Friday, January 29, 2016

Poetry Lessons



I started writing poetry when I was about 10 years old. What started out as the literary experimentations of a bookish little girl soon became one of my primary avenues of expression. Even though I've journaled most of my life, in some ways, poetry was more of an outlet. Writing poems was almost like writing in a secret code that only I could translate. If my journals were found and read by someone, all my junk, secrets, and feelings were exposed; if someone read my poetry, it might be embarrassing, but so much was metaphor. Everything was still safe and secret, even if the poetry itself was terrible (and much of it was). I think in many ways that made it the most honest expression I had. This month has really revived that mode of expression for me, and I think it will continue to carry even after January ends. I've written a lot--some pretty good, some terrible--but it's been a great month.  I've learned so much this month--and really over the years--from reading and writing poetry.


1// The profound is often in the simple. A glass of water can have more to say than the ocean, if you listen. 



2// You can't force inspiration, but you can do things that make inspiration more likely to occur. For me, this is being in nature, surrounding myself with beauty, reading (reading reading reading!), and looking through old photos or journals.



3// You have to know the rules to know how to break them. Even free verse--well, good free verse--has a degree of pattern and rhythm if you break it down and analyze it. I don't know if any poets actually do this--I think they just develop an ear for it, but either way, there is something to be said for structure.


4// Poems don't have to be meaningful to be good, and they don't have to be good to be meaningful. Billy Collins has this great poem about poetry students tying a poem to a chair and beating it with rubber hoses "to find out what it means." It's one of my very favorites.



5// You have to do the work. A friend of mine who's an author says that writing is equal parts inspiration and discipline. You have to write where the wind blows, but in order to do that, you have to show up to write to begin with. You won't be a good writer just because something happens to you every three years and you decide to write a poem about it. Practice and consistency are important.

Did you follow along with the poetry challenge? What things did you learn?


Thursday, January 28, 2016

January Playlist

Another month, another playlist! How in the world is it the end of January already? The last few months have brought lots of changes, and things are finally starting to settle (I know just saying that means that I just jinxed myself). Tyler starts a new job on Feb 8th, and I just have a feeling that next month is going to be an extra good one. Here are a few of the tunes I've been listening to over the past month in case you're looking for a happy little start to your February too.



Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Book Club: Girl on the Train








**POST AND COMMENTS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**

I don't even know where to start with Girl on the Train. I'm really torn. I've often heard it compared to Gillian Flynn's books, and I can definitely see some similarities in tone and topic. I love books written from multiple perspectives, so I loved the structure, and it definitely gave Girl on the Train an edge. (And lord knows I love books set in England.) I thought it was well-written, if a little slow at times,  and I got really engrossed in the plot itself. The end was so satisfying. But.

But.

All of the female characters (and really, all but one male character) are so dysfunctional. Even the roommate, who is supposed to be the one with a handle on life, has a weirdly dependent relationship with her boyfriend. While the ending helps you understand and sympathize with the dysfunction of the protagonist eventually, I felt like I was grasping at straws trying to root for her through much of the book because of the constant drunken mishaps. We get it; you're an alcoholic. I was suffering so much secondhand embarrassment that I found myself wishing the plot forward.  On the one hand, I love a protagonist that is a screw-up, I love rooting for an underdog, and I love that nuance and realism that comes with a protagonist with real problems. I think it's incredible when we have complex, realistic people in the spotlight, who have both good and bad within them, instead of simplistic moral pillars. On the other hand, too much focus on those problems feels repetitive, and results in a character that isn't sustainably likeable--and to be honest, none of the characters in Girl on the Train were sustainably likeable.

So I'm torn. I devoured the book in a matter of days, and for the most part, really enjoyed it. At the same time, I don't see it being a re-read for me, and I'm glad I bought it on Kindle rather than shelling out $20 for it in hardback. And as a final note, if Paula Hawkins writes another book in the same genre, I'll probably pick it up.

Agree? Disagree? I'd love to hear your thoughts on Girl on the Train!

Monday, January 25, 2016

5 Favorites: Poems


Of all the "favorites" lists I've made for this blog, this one was by far the hardest. To be honest, I'm still not entirely sure I've gotten it right and I'll probably think of another poem in about three hours and want to change this list entirely. So just know that at this moment in time, these were poems that meant enough to me for me to think of them as favorites--in no particular order.

