Showing Up
I just submitted my first short story to three different publications.
Let the rejection letters commence!
(I don’t say this because I doubt the strength of my story, or I am pessimistic about my prospects, I’m simply writing from experience. The good news is that if I’m getting rejection letters ~ which I might not for this story ~ that means I am doing my work, and sending it out, and giving it a go. In other words, I’m showing up.)
Studio Updates
In between taking care of little Miss Tilda, this is what’s new & exciting from my studio ~
The upcoming November/December 2010 issue of Somerset Studio has not one but two of my latest features:
My work is showcased in their One Palette section ~ shown above…
and there’s also an inspiring, thought-provoking interview with Andrea Kreuzhage, Director of 1000 Journals.
I am thrilled to announce the launch of a new regular column in Somerset Studio ~Across the Globe ~ which will begin with their January 2011 issue. I’ll be writing stories about creative projects and techniques from all over the world, starting with a feature about the Bani Hamida Weaving Project in Jordan.
Coming up in the new year I’ll also be contributing a new series of essays over in the WishStudio all about Writing.
I’ve just listed a Limited Edition Notecard Set in my Etsy shop, and I’m still offering Ordinary Sparkling Moments for a special price of $24, ALL of which will go to Marianne Elliott’s Global Seva Challenge for South Africa. This special will continue until I’ve reached my $1000 goal. I just did a quick tally, and the totals show there are only four books available at this price. Once those four are sold, the regular price of $28 will be back in action!
January 2011 ~ Across the Globe
I am thrilled to announce the launch of a new regular column in Somerset Studio ~ Across the Globe ~ which will begin with their January 2011 issue. I’ll be writing stories about creative projects and techniques from all over the world, starting with a feature about the Bani Hamida Weaving Project in Jordan.
I’ll also be contributing a new series of essays over in the WishStudio in the new year, all about Writing.
100 Books Project :: Sierra Madre, CA
[Book #81 was left at the Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, CA.]
I wish I had a better photo to show the beautiful spot where Book #81 was placed, but I was apparently not especially organized the day I attended one of Karen Maezen Miller’s Mother’s Plunge retreats this past June. Nevertheless, I placed the book when I arrived that morning, and then was able to catch a glimpse of a lovely woman named Laura when she discovered the book. I did not see her find it, but walked by as she was reading it, and was thrilled to see her take it with her back into the retreat after lunch. I did not approach her or tell her I had left it there for her, as I felt like it would interrupt the flow of the day. I also did not want to take any focus away from our lovely hostess, Karen Maezen Miller. But a few days later, I received the most loveliest of emails. Here is an excerpt:
“Hi Christine,
My name is Laura. I was attending the “Mothers Plunge” retreat with Karen Maezen Miller this past Saturday at