wrapped up in the creative process, the creation itself, or even the creator, that we forget about those who support creatives in the pursuit of realizing not only their dreams but their happiness. I have been blessed with many such wonderful individuals in my own life.

To all of you, this poem is for you.

Appreciation

Day 107: Invisible Garden

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I got caught off guard by somethings that turned my head around. It’s taken me a little bit to get it back on straight. I missed two days of poetry, picked myself up, and have continued writing, if not posting as I should.

The purpose of this blog is accountability for creativity. Thank you and Wild respect to my wonderful bride for reminding me of that. The backlog is to follow shortly.

All that said, time is such a tricky thing. It is so easy both to do and to miss so much in the span of a single day. Blink and you’ll miss it.

Invisible Garden

Day 97: Chase the Shine

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Wait, Day 97? What happened to 96?

I missed it.

No excuse, I had an opportunity to do it during my break at work and I passed on. After that, when I got home I crashed. Hard. Been trying to do so much lately. Not the point.

I am proud that it took me 96 days before is missed a poem. New goal: try to go the rest of the year without missing another one. If I am to miss another, try to beat my 96 day streak.

Today’s poem is inspired by missing yesterday’s. I couldn’t tell you why Neverland and Peter Pan popped into my head, exactly, though in this context it certainly makes sense. Those stories are really depressing and downright frightening at their heart. Missed and stolen opportunities.

A piece of me mourns the loss of yesterday’s poem. It will never be written, never grow up, or go on adventures. It won’t even get to die because it was never born. Simply missed. An adventure not taken, an opportunity not explored. On the other hand, I am taking to heart why this is so valuable to me. The pursuit of dreams, seeing beauty realized and brought to fruition. Here is a rededication to never stop chasing the shine.

Chase the Shine