1. "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins. Billy Collins quickly became one of my favorite poets after a friend introduced me to his work. I've heard him criticized for essentially being too accessible, (which drives me utterly insane, but that's a tangent for another day); this poem helps explain why I think that is the dumbest accusation you can lay on a poet--or any kind of artist for that matter. You can read it here.


2. "If I Should Have a Daughter" by Sarah Kay.  I'm a little bit of a Ted Talk junkie, and it's how I found Sarah Kay. The first time I saw her perform "If I Should Have a Daughter," I had goosebumps, and got teary-eyed more than once. Do yourself a favor, and watch it.  (Side note: Billy Collins, above, also presents a few of his poems in a Ted Talk. I just need to do a post on all my favorite talks!).


3. "Lady Lazarus" by Sylvia Plath.  I'm not sure this poem even needs an introduction, or that I could give it an adequate one if I tried. What I love most about it is its darkness, rawness, and vulnerability. That last stanza is probably one of the most well-known in poetry. Read it here.


4. "Keeping Things Whole" by Mark Strand.  There are such giant thoughts about life, identity, and our relationship with the world around us in 17 lines. There's almost a sense of being an intruder in the world, in your own life, and that your presence causes a fracturing in the natural order of things. That makes it sound depressing, and it really isn't. Oh, just go read it. :)

5. "Illusions" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I've got such an emotional connection to this poem; it was a go-to source of comfort after my father passed away, and I revisit it frequently when life feels too heavy. Find it here.

Honorable mentions go to "Litany" by Billy Collins, "Catchlight" by Kirby Knowlton, and "Holy! Holy! Holy!" (unpublished) by Rick Stasi.


I'm grateful to the Poetry Foundation for having so many of these great works available to read & link to for free. If you're looking to explore poetry and find some favorite poems of your own, the Poetry Foundation is a great place to start. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/


Thursday, January 21, 2016

Creative Chat: Alyssa Bennett Smith

I am so excited to share the first in a series of interviews with creatives I admire. This month's focus is on poetry, and I reached out to Alyssa Bennett Smith, a tattooed, vegan, Mennonite, feminist poet who also happens to be one of the coolest, most interesting people I know. Thanks so much for letting me interview you, Alyssa!




1// How long have you been writing poetry, and what inspired you to start?
I've been writing poetry since September 18, 2013. The precise start date is weird, I know, but I had a really specific experience that began my writing.  I had been attending an open mic in Kansas City, MO for a few months when I traveled to Kenya for a Conflict Transformation Training as a part of my seminary studies. At the training I was inundated with incredible experiences, introduced to 35 AMAZING peaceworkers, and had to work through a lot of challenges I was experiencing in my own studies.  In the past I had been a visual artist and would process these sorts of experiences in that way, but while in Kenya I didn't have the means to do so. I had the words of so many amazing poets from the open mic running through my head, so I decided to try writing as a means of processing. I wrote my first poem called "Names" while in Kenya, performed it at the open mic after I returned home, and never looked back.

2// How would you describe your writing style? I've been told by a few people that my style is sort of literary. I'm very visual in my writing--I try to paint pictures with words in hopes of creating a space in the readers mind that helps them feel what I was feeling when I wrote the poem.  I can't say that I always do this intentionally, though. I think a lot of it comes from my favorite poets who write in a similar style and create that space for me when I read or watch/listen to their work.

3// Where do you find the inspiration for your work?
At home in Kansas City I was inspired each and every time I went to an open mic or poetry performance with the incredible poets from that city. I often found myself coming home (late), crawling into bed to go to sleep, and then pulling out my phone to write down a line or stanza that was running through my head. It's probably safe to say that late night iPhone notes are where all of my first drafts happen. In addition to live performances I often fall into black holes of YouTube poetry videos. I love to read poetry off the page as well, but I find most inspiration in hearing people perform their work. Button Poetry has a great channel with tons of incredible poets, but my personal favorite (who is occasionally featured on Button, but has her own channel as well) is Sarah Kay.  Her book "No Matter the Wreckage" was published by Write Bloody last year and is one of my favorites--especially the poem "Dragons". Look it up!
Photo credit: William Peck from Metaphor Media



4// Are there other poets you look up to? Who has influenced your writing the most?
The single most influential force on my work has been the incredible group of poets at Poetic Underground (PoUnd) in Kansas City. This open mic is one of the most loving, supportive, and creative communities that I have ever had the pleasure to join. I moved to Denver recently and miss them dearly, although I still talk to many friends from that group regularly and we provide feedback on one another's work. Outside of my friends, Sarah Kay is one of my favorite poets, like I said, and she's also an incredible role model.  She and Phil Kaye (another incredible spoken word poet) founded a non-profit called Project VOICE that helps bring poetry and poetry workshops to schools across the country and across the world.  They're doing such great work and I really admire them for that. 


