Sculpting a Life: Patterns in the studio.

In the last few days in the studio, I’ve been swirling, twirling and spiraling around and around. I’m not dancing, although I am listening to music from jazz to celtic dance to Jimmy Buffet. I am working on my sculpture.

I’m working on masks in copper and aluminum screening. Both have been keeping me busy creating patterns of swirls, spirals and lines. And I love patterns. I love the rhythm, the repetition, the roundness. When I get the pattern that works, it just feels right.

Here are a few pictures of the patterns I’ve been creating on both of the masks I’m working on right now. One is a dragon mask done in copper using a repousse’ technique, the other mask is an aluminum mesh material and the pattern is created with acrylic paints.

Swirling and twirling…I just love patterns!

If you'd like to see more of my work in the studio, check out my website at Susan Gallacher-Turner Sculpture www.susangt.com You can also keep up with more of creative activities on my new blog Sculpting A Life at http://sculptingalife.blogspot.com Read more!

Sculpting a Life.

By Susan Gallacher-Turner

Bright sunshine, frost on the grass and daffodils waving in the wind are what I see on my way to the park this morning. But it's what I don't see at the park that makes today different. And it's not until I cross the bridge over the lake that I get it.

Here's what I don't see...waves, ripples or birds bobbing for fish. What I do see is the blue sky, puffy white clouds and trees that surround the lake mirrored in its surface.

I see reflection and stillness. I think about that word...reflection. What does it really mean? The dictionary definition of reflection is to bend or throw back light, sound or heat; to give back an image, mirror or reproduce; the fixing of the mind on a subject, serious thought contemplation; the result of such thought in words; blame or discredit.


I see that the word works to describe my physical and mental experience walking around the lake today. The still surface of the lake is indeed reflecting, throwing back sunlight and images of the clouds, trees like a mirror, I see that with my eyes. And I am reflecting on it...fixing my mind on the idea of reflection, with serious thought as I walk around watching the clouds and sky on its surface.

My reflective contemplation leads me to a 'resulting thought' - that stillness is possible in nature and in life. All I have to do is see it.

I'm an artist working in copper, clay and metal mesh, you can see my sculpture on my website Susan Gallacher-Turner and read about my travels in the world of creativity on my new blog, Sculpting A Life. Read more!

Garden Views: Free Newsletter - Join Thoughtful Gardeners in Reading Cultivating the Inner Gardener

The gardening season unofficially launched in the Northeast this week, with temps predicted to swell to near 70º on Saturday. The (really hot) sunshine has brought out the best of my very early bloomers: Snowdrops, purple hybrid and yellow species crocus, Winter Aconite, Christmas Rose, and Lenten Rose. I was surprised to also see some of the Hydrangea leaf buds bursting out of their brown, scaly shells, as well as early growth from Wood Hyacinth. Before we know it, our spring gardens will be three steps ahead of us as usual.

With cabin fever behind us and spring fever before us, you may want to take a few moments to think about what internal fulfillment your garden can give back to you this growing season, beyond the mere enjoyment of the garden’s physical beauty.

I’ve written about how to approach this before at http://loisdevries.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Transformational%20Power%20of%20Gardening and http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com .

At the end of this month, I’ll be instituting a monthly newsletter, Cultivating the Inner Gardener, for gardening enthusiasts who want to learn how to garden from the inside out and experience the transformational power of gardening. I’d love for you to subscribe and join me in turning this new adventure into a global movement to reconnect people to the Earth through gardening.

To sign up, just look for the “Join Yahoo Groups” icon in the sidebar of http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com ,
fill in your e-mail address, and click “Join Now.” This is a double opt-in subscription that ensures that only those people who want the newsletter will get it.


Lois de Vries' thoughts on gardening and environmental issues run the gamut from gardening in her own back yard to promoting land management practices that reconnect people to the Earth. To discover how to express more of your personality and creativity through your garden, or how body/mind/spirit can play itself out in your gardening activities, visit: http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com or contact me at loisj7@gmail.com.

