Accordian Fold

Favorite Photos Friday #3 (clearly, I can't stick to just one)

Quote of the Day:  This river, named after a crow's wing, makes me feel light. - Georgia A. Greeley

On the banks of the Crow Wing River

Sits an old army barracks cabin

Where I met with these two lovely, creative people

To make this

What do you think it will be?

Journaling Prompt:  What is it about water that is so alluring?  Which body of water are you most attracted to? Oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, creeks, water falls, other?

V is for Voice

Letter of the Day:  V

V is for Voice.  You've heard about it.  I think just about every art form talks about finding your voice - that which makes you distinct within your craft.  If I'm reading random comments on another blog, I might think hmmm, that sounds like Roxane, then I'll look and sure enough, it's her.  I recognize her writing voice just as well as I'd recognize her speaking voice if she called me on the phone.  I'd know JeMA's abstract, textured art anywhere.  I know her style. I know which elements she likes to include and which colors fit her composition.  Classical musicians can distinguish a Bach piece from a Beethoven, and classic rockers know their guitar heroes.

I found my voice through Her Voice magazine.  I started writing for our local women's magazine about six years ago, and I've been a regular contributor ever since.  Meg Douglas, the editor, was the first person to call me an author, and I will always love her for those life-changing words.  After I sent in my first article, she wrote, "I'd love to publish more of your articles."  I got busy writing.  I'd been working on a novel, written some short pieces, done skits and dramas that existed as long as the event.  Then, I started a blog.  Now, I have a full-length play, and I have a voice.  I write realistic fiction and non-fiction centered on relationships and real-life characters. I have a gentle touch, thoughtful, and pondering.  I could describe my piano playing that way, too.  Sprinkle in a flourish of blues and humor, and that's me.

My latest article came out in Her Voice this week. It's about my friend Georgia who has claimed her voice as an artist and a writer, and claimed space and time to work on it.  She inspires me. Click on over if you'd like to read it.  My story, or should I say Georgia's story, starts on page 20. 

The timing of the letters and themes during this A-Z challenge has been amazing. 

Journaling Prompt:  What would an ideal artist's retreat look like for you? Can you describe your voice as an artist?

Artichoke

Quote of the Day:  Without art i choke. - Georgia Greeley

I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Georgia.  She is an artist, writer, and teacher.  We met through the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) when a few people in my area were interested in forming a writer's group.  Georgia lives in St. Paul, MN, but has a cabin on the Crow Wing River (try saying that out loud, it's a tongue twister!), so she joined our small group.  We started meeting in the tiny town of Motley, and so named ourselves The Motley Crew.

Georgia was at the Book Arts Festival in Hackensack (isn't that a great name for a small, rural town that holds book festivals?) this weekend.  She makes her own books, knows book binding and how to make paper.  She is multi-talented, often pairing words with her poetry, or images that match other's poetry.  Her artwork is soothing, yet captivating.  When I was going through my major life change, divorce and moving, she gave me one of her paintings, an illustration of this poem.

Cane Holding up the World

I see the spider for what it is

Calligrapher of the invisible

Dropping from raspberry cane

To nowhere

Climbing back

To write for the night,

"You can make something from nothing."

Plump weaver

Catching the scent of the raspberry

The waa of the catbird

Her rich web

Brushing my mind

by Nancy Walden

Georgia's illustration has thin canes of dark, forest green, intersecting and connected by the spider and her web - the something created from nothing but imagination and sheer desire.

Georgia is the one who said to me, "Continue to do that which makes you whole." 

If you'd like to know more about Georgia, click on her website, Artichoke Press.  Georgia created her own Walden experience by spending the month of August in her little cabin by the river, writing, relaxing, and creating.

Go, Create, Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:   Describe a gift that healed you or inspired you and the person who gave it to you.