5// Do you find yourself drawn to particular themes when writing?

My writing seems to move in phases (although I only have two years under my belt, so it's hard to say with certainty!) During my first six months of writing I wrote about 5 or 6 poems that a friend of mine dubbed my "High Fidelity" phase because they were all attempts to make sense of past relationships and the ways in which they impact me now.  Some of my favorite poems are from this phase. In the last year my work has taken a more political turn, mostly about feminism and my experience in the world as a woman. Not everything I write falls into these categories, though. I've written several poems about specific people--my husband, my grandmother, my sister.  Those are often the result of an isolated experience with that person, rather than a theme that I'm experimenting with.

6// Tell me a little bit about your writing process. 
I feel most compelled to write when I'm dealing with really strong emotion. This can be anger, anxiety, fear, joy--anything. Usually an image will pop into my head after a particular experience or something I'm feeling will bring up a memory from the past when I experienced a similar emotion. I'll write down that image and expand on it or try and make a story out of it. Often I will write a stanza or two and hit a dead end. I'll leave those stanzas for a bit and then come back and read the segments that I've collected over a period of time. More often than not I'll find that in these bits and pieces there will be a few that have a similar tone or similar imagery, and I'll work them into one another to make a longer more complete poem.  I don't know how much of a "process" this is, but it's the way my brain works :)




7// Do you have anything you're currently working on?

I just finished a first draft of a piece that I've called "Lost Dimension". It's about how my experience as a woman has been to view myself in two dimensions--in relation to men and in relation to women. A third dimension was lost to me for a long time and this piece was a way for me to explore how I can see myself without having to measure against someone else. It's one of those pieces that was cobbled together from bits I collected over a couple of months, so it still needs some work, but I like how it's coming together!


8// You've also done spoken word poetry, right? How does it feel to perform your work in public?

Spoken word is how I got into writing, so in some ways it feels really normal to me. I don't think I've ever written a poem that I haven't read on stage (though some work better than others as spoken word pieces). The first time I performed I was a WRECK. My hands and voice where shaking. My voice still shakes sometimes when I perform, even in a room full of my friends. Performing a piece that I've just finished is probably one of my favorite things to do. At PoUnd in Kansas City the open mic crowd is mostly poets. And by mostly I mean, in a room of 50 people there might be 5 that don't consider themselves poets.  It's a pretty incredible audience to bounce new work off of and get feedback. There's a freedom in performing work that everyone knows is "in progress" because no one expects it to be super finished or perfect (including me). I love sharing with my friends and getting suggestions for ways to improve.


9// What are you most proud of in your creative journey?

Oh man! That's a tough one... For about a year I helped run PoUnd Slam, the competitive poetry slam team from Poetic Underground.  As co-slammaster (cool title, right?) I got to perform with the team at a number of venues including Folk Alliance International, a huge showcase of folk music, dance, poetry, visual art, and all kinds of other awesome stuff. Performing at the Folk Alliance was a thrill for the whole team and for me, as a VERY new poet, it was incredible. I don't know that I can be "proud" of this necessarily, since I definitely didn't *earn* it, but it's a huge highlight. Another would probably be performing at an annual event in Kansas City called "Poetry's a Drag". This is a fundraiser held every April (National Poetry Month) where female poets dress as men, and male poets dress as women, and we read poems with content that is more stereo-typically masculine or feminine. I've performed in this show for the last two years and it's always a blast.  It's hosted by a drag queen and the poems are usually hilarious and/or filthy. It's a hoot! I hope to be able to be a part of it for many years to come.


10// What advice would you give to those just beginning to explore poetry as a creative outlet?

