Possibilities I'm Bringing to the Table

My Workshop teacher, Andy Cooperman, sent a class-wide email of general "welcome" and minimal "instructions" out to those of us taking his class next week. I finally had a chance to read it in-depth a few days ago and one of the things he mentioned was a desire to have some photos of the items we were thinking about using in our project. So, I took photos of things I'm bringing along to use in my project (or not use, which often seems to be the end result), and I thought I might share them with you too. What we'll get in class are some basic materials - sheet metal of various types of metal including bronze - the larger equipment items like our torches, and bits of this and that. So, here's what I'm bringing to the table. 

This is a selection of items that I'm bringing along to my workshop.
Faceted cubic zirconia stones for setting, 2 differently sized
diameters of copper tubing, a carved face with an owl headdress
made from fossilized ivory (I'm a bit uncomfortable about using
any ivory, even though this is ancient), colored disks (yellow, white and
olive green) of Capiz shell, an old camera lens from an old digital
computer camera, irridescent abalone shell pieces, and two amber
 colored stone beads. 

Here is a photo of the entire array of things I'm bringing to play with. It's not really a lot of stuff. If I bring a bunch of stuff along, I'll spend my three days trying to decide what to work wish instead of just making a decision and rolling with it. I'll probably work with several of these, but many might travel there and back again unused. Let's look at some details, ok? 

Here's a close-up on some of the abalone shell pieces I'm thinking about
using. The left-hand pieces remind me of eyes, eyebrows or tears,
the right-hand piece evokes a nose or a beak. Possibilities exist and I
have a good selection of pieces in my bag. 

Here's some of the abalone pieces I'm bringing along. Abalone is a univalve sea shell with an iridescent nacre cushioning the interior of the shell. Think of it as the inside of an oyster shell, but larger than oysters usually grow. In many Native American cultures, abalone shells are used as vessels for burning sage to smudge rooms for purification. I've been using and selling abalone half-shells, buttons and odd pieces for many years. 

Just look at this piece of abalone shell. Doesn't it have the look of
a dog or wolf? I could quite easily make this into a
representation of the Egyptian god Annubis. 

This one piece of abalone I'm bringing along keeps tugging at me. Doesn't it look like a wolf or a dog to you? I'm seeing this as a side view of the god, Anubis, if I add ears. Fans of "Game of Thrones" might see it at a Stark wolf. It would certainly work for that image and world-view too. Whether I work with this one piece over the next few weeks or within the next few years, this one will be used - it's too amazing to waste in a drawer. 

I disassembled an old camera that was supposed to sit on top of a
computer monitor for using Skype or other interactive communications.
Cameras tend to come built-in now, and with much better graphics
capabilities, so I was going to donate this to my local Tech Dump. But
the depth and rings of the lens really intrigued me, so I tore it
apart for the lens. I would love to play with this. 

I am totally intrigued by the possibilities presented by this old camera lens. It has depth and texture. It's role could be an ever-hungry mouth or a symbol of a journey to inner peace - so many possibilities. I really want to play with this component and by choosing this, figure out the best ways to entrap items that can't handle the heat when combined with metals that require torches. 

These two stone beads aren't super large, and if I'm working on copper,
they might get lost because they could blend too much, but they're coming
along for the ride, because you never know what I might end up
using when push comes to shove. 

Finally, I have these two stone beads, because I am a beader and beads are usually incorporated in much of my work. They are quite different - one a flat, thin tab, the other a rounded cylinder. I love the color and entrapping beads is usually pretty easy - some wire through the hole, secure to a base plate, voila! 

So there you have it - my workshop possibilities. Along with a small carry-all of my tools, I think I'm ready for my classes. Now to actually pack clothing - the idea of no clothes just doesn't appeal to me. I have a few days to toss clothes into my suitcases, so I'm not really worried ... yet! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back on Monday. I might start getting intense about packing on Monday night - LOL. 

Look For The Edge Today

It's a stumbly day already, it's only 4:08 a.m., and I'm already running late. Ridiculous. But the reality is I've got 20 minutes to pull this blog together, plug in photos, and get it posted. Oy! 

The shoulder pain I have is fairly recent, but quite painful and
annoying. It cropped up about six weeks ago and I can't seem
to shake it. I'll probably have to see my doctor about it and see
if it is bone or muscle. 

It's been a 12+ hour of shoulder pain for me, so maybe that's another reason why I'm moving a bit slower today. I've been developing some arthritis or other joint pain in my right shoulder. I think I can pin it down to the angle my body is in relation to my mouse, but I actually can change that - at least at my home computer where my chair has a range of motion. Unfortunately, the chair I use at work is very old and somewhat broken, and the adjust-ability it used to have, is no longer. Come to think of it, the chair is rather reflective of me - my own adjust-ability is also minimized. 

It is hugely important to not lose mental
flexibility. Imagination is to be encouraged
and nurtured, not rounded up and placed
into a cage. 

Of course, this is physical adjust-ability or flexibility, not mental. Although I have been accused of being mental on rare occasions, it is just as important to retain flexibility on both the physical and the mental level. Too much inflexibility mentally and those vast fields from which creativity springs dry up into a small room of white walls and a cement flooring. Boring doesn't suit the human condition - it's something we fight and strain against at every opportunity. 

These red button-up boots are absolutely adorable. Apparently
they are a size 35 and have only been worn once. Available
on Poshmark for $10. I have no idea what size a 35 is, and
I wouldn't wear them, but they are so CUTE! 