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Television Musings- Rants and Raves of a Romance Writer

Academy Awards 2010
By Kathy Carpenter

I would be remiss if I did not comment on the Academy Awards. I mean one of the most watched Television shows of the year.

A first this year best director Kathrine Bigelow. Director of “The Hurt Locker.” Also best picture. A great picture I would not know. I hate all war movies except Civil war. Although war stories tend to do well with the Academy. And at least “Avitar” did not win. Just because it’s the biggest grossing movie of all time. And no I did not go to “Avitar” either. Nothing about the movie appealed to me. I did see one nomination. “Up in the air” and though I liked the movie okay. Did not care for the ending. I did not think it was Oscar worthy either. I mean Cloony played himself or the guy we believe him to be is that acting?

Oh well, and I do see a lot of movies me and Oscar rarely agree. But there’s always next year. And the red carpet never gets old. Read more!

Sculpting A Life.

By Susan Gallacher-Turner

Tree of Life-Completed!

About 4 months ago, I met with Brenda and Lisa about doing a copper project for their school auction at Valley Catholic School. We talked through many different ideas. One thing they were sure about, the project had to use copper and it needed to include elements made by the children in the third grade class.

That's how the tree sprang to life. The idea was to have each child choose a word that inspired them. I would visit the class and work with the children to do the repousse work on the cut out copper birch leaves. After I did the patina on the leaves, they would be attached to the branches on the copper Tree of Life.



Back in my studio, I went to work making the trunk and branches of the tree. I wanted the trunk to be sturdy and beautiful. As I twisted and turned the copper, I realized that the trunk I was making for the Tree of Life was, well, a lot like life. Life spirals up and out in many different and unexpected directions. It branches out growing stronger as time goes on, yet even the oldest and strongest branches can sprout new tender shoots and leaves at any time. The three spiral roots link together, just as our bodies, hearts and souls entwine in our lives.


The Tree of Life is an age-old symbol that appears throughout history in many cultures around the world. Different cultures use different types of trees ash, yew, oak trees to magical trees made from dragons. It symbolizes birth, death and knowledge. In some cultures it represents a variety of pagan gods. In Christianity, it is used to represent Jesus Christ.

This Tree of Life has birch shaped leaves, and in some cultures, the birch tree is a symbol of rebirth and new life. I couldn't think of a better symbol for young children and even some of us who aren't so young anymore. That no matter what your age, you are always able to grow in any direction you choose.



To see more of my sculpture and writing, check out my website Susan Gallacher-Turner Sculpture and my other blog Susan's Art & Words. Read more!

Get the Most From Flower Shows

I’ll be speaking on Cultivating the Inner Gardener: Gardening for Personal Growth (http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com ) on March 12, 2010 at 3:30pm, at this year’s Springfest Flower and Garden Show in Augusta, NJ at the Sussex County Fairgrounds (http://bit.ly/a6W29O). Come by and say “hello” if you’re in the area.

Flower and garden shows promise garden enthusiasts and other folks who need a break from cabin fever the chance to recharge their creative batteries. To get the most from your visit, plan ahead.

1. Comfortably cushioned flat shoes are a must, since most shows take place in structures that have concrete floors, which quickly take their toll. Some demonstration gardens will have flagstone or boardwalk-style paths that make for uneven walking, or may catch narrow heels.

2. Think about your main reason for going to the show and do that first. I used to go to one show just to purchase ornaments from a particular vendor. I’d put my treasures in her “holding” area and feel free to cruise the rest of the show without being rushed, because I was sure I wasn’t missing anything important. Look at the layout map to see what gardens or vendors interest you the most, decide which talks are an absolute must-hear, and locate an area, such as the café, where you can rest up for round two.

3. Dress appropriately. This means different things to different people in different locales, but wear something you won’t mind having soil from a tumbling flowerpot spill on, or an overactive fountain splash with water.