Find an open mic! Even if you don't plan on performing, watching open mic poetry is a great way to hear tons of diverse poets with all sorts of levels of experience. If you can't find an open mic YouTube is a decent substitute ;) Aside from that, take time for yourself, read, and write. That sounds silly but you would be surprised how many people have had to say it to me when I get writer's block. The most important thing for me has been to making time to clear my mind and let it wander. If my head is full of day-to-day nonsense it's hard for me to be creative because I'm so focused on functioning as an adult in society (I don't know if you've realized this, but it's super hard). I think this is why so many of my poems have their beginnings in late-night notes on my phone after a night with friends at an open mic. When you surround yourself with creativity and leave space to be creative yourself, some really cool things can happen.





You can find Alyssa on Instagram at @alyssa_bennett_smith

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Home Wishlist

I've spent a lot of time lately trying to make our apartment décor more cohesive. I tend to be eclectic in my tastes and I have a hard time defining a personal style (anyone else?). That probably will never change, but finding things that compliment each other, and letting go of/replacing the things that don't belong go a long way into making a space feel more intentional. So I've been browsing websites and Pinterest a bit to really nail down what it is I feel drawn to about particular styles. In doing so, I've managed to make quite the wishlist. It's really neat to see it all put together on one board, and it makes me feel like maybe all the time I've spent figuring out what I really want in a home has been worth it. Now to get a second (and maybe third?) job to afford all this goodness!


Source List:
1. Fern print // 2. Shelves // 3. Letterboard // 4. Lamp // 5. Couch // 6. Blanket // 7. Rug  // 8. Coffee Table // 9. Chair // 10. Plant




Tuesday, January 19, 2016

National Popcorn Day

If ever there was a holiday made for me, I'm pretty sure it might be today. Apparently it's National Popcorn Day, because there now exists a holiday for everything possible, and I'm more than happy to play along with not thinking it's utterly ridiculous.

Okay, it's a little ridiculous.

But hey, I love some popcorn, and I make it (the old-fashioned way, cause my momma raised me right) at least a couple times a week. For dinner. I eat popcorn for dinner. But it's not always the same old thing every time--I've managed to try a few different seasonings in my time, and I thought I'd share some favorites in case you're looking to up your popcorn game!

1. Classic. Good old melted butter--because sometimes you just need something classic, comforting, and artery-clogging in your life. Melt and pour, melt and pour.

2. Ranch.  So simple--just sprinkle some dry ranch dressing seasoning over popped popcorn. A little goes a long way, though, so be sure test a piece or two before sprinkling more.

3. Salt & Vinegar. This is my love language. Vinegar powder + salt. Tied with the ranch for the easiest (and most addicting) way to eat popcorn.


4. Cinnamon-sugar. If you need some sweet with your popcorn, combine the melted butter with a little cinnamon + sugar.


5. Spicy: Add a little cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper to melted butter before pouring it over your popcorn (I didn't say these were going to be healthy!)


Any other popcorn fans with good recipes out there?

Monday, January 18, 2016

Currently

Happy MLK Jr Day! For what I'm fairly certain is the first time in my entire life, I have the day off today! I'm actually tackling my to-do list but I thought I'd take a quick break to pop on here + give you a quick snippet of my day.






Feeling: productive today! Which is probably a good thing, because I didn't do anything of merit this weekend.

Eating: Ranch Doritos. (Can you tell I didn't make any healthy eating resolutions this year?)

Drinking: Sweet tea (again, no healthy eating resolutions).

Watching: Nothing at the moment, butI've been watching Sherlock off and on this weekend. I think I'm going to have a hard time when I finish that show--and I'm only three episodes away.

Wearing: pajamas. Yeah, I know it's 11:30. I also know I don't plan on putting real clothes on at any point today. 
Reading: I'm currently the middle of Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs. Getting a little head start on next month's book club read!

Thinking about: Finding something to eat. Breakfast never really happened. Whoops.

Loving: the iced-tea maker my sis-in-law and her family got me for Christmas. It seriously might be the best Christmas present ever....although my sugar intake has been through the roof since then.

Excited about: having an extra day off this weekend. I love my new job, but man I miss those three-day weekends every week.


Working on: some to-dos around the apartment. Cleaning, laundry--the boring, non-blogworthy things that I still managed to just blog about somehow.

Stressing over: the fact that I've lost the power cord to my sewing machine and I have a mounting pile of sewing projects on my dining room table. 