So, break out those red shoes today, fling a sweater or light cape around your shoulders or grab that bad-boy motorcycle jacket for your spin to the grocer later today. Walk on the edge of the sidewalk and examine the drainage at the edge of the road for treasures undiscovered as of yet. Allow your imagination to fly wide. It's a good day to soar. 

You never know what interesting things you might
find at meeting points. Here are two sidewalk
edges and I'm totally in love with the colors against
the neutral background of the concrete. Lovely! 

Enjoy your Wednesday. I'll be doing the usual today - grocery shopping, laundry, housecleaning. But between it all, I hope to fly a little too - my imagination needs some exercise. I'll be back tomorrow unless I fly into another dimension, in which case I'll try and write a travel-log for all of you. Happy Day for all! 

Creative Decisions

Decisions aren't always easy, especially when it comes to creative playtime. I spend most of my "empty" time writing, although I have to get back to work on a beadwork project that is due in November. I have my BFF Sharon arriving at the end of the month for four days of rollicking fun at the State Fair and Renaissance Festival, and Ren Fest itself starts in two weeks. I'm trying out various test runs for my holiday Solstice cards and in the middle of all of this - I was tempted to go off course and play with another opportunity - the Mystery Box Challenge.

The Mystery Build Challenge sounded really fun. Kits are half-price
now since the deadline is so close. If you're tempted, and you
have the time, it's a good time to indulge.

The Mystery Box Challenge, as featured on MysteryBuild.com is tempting, oh so tempting. But I also know what free time I'll have between now and the deadline of October 20th, and it's just not going to happen this year for me. But I had a lot of fun looking through their gallery of previous winning entries. I've done this type of contest before and had a lot of fun with it. I've even won in the past, although not this particular contest so don't look for my name/entry among the winners. But there's something so intensely satisfying about using items provided in a mystery box or bag to make something else. It's a little bit of magic.

Imagination is everything! Without the ability
to imagine and dream, we would lose that unique
part of us that defines our humanity. 

Isn't that rather like what authors do when they craft something from their imaginations, put it onto the screen or paper, and craft a living, breathing story from those parts? A good story resonates with you and stays with you coming back to haunt you again and again. A good tale begs to be read again and again, delved into and examined in detail, and analyzed, in a way.

Sometimes creative activities demand to take precedence. This
is Bob Evans, a woodcarver, who gave up a lucrative career as
a counselor to become a gypsy woodcarver. Read a bit
more about him and see his works by following the link. 

Sometimes, as I read a book or start a new work by an author, I stop for a moment to reflect on how very much I am enjoying getting to know the characters presented, how much I like the plot and how those characters and that situation is coming alive for me. I want my own crafting to have that kind of life and it frustrates me when I cannot craft a sharp enough blade to whittle my characters into life. But I never stop trying. I keep writing and writing and writing.

I won in Camp NaNo this July, but it was a close thing. I ended
up with only nine words over my goal number. Whew!

Camp NaNoWriMo just ended on July 31st and I met my word count goal (by only nine words!). It was a near thing. I had my Ardor in August story - only the first draft, then I pulled it into word and revised, revised, and revised again. But after my AinA, I was at loose ends and still had 2500+ words to write to get to goal. I ended up filling in with a lot of miscellaneous stuff, including a children's novel which I tried twice, with a resounding thud of "Nope - just can't seem to write in that genre successfully," and a scream or two in the background. But now that I survived the experience, I'm thinking ahead to November and my month of insanity as I once again accept the challenge of NaNoWriMo. Time to start getting my research under my skin so that when the gate opens, this horse can race.

I love the sound and songs of the Big Band era of music. Sirius
radio has one station that's all Big Band sounds of the 1940's. 

Have a great Thursday, everyone. I'm going to activate my four-month trial of Sirius radio this morning and maybe listen to some Big Band music or some sublime jazz on my way home tonight. Happy, happy!

Something Otherworldly - A Photo Montage for the Day

I have the day off today and a list of errands to do that will take me all over town. I am focused on other words today, so I think it's another photo montage day. I want to think of other things - things aside from my daily life and deadlines looming, so I'm looking for art dealing with other worlds. Science fiction art for all of you today...

I love the ocean in this one, and the hint of a ramp or steps leading you ... where?

And a quick note on yesterday's post. I also check in at Lizard Council every so often, but my time has become extremely restricted. I just don't have a lot of time to spend doing crit for others, therefore won't post my own words for the same - I think it's only fair. When my schedule clears out a bit more (hopefully by the end of 2014) I'll have the time to help my fellow authors out again on more than the one-on-one basis that I currently do. I do get asked directly to look through various writings from a variety of people and, so far, have been happy to help when asked. So I guess I do still pay it forward and I hope to continue to do so.

So...here's the artwork...

"Containment Zone" by L E Spry. I love the transparency of the dome and
the quality of the light on this pic. 

Communication with others is  key, but how would you communicate
with something looking like this? 

What an amazing world this would be to see. It's very desolate, though...

As you know, I love architecture. This is a futuristic airport. I love the corner sculptures and
the rounded glass structure. I also love the height over the waters far below. 

And, as a final offering, a picture called "Crash" by Patrick Reilly.

"Crash" by Patrick Reilly. This desolate world became an unexpected home for the
passengers of this space liner. Their descendants have come to visit the derelict wreck and
reaffirm their colonization goals. Or at least that's how I see this pic.  

So there you have it. Pictures (all in extra-large size because sci-fi is a large media) that will spur your imagination to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no-one has gone before... Have a fabulous Wednesday.