4. Take the minimum necessary and make it easy to carry. Even a relatively light bag will begin to feel heavy after two hours. Pack a fold-up tote in a backpack and you should have plenty of room to store your purchases.

5. Be courteous and mindful of other attendees. You will be sharing this space with thousands of other people. Don’t step in front of someone’s camera when they’re set for the perfect shot and, if you’re the photographer, wait until the crowd thins a bit. Don’t stand in front of a garden, or stop on a narrow path and chat with your friend while hundreds of others are waiting their turn. It’s often tough to hear in these cavernous spaces that act as echo chambers, so don’t make it worse by shouting.

6. Respect the hard work that’s gone into the show. Avoid stepping on plants and keep to the indicated walkways. Think twice about bringing carts or other bulky items and how you will maneuver them in a narrow, crowded space. Don’t touch plants, or pick flowers.

7. Consider the maturity of your children before bringing them along. Are they likely to take a fistful of mulch or gravel and hurl it into someone’s face? Will they pick all the daisies to make a bouquet for you? Do you really want to push a stroller up and down flagstone steps or across a curved wooden bridge?
 

8. Assess your limitations. People who need mobility assistance may get around more easily in the “off” hours, which tend to be weekday afternoons. If you are afflicted with allergies or other medical difficulties, be sure to bring along necessary medications and carry information about your problem in the event that medical assistance becomes necessary. You may also want to think about limiting your time at the show, or making two shorter visits instead of one long one.

9. Slow down, take a deep breath, and take time to smell the roses. The real spring is just around the corner!

10. Have a great time.

By the way, these tips apply to visiting museums and roaming the stalls at antique shows, as well. Creative work takes a lot out of us. Viewing other creatives’ beautiful things, whether plants, pottery, or paintings, is a good way to replenish ourselves. Indulge on a regular basis.

Lois de Vries' thoughts on gardening and environmental issues run the gamut from gardening in her own back yard to promoting land management practices that reconnect people to the Earth. To discover how to express more of your personality and creativity through your garden, or how body/mind/spirit can play itself out in your gardening activities, visit: http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com or contact me at loisj7@gmail.com.

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Television Musings Rants and Raves of a Romance Writer

Miss USA

By Kathy Carpenter

First off when selecting the top fifteen of whatever it was the judges selected eleven, the television audience selected three, and finally the contestants selected one. To me this did work. I mean if the judges had not selected you in the first place what chance do you have with them?

Another new element was every time the did something say like talent, the girls did not even know if they would perform. They selected at random and if you were one of the two they did not call you were out. This method was used several times.

One thing I did like was they took the questions for the contestants from people on the street instead of the same old questions from the judges. Perhaps this came about from the big scandal with last year’s judge.

And finally, at the end they usually have the top five who all place one way or another. This year they had seven and two did not place at all. So we had three left and two did not place. Hen before you were down to two. One would win and one would be first runner up. Not sure how this went over with the contestants/

Any opinions on how you liked or not the new format please comment.

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Garden Views: Cultivating the Inner Gardener at Springfest

Save the date. I’m scheduled to present an overview of Cultivating the Inner Gardener: Gardening for Personal Growth (http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com )on March 12, 2010 at 3:30pm, at this year’s Springfest Flower and Garden Show in Augusta, NJ at the Sussex County Fairgrounds (http://bit.ly/a6W29O ). Come by and say “hello” if you’re in the area.

Springfest started out as a small local show and has grown to host more than 8,000 visitors annually. This year, there will be a special dedication and grand opening of the new 5,000 sq. ft. conservatory, the generous gift of Bev and Bruce Gordon. Topiaries from Duke Gardens, donated by the Doris Duke Foundation, will decorate the conservatory. Shops, a café, kid’s activities a full lecture schedule, and a dozen gardens make for a great break from cabin fever.

See you there.

Lois de Vries' thoughts on gardening and environmental issues run the gamut from gardening in her own back yard to promoting land management practices that reconnect people to the Earth. To discover how to express more of your personality and creativity through your garden, or how body/mind/spirit can play itself out in your gardening activities, visit: http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com or contact me at loisj7@gmail.com.  Read more!