Listening to: The Weepies. It's been the perfect soundtrack for today.

Worried about: honestly, not much. Which is a nice change of pace.

Obsessing over: a new couch. Or reupholstering this one. I can't decide!


What are you up to today?

Friday, January 15, 2016

National Hat Day

My ban.do agenda informs me that today is National Hat Day (who comes up with these things?) so I thought I'd wear the biggest one I own. Makes sense, right?

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Favorite Poetry Resources


 We're about halfway through the month and so far the hour-a-day committed to poetry resolution, and so far there have been some ups and downs. There are days when words just flow and other days when I stare at a blank piece of paper until I'm cross-eyed. On those latter days, I usually end up spending a bigger portion of my time reading and bookmarking poetry resources. These have been really helpful, not only in teaching me more about the art & practice of poetry, but also in providing sources of inspiration when the words don't come as easily. I thought I'd share a few today.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

5 Faves: Netflix + Chill


I'm really glad I'm not in the dating scene anymore, because if someone asked me to "Netflix & chill?" and expected me to do more than sit in my pajamas under some blankets on the couch and zone out to a tv/movie marathon on Netflix, they would be wildly disappointed.
I'm slowly getting back into the Netflix game now that I have free time again. Here are my five favorite things to binge watch lately:

Source

1// Making a Murderer. RIGHT?!?! Everyone I know was consumed with this over the holidays. My mom texted me last weekend with her moment by moment reactions (which was both amazing and creepy because we had the same reactions verbatim in some cases). Just watch it. Watch it now and then call me and we'll talk about it, because believe me, you will need that kind of processing after that rollercoaster of an experience.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Vinyl Love: For Emma, Forever Ago





For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver

In three words: haunting, peaceful, mesmerizing

Favorite tracks: Skinny Love (duh), Re:Stacks, For Emma


 I know--everyone on the planet has heard this album by now, and rightfully so. It's one of my all-time favorites, and definitely my go-to winter music. Now that winter has finally reared its cold, ugly head, this gem has been on heavy rotation in the abode.


What are some of your favorite winter spins?

Monday, January 11, 2016

Living [Room]

We're slowly making our little apartment a home, bit by bit collecting, creating, and arranging things just so.  It's strange that a place can take so long to feel like home, even with all of your belongings around you. There's something, also, about the temporary nature of apartments that makes it hard to feel settled. But we are settling, slowly, and KC is starting to feel more and  more like the place we are supposed to be.









Thursday, January 7, 2016

2016 Reading List

I'm a pretty big reader, but I'm also pretty terrible at keeping track of what I read. When I read Go Set a Watchman last year I had so many thoughts about the book (and nobody I knew had read it yet!) that I ended up blogging about it. And I really enjoyed it! I really wanted to start blogging about the books I was reading more consistently, but life got crazy and I wasn't blogging regularly (I wasn't really reading regularly either, apart from text books and study materials...). Now that things have settled down a bit, I've been thinking about doing a monthly book feature. I have a few books picked out, but I've also left a lot open, since I know there will be plenty of new ones coming out in 2016. Let me know if you have any suggestions, and if you'd like to read along with me!
January: Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins /// I'm a big fan of Gillian Flynn, and I've heard the comparison made between her books and this one. I downloaded it on my Kindle ages ago, but never got around to reading it.


February: Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs /// I've read the first two in the series, and really enjoyed them. I thought the first, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was much stronger than it's sequel, Hollow City, but Hollow City definitely had a "building up" feel, which is why I'm excited for this book. These have been pretty quick reads for me, but I like the dark tone they have.


March: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. Yeah, I know I'm about 15 years late to the party on this one, but it's been on my list for ages. I recently picked up a copy at a local thrift shop and I'm honestly not even sure I'll be able to wait until March to dig in.

April: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. It seems like this book has been everywhere I turn lately, so I'm taking that as a sign from the universe that it should be on my bookshelf. Or maybe it's just really good marketing. Either way, it's working.

May: East of the Mountains by David Guterson. Guterson's The Other is one of my favorite books of all time. I don't know if East of the Mountains will be able top it, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

June: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Again, late to the party, I know. I don't really even know what to expect from this, because everyone I  know who has read it has either loved it or hated it. It's been sitting on my bookshelf for months, because that sucker is intimidating!


