Tag: creativity

Just For Fun!

The Creative Soul

There are days when I really feel as though I should give up writing, and go back to school to be a graphic artist. I always wanted to be an artist, a famous one of course! But then I also wanted to be a famous singer. I practiced my songs during my nap times, taking the top little finial from my canopy  and using it for a microphone. That was pretty hazardous when I think back on it, but I don’t recall my mother rushing in to pull me out of a pile of pink cotton and maple slats. And that would have made an impression on me! Although I also remember practicing my artistic drawings on the headboard of that same bed and surviving to tell about it. The metal clip on the back of my barrette made a delightful tool.

My memory drifts through when I was young, about elementary school age.  Art class, drawing, painting, pottery, and anything remotely creative fascinated me. Where ever I was, I would draw what I saw. The place-mats we used at Christmas, the view from the kitchen window, an especially pretty scene while we were out on a family drive. I wanted to transform my visions into reality on paper.

I never did take art classes beyond what I received in public school. I am very thankful for the wonderful teachers I had that encouraged my creativity, and made me aware of contests to enter. A Wilton cake-decorating course and a few pottery classes in my late teens and before children just seemed to entice me further. But then children happened, and the most drawing I did for many years was shaping the letters to form a grocery list.

Oct. 14, 1995

It may seem as though I blame my children for the squelching of my artistic dreams. I don’t. For when I had children, they were also my dream, my goal of a perfect life. I emerged myself in that. And every now and then, we made crafts at Christmas, painted ceramic objects, and built gingerbread houses. The creativity was still there, just in a different form. Enough to know that our children inherited their own creativity in diverse and spectacular ways. And that’s what it’s all about.

Today I spent several hours being creative. I designed a meme for Facebook in honor of Mother’s Day. I also made a couple posters for an event I have for my books on Saturday. I feel refreshed, and able to breathe again. Being creative seems to release pent-up emotions and frustrations in me…and not everyone would understand that.

Dunlap Church Event

Dunlap Craft and Flea Market pricing

What I am most thankful for, are the talents that God has given me. And we all have them. Some people just tap into their talents and gifts more than other people do. Maybe someday, a painting course, or learning more about using the computer for art will be an option for me. But right now, I have so many things that interest me, and I get to dabble in them all. And I like that!

In honor of Mother’s Day, I will include this meme I designed for Facebook. And if any of you have a mind to, please stop by and like my author’s page. I would really appreciate it! https://www.facebook.com/deborahanndykeman Have a fantastic weekend!

Happy Mother's Day

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Writing

The Story Is There

Have you ever looked at a picture, and wanted to know the story behind it? It could be an old painting, or a photograph. I’ve seen pictures and I want to jump right into that time, hear the conversation taking place before the camera captured that image. Feel the temperature of the air on my skin, smell the aroma of the room, or the flowers the couple was standing beside.

Yes, I’m probably strange. I’ve been told so before. But it doesn’t really bother me anymore to fit into the little box others think I should be in. Everyone experiences life in different ways, and that is good. So these days, (most of the days since I turned fifty a few years ago), I just float along with some of those thoughts and feelings I have when it comes to creativity. It has helped me to write and publish five books so far!

Pictures say a lot. holding-hands-1772035_1920

This one speaks to me of young love, hope and a future. It is autumn, shown from the colors of the leaves on the trees. I think the sun is setting, but it could be rising. The train tracks lead you to believe there is more, a road to travel, life to experience. This picture makes me feel happy with a touch of melancholy. thunderstorm-2077667_1920

Of course the first thought for this one is something dark and sinister. I love the house, but not the setting, even on a bright, sunny day. It looks flat and somehow wild…and very lonely. The flashes of lightning don’t help the entire feeling of something bad about to happen. But I still love the picture and all the emotions it stirs up. relax-705817_1920

Peace is felt when I look at this one. I think it’s early morning, the mist on the water. It reminds me of an Adirondack lake. I actually saved this one to use for a meme on my third book in the Rubyville series, A Place to Heal. Much time in the book is spent on Lake George in upstate New York. There is a dock with chairs just like these. I could spend a lot of time here with my eyes closed, smelling the clean, fresh air, and listening to the sounds of the water lapping at the boards.

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I love country churches. Especially if they are white or stone. I prefer them nestled in a little valley with trees shading the steeple, but this one is intriguing. Just think of the stories this one could tell! A young couple on their wedding day, the wind whipping the bride’s veil as they climbed into the buggy to begin their future. There is a thought.

But of course, photographs of those we love are the most special of all. This one was taken of our grandchildren on Easter Sunday. They are all below the age of seven, and they each have a story to tell, a future to experience. My mind races with the possibilities of the thoughts in their little heads. There is a story to tell…18090708_10155275580618804_513646526_o

A Quick Thought

Expression of Who You Are

Do writers feel more than other people?

Do they have more pain, more emotional trauma, more joy or excitement in life?

Do they have more difficult lives, or easier ones?

No, to all of the above! Writers just have to express it more than other people.  It is a need within them, almost as much as eating or sleeping. Although when I have a story in my head, sleep takes a back seat as well.

Some writers may also be great talkers, sharing everything. Other writes may be quiet, having the need to express only on paper/computer.

I definitely communicate better on paper/computer, and always have. When I was a child, I always had a pen pal, or someone I was writing letters to. I could be who I wanted to be, who I felt I was in those letters. Meet me in person, the two might not mesh so well!

Don’t be afraid to express yourself or let others see who you really are. Writers, photographers, artists, musicians…anything you can think of with creativity is a way of expressing yourself. We all need that outlet. I personally believe it makes you a more well-rounded person. God gave us the ability to communicate, and it isn’t only through our lips.

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