Sculpting a Life.

By Susan Gallacher-Turner

Celebrating Love before and after Valentine's Day.

I'm lucky to do what I love...art and writing and teaching. But it's not always easy. It's very easy to get side tracked, blind sided and disappointed by things that happen in life. So I don't take it for granted when life delivers me a weekend of what I love and sharing in what the people in my life love as well.

I went to congratulate friends on their new gallery shows. My husband did what he loves to do as well. The next day, we had time together walking, napping and watching the Olympics. Then later, we both got to share our daughter's performance doing what she loves to do, singing. And we enjoyed a delicious meal of salmon, salad and bread.

Sunday was restful and relaxing as we took turns cooking up a storm in the kitchen. We both love to cook and cooking together in the kitchen is always a labor of love and a way to connect and create. It was harder when the kids were little, but we still made time to make these heart shaped cookies(in the picture above) that the 'Valentine Fairy' magically hung on their bedroom doors just in time for Valentine's Day.

This weekend, we were childless...something new to us. Caitlin has a home of her own now and Kyle was out of town snowboarding with his friends.

Alone in the house, Michael and I made a puff pancake for breakfast, spinach Parmesan omelet for lunch but we saved the big adventure for dinner. We cooked a live lobster! It isn't as hard as you might think, you just steam that lobster in a big pot for about 20 minutes, crack it open, clean it out and serve. It was delicious with the fresh asparagus and hollandase sauce. We shared one of our heart shaped cookies for dessert.

Love comes in many ways in life and I'm very grateful that this weekend, I got the chance to cook up ways to connect and share it.

To see some of my sculpture check out my website at www.susangt.com or my other blog, Susan's Art & Words at http://sculpturepdx.blogspot.com Read more!

THE ARTFUL LIFE - A HOLISTIC APPROACH

A Day to Fall In Love with Your Art All Over Again

by Lisa Riley, LMFT

It’s as if Valentines Day is treated like the Sabbath. Using that day out of the year to make good with our loved one. It’s an attempt to make up for those weeks or months when we weren’t so attentive or fell short of expectations. It’s the one day we have permission to find ways to reconcile. So we grasp at the bouquet of roses with the cellophane heart shape balloons and fight for the reservation at the hot restaurant in town. All in hopes of reconnecting with our partner and just maybe fall in love all over again.

Then this morning I thought of a different perspective around this holiday. What a perfect day to reconnect with ourselves and most importantly reconnect with our most beloved art. Maybe it’s been months since you’ve picked up the paintbrush or revisited the unfinished poem or half done sculpture. It’s a day to spend reflecting on the reasons you fell in love with that particular art to begin with, similar to reminiscing about a first date. Carving out some time to do what you love allows the exchange of giving and receiving. It nurtures the heart of your soul. To express one self creatively is expressing a love and appreciation to your true gifts. So spend some time on this day to honor your original love by honoring the essence of your creative soul.

Lisa is a psychotherapist, painter and writer. She has spent the last 25 years integrating various forms of self-expression as a way of life and an avenue towards healing. Because of her background in the arts she understands the unique challenges of the artistic personality and has spent the last 8 years working with artists, writers, actors and musicians in helping them gain self-awareness and a deeper understanding of themselves as artists. Lisa has her own private practice in Southern California. For more information visit TheArtofMind.com

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Plot, Character and Emotional Arc

Working on my Character Workout mini-ebook for subscribers to my creative writing site (as well as trying to meet the deadline on my current screenplay). Of all the aspects of the manuscripts and film scripts I get to assess, Character is something writers get stuck on. But any guidance on Character has to include flagging up the need to approach the work with all the elements in mind because everything in a story has to be completely interrelated.

That's why so many How To Books can mislead. Focusing on the elements of writing as if each is a separate entity not only fatally dooms the success of the work, it almost always smothers the creative source of your unique vision.