July-December:  TBA.

It's also possible that a book will come up that pushes the others back a month or so, but overall I'm going to try to stick to the schedule as best I can. There are a few classics that I want to read (or re-read) too, but I'm not sure that they'd be good post-material. (I mean, nobody needs my thoughts on Travels with Charley, A Moveable Feast, or As I Lay Dying.) Feel free to read along!

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

The best news!

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably already know this, but I have some very exciting, wonderful news to share!

See that little word on the right under "status"? Ahhhh! (I still get excited looking at it!) I passed the most intimidating exam of my life, and I'm officially a Board Certified Behavior Analyst! I am absolutely over the moon excited; I honestly didn't stop smiling for about three days straight. I found out about 9pm last Tuesday night that the results had posted, and I have honestly never had such intense anxiety in my life. When I logged in and saw the results, I couldn't even talk--I just wordlessly handed my husband the phone. Then I opened a bottle of wine and a box of truffles!


We didn't have much time to celebrate since it was already after 9 at night--and let's be honest, I read the results from my bed--but we made plans to go out the next day. We tried a new (to us) restaurant, Unforked, which we loved (they even have a lavender lemonade fresca--my heart!).



And of course I had to reward all my hard work with some Lush, Ryan Adams on vinyl, and a book that's been on my wishlist for ages. I wouldn't be a good BCBA if I didn't reinforce my good behavior, right? ;)



I had planned on taking a break from academics for awhile and just focusing on creative projects this year, but a former (favorite) professor of mine just asked me if I would be interested in co-authoring a research article with him, and the research he's doing is super interesting. So it looks like I'm jumping back into academics after all! Creative projects will still be a huge priority for me in 2016, though, and I'm looking forward to sharing those and growing more as a person and a creative. Thanks for celebrating with me friends!

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

December Daily: Week Four

Here we are--the last of my December Daily pages. There were two major things I learned from this challenge: (1) I really like smaller albums/pages! This was probably the most surprising thing. I used to be kind of a die-hard 12x12 fan and (2) I can be incredibly consistent and disciplined for about 31 days at a time. Haha. Honestly, though--I was really proud of my self for making time and following through with it...and it wasn't that hard. It actually inspired me to make a change in how I do my New Year's Resolutions (which you can read about here if you missed it!). Okay, okay, I'll shut up now and show you some pictures.







I'm already thinking about how I want to structure my Project Life for this upcoming year. I'm pretty sure another 8x8 is in my future!

Friday, January 1, 2016

A Year of Creative Habits



Happy New Year! It's that time again--time for resolutions. To be honest, I initially wasn't really feeling it this year. I generally always have some things I'm working on in the personal growth department, but there's just so much and some of it isn't particularly interesting. Basically I want to try every creative outlet and learn everything, end of. So when I originally sat down to write this post, I just ended up frustrated. It was so unrealistic. It's the way I feel a lot--there's so much I want to do and so little time; there's no way I could accomplish all of these things in a year anyway, right? I figured I just needed some time to think things over and clarify, but the more I thought about it the tougher it was to narrow my focus.


Enter December Daily. When I decided to participate, it was just a fun scrapbooking challenge, but one day it hit me--this is the perfect way to tackle my resolution dilemma. I'll pick a new creative outlet per month, and dedicate at least an hour every day to it.  This way, I'll be able to experiment with different types of creativity and find out which ones I want to dedicate more time to, and which ones don't really do it for me. Bonus: I can stick with anything for 30 days, so the likelihood of just calling it quits mid-year is pretty low.

I'm pretty excited about this, if you couldn't tell, and I'd love if you joined me for some of the months (or all, if you're feeling ambitious!). We can start our own little art club. ;) So far, this is the line-up:


January: Poetry
February: Guitar
March: Songwriting
April: Sketching
May: Painting
June: Photography/Photoshop
July: Art Journaling
August:Calligraphy/Hand-lettering
September: Weaving
October: Sewing
November: Embroidery
December: Scrapbooking (gotta go back to the December Daily that started this madness!)

As part of this series, I'd also love to interview artists who express themselves through one or more of these mediums. I have a few people in mind (dang, I know some amazingly creative folks!) but if you're an artist and interested in being interviewed for the blog, shoot me an email at moreorlessjessblog@gmail.com. I'd love to chat with you!

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