And that's why I don't like the word 'Plot'. I use the term 'Emotional Plot', because this phrase implies simultaneous human feeling-and-action. The origin of the word 'drama' applies as much to novels as plays and screenplays. It comes from the Greek word meaning 'something done', and the ancient Greek playwrights thought of their stories as 'people doing things'.

The emotional plot is what drives the story - it makes characters 'do things'. So, focusing on the outward action or plot isn't going to get a writer very far in creating a compelling story. Instead of making the first question: What is my story about? A better question is Who is my story about? If you're not asking: 'Why are my character's emotional needs not being meet?' you get stuck. This question alone should be enough to start to generate the story. Creating character will lead automatically to dialogue, setting, structure, pace - every element of story-telling.

Approaching a novel or script through thinking about the emotional arc of the character is, for me, the most fruitful way to write stories.
www.creativewritingconsultancy.com
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Garden Views: The Genius of Place

Eighteenth-century gardener, poet, and acerbic critic Alexander Pope’s phrase “the genius of the place” is often quoted by garden writers, landscape architects, and environmental advocates to urge us to respect what Nature herself provides.

But, it’s important to understand Pope’s phrase in context: The context of the times, the context of Pope’s rebellion against the excesses of the wealthy, and even within the context of the larger poem. Those who’d like to read the whole, Epistles to Several Persons: Epistle IV To Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington, can find an annotated version at Representative Poetry Online, http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1632.html .

I’ve reproduced the 18 relevant lines here:

            To build, to plant, whatever you intend,
            To rear the column, or the arch to bend,
            To swell the terrace, or to sink the grot;
            In all, let Nature never be forgot.
            But treat the goddess like a modest fair,
            Nor overdress, nor leave her wholly bare;
            Let not each beauty ev'rywhere be spied,
            Where half the skill is decently to hide.
            He gains all points, who pleasingly confounds,
            Surprises, varies, and conceals the bounds.

            Consult the genius of the place in all;
            That tells the waters or to rise, or fall;
            Or helps th' ambitious hill the heav'ns to scale,
            Or scoops in circling theatres the vale;
            Calls in the country, catches opening glades,
            Joins willing woods, and varies shades from shades,
            Now breaks, or now directs, th' intending lines;
            Paints as you plant, and, as you work, designs.

Pope's own summary of the Epistle makes clear his intention:

"The chief proof of it is to follow Nature, even in works of mere luxury and elegance. Instanced in architecture and gardening, where all must be adapted to the genius and use of the place, and the beauties not forced into it, but resulting from it.” 

He also said: "All the rules of gardening are reducible to three heads:-- the contrasts, the management of surprises, and the concealment of bounds ... I have expressed them all in two verses;..."

Lois de Vries' thoughts on gardening and environmental issues run the gamut from gardening in her own back yard to promoting land management practices that reconnect people to the Earth. To discover how to express more of your personality and creativity through your garden, or how body/mind/spirit can play itself out in your gardening activities, visit: http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com or contact me at loisj7@gmail.com. 

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Question: Why do I do what I do? Answer: Love.

(Wolf and Bear Masks enjoyed by their new owners)

Sculpting a Life
By Susan Gallacher-Turner

I make masks out of window screening and copper. I’ve made all kinds of animals and mythical creatures in metal…cats and dogs, lions, bears and birds including a frog, donkey, tarantula, cheetah, macaw, owl, phoenix, dragon and a thunderbird just to name a few. I’ve made a series of fairies faces and masks that look like leaves.

A decade or so ago, I’d have thought I’d be done with all these masks by now, but I just keep on making them. Not only that, I keep coming up with ideas and creatures that I just need to make.

So there’s that question again…why? And the answer, so simple and clear…love.

I love imagining the animals and mythical creatures. I love shaping them out of aluminum and copper. I love painting them even though the process requires many, many, many patient layers of paint plus carefully detailed painting and repousse’ to get the richly detailed feathers, fur and scales. I love the fact that the depth of color defies the lightness and transparency of the completed mask.

Most of all, I love that people are so thrilled when they see them, feel them and put them on. They are transformed from boy or girl, woman or man into a wolf, bear, frog, lion, dragon or phoenix. I love to see the wonder on their faces when they look in the mirror and see their new masked persona. I love it when they realize that I can’t see them as they were but only as they are with the mask on.

I love that no matter what the person’s age or stage, the mask brings out the clear, true spirit of imagination that we usually only see in very small children. I love being part of that link and transformation.

Yes, it takes a lot of time, effort and skill to make each and every mask but when I’m working on the masks, my life becomes timeless.

Why do I do what I do? Love. Pure and simple.

If you’d like to see more of my masks, check out my website at www.susangt.com and read my other blog Susan’s Art & Words at http://sculpturepdx.blogspot.com Read more!

Gardener's Psychiatric Hotline

The Gardener’s Psychiatric Hotline has been a perennial favorite for garden humor, which those of us in the Northeast could use a little of right now. Thanks to Ron Vanderhoff of Roger’s Gardens for his version:

“Many who read this column will soon retreat to their gardens for long periods of time. Once there, may will find peace, harmony, and beauty. But a few, some of whom I’ve met, will discover other, darker, qualities of the season.

At this season, I worry about many of my dear gardening friends. When talking to them, I see some of the early signs; the soft mumblings, the subtle mood swings, the small nervous tics. I suspect some of these garden comrades are only a dandelion or two away from serious floral psychosis. The annual anticipation of spring, mingled and juxtaposed with delirious expectations of plant perfection and the uncertainties of nature, drive some of my fragile friends to the brink.

These people need skilled help, carefully administered by trained professionals. Perhaps you know one of these people. Worse perhaps you are one of these people. Maybe you yourself are showing some early symptoms and haven’t noticed them yet. Self-diagnosis is difficult. Yet, these people hold pruning shears, shovels, and hedge clippers in their gloved hands. It is a dangerous time. But there is help.

Ring, ring...Hello! and welcome to the Gardener's Psychiatric Hotline.

If you are buying plants, yet have no space or time to plant them, you are obsessive-compulsive.  Please press 1 repeatedly.

If you want someone else to do the digging, you are co-dependent.  Please ask someone to press 2.

If you will plant anything and everything, you have multiple personalities. Please press 3, 4, and 5.

If you are sure the sun, rain, bugs, and plant diseases are out to get you, you are paranoid delusional.  We know who you are and what you want….just stay on the line so we can trace the call.

If you are sure the flowers are talking to you, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which button to press.

If you can't throw away a plant, even if it is dying, you are manic-depressive and it doesn't matter which button you press.

If you think your garden is being attacked by evil spirits, press 6-6-6.

If you continue to plant only flowers with fragrance, you are nasally fixated. Please press the scratch-and-sniff button.

If you occasionally hallucinate and know that this year your garden is going to  look as good or better than Martha Stewart's please be aware that the thing you are now holding to the side of your head is alive and is about  to bite your ear.

If you refuse to believe the plant you are growing is a weed, you are in denial. Thanks for pressing the right button already!

If you are a senile gardener, after listening to all of the selections, continue to stare blankly at the phone for the next ten minutes while trying to remember why you called in the first place.”

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Television Musings - Rants and Raves from a Romance Writer

By Kathy Carpenter


Welcome 2010!

I know it’s been awhile but I’m back. I’ve been in computer hell. And when I logged on to write this. I noticed my blog form a couple back didn’t even post. I went back and posted the blog from October 19th but in the scheme of things don’t know where it published. Where it was originally supposed to or on today’s date. Moving forward. I hope to be back to once a week. This week I want to talk about Chuck. Chuck was a relatively creative idea for a television show. The contents from a government agency computer downloaded into a human, then was destroyed. The only way the real spies could access the information was through Chuck. Who works at a warehouse store on the geek squad.

That lasted for two seasons. Of course the government was working on a way to get the information back and free Chuck, but at what price. The storyline ran it’s course, But they came up with a new creative outlet. After getting free of the info Chuck downloaded the new version into himself. Not quite sure how. But now if he flashes on an activity he does not know, for instance talking French, instantly he is enabled to the task. To me this is creative but alas how far can it go?

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Sculpting a Life

By Susan Gallacher-Turner

Share your creativity rituals and help light the way for others in the new year.


For years alone in the studio, I began my day with a ritual I called ‘CM’ or creative meditation time. I poured myself a fresh cup of coffee, turned on my favorite music, lit a scented candle and sat down in my chair. Closing my eyes, I attempted to bring my thoughts from the world of everyday activity to the world of creativity.

Doesn’t this sound restful and wonderful? Then why does it take so much work to get my butt in that chair? Why do I find myself at the computer, answering email or dust mopping my floors instead of sitting, focusing and creating in my studio?

I can say I’m too busy but after a few weeks, I get tired, cranky and resentful. Yes, it’s easy to put the needs of others before mine. Yes, it’s easy to find other jobs more productive. And again, yes, it’s easy to blame myself or others for my lack of ‘CM’ time.

The other day, I met an artist friend for coffee. After talking to her for a while, I realized that although I feel all alone in my struggles, I’m not. Almost every creative person finds themselves fighting the foes of fear, procrastination and time.

It’s a new year. And this year, instead of guilt and fear, I want to embrace the feelings of freedom, lightness and joy. I know that getting back to my ‘CM’ time is a big step in the right direction.

But maybe in the New Year, my old ‘CM’ ritual needs some renewal, too.

So I’m asking for your suggestions. What steps do you want to take this New Year? Do you have a ritual that gets your creativity going everyday?

Share it here. I’d love to hear some new ideas. What sparks your creativity can light the way for all of us.

If you'd like to see some of my sculpture work visit my website at www.susangt.com or check out my writing and podcasts about other creative people at http://voicesoflivingcreatively.com Read more!

Sculpting a Life: Susan Gallacher-Turner's Turn in the Pacific Northwest

Decking the halls for the New Year.

It all started the year my daughter cried when we took down the Christmas tree. I had to admit, taking down all those colorful, shiny decorations, festive plants and wreaths always felt sad to me, too. So, I told her that I wasn’t taking down the decorations for an entire year, I was ‘redecking’ the halls for the New Year.

Since then, as the Christmas holiday décor comes down, the New Year décor goes up. A white, gold and silver theme replaces the reds and greens. On the table, I put a white tablecloth with metallic threads, a gold metallic runner and a centerpiece with a hurricane, white pillar candle and festive beads complete with brass bells to ‘ring’ in the New Year. The mantle gets a snowy theme with little flocked trees and lighted white wreath. The hutch which holds the Christmas china gets redone with crystal champagne glasses and a silver champagne bucket. One year, I made a New Year’s wreath. You can see it pictured above…I cut oak leaves out of aluminum sheeting adding veins and details in repousse’.

It doesn’t take long to add these festive touches but it goes a long way to brighten up everyone’s mood after Christmas is over. My daughter has carried the ‘tradition’ to her own apartment this year as she ‘redecked’ her halls for the New Year, too.

I think what I love the most is the process itself. I renew my home for the New Year. I honor the past year’s good times with the gold touches. I welcome the abundance for the new year with the silver oak leaves. And I open up to new beginnings with all of the white touches; the candles, flowers, table cloth, trees and lights.

What started as a way to make my daughter happy has become a tradition that makes us all happier in the New Year. Read more!

Where Do You Go For Inspiration?

For the past few years, I’ve gone to The Land Ethics Symposium, sponsored by Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve (New Hope, PA). As the line that separates gardening and sustainability becomes more blurred, gardeners and garden-related professionals, environmental consultants, and government officials are increasingly finding themselves at the same events and trade shows.

This year, the symposium focuses on ways to create economical and ecologically balanced landscapes using native plants and restoration techniques. Attendees will learn how such landscapes can solve site problems while being sustainable, practical and attractive.

In years past, the Land Ethics Symposium has hosted such inspirational speakers as sustainable living gurus Marcus de la Fleur http://loisdevries.blogspot.com/2008/03/recycling-water-one-drop-at-time.html and John Peter Thompson http://loisdevries.blogspot.com/2008/02/gardening-heresy-good-for-environment.html , Puget Sound ecological expert and poet Grant Jones , and Morris Arboretum master arborist Jason Lubar http://loisdevries.blogspot.com/2009/02/go-play-outside.html .

There’s always at least one speaker who sweeps you back in time and reminds you in a very visceral sense of why you chose a vocation or avocation that connects you to the natural world. I always come back with more ideas than I can possibly implement, recharged and ready to go. We all need this type of re-energizing from time to time. What do you do for creative inspiration?

Last day to register for The Land Ethics Symposium is February 8, 2010. For more information, contact Bowman’s Hill at www.bhwp.org .
 

Lois de Vries' thoughts on gardening and environmental issues run the gamut from gardening in her own back yard to promoting land management practices that reconnect people to the Earth. To discover how to express more of your personality and creativity through your garden, or how body/mind/spirit can play itself out in your gardening activities, visit: http://cultivatingtheinnergardener.blogspot.com or contact me at loisj7@gmail.com.
 

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The Emotional Plot as The Engine of The Story

Long time, no post! Have been working on my Character Workout mini-ebook for subscribers to my creative writing site (as well as trying to meet the deadline on my current screenplay). Of all the aspects of the manuscripts and film scripts I get to assess, Character is always something that the writer would benefit from learning more about. But any guidance on Character has to include flagging up the need to approach the work with all the elements in mind because everything in a story has to be completely interrelated.

That's why so many How To Books can mislead. Focusing on the elements of writing as if each is a separate entity not only fatally dooms the success of the work, it almost always smothers the creative source of your unique vision.

And that's why I don't like the word 'Plot'. I use the term 'Emotional Plot', because this phrase implies simultaneous human feeling-and-action. The origin of the word 'drama' applies as much to novels as plays and screenplays. It comes from the Greek word meaning 'something done', and the ancient Greek playwrights thought of their stories as 'people doing things'.

The emotional plot is what drives the story - it makes characters 'do things'. So, focusing on the outward action or plot isn't going to get a writer very far in creating a compelling work unless the focus is at the same time, on the emotional needs of the character. Instead of making the first question: What is my story about? A better question is Who is my story about? Then: What are my character's emotional needs? This question alone should be enough to start to generate the story. Creating character will lead automatically to dialogue, setting, structure, pace - every element of story-telling.

This emphasis on approaching a novel or script through thinking about the emotional situation of the character is what I'm trying to get across in all my teaching and consultancy work. That's why I decided to write the free ebook on Character for subscribers on my new site.

There are so many ways to fire up the imagination when creating characters, and a good many of them are not the usual ones you find in the writing guides.



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London Calling

I've got to admit, I love to work through a self-development book.  Maybe it's the Virgo in me, but writers like Julia Cameron and Eric Maisel have been my creative friends, available at the flick of a page, ever since I realised that I wanted to write.  So, today, Eric Maisel says 'Craft One Ceremony'. A creative soul needs a moment's safety at the dawn and the close of the day; just reflecting, just being. So anyway I went to Neal's Yard in London's West End, in search of an exotic tea, Japanese perhaps, to drink for my tea ceremony each morning. My journey past the docks took me past the Port of London, once the busiest in the world for tea clippers. I thought of the hundreds of masts and spars that would have been there, barely less than a few generations past. 'Who needs anything different,' I thought. Back home as I pour my very British cuppa, I think of my hero and his struggle to make a living in the docks, like his ancestors and mine. I raise my mug to their tenacity, their laughter, their courage in times of war and peace. That's ceremony enough.

Jennifer Pittam is a winner of 'Coast to Coast' Writing Competition and is working on a historical novel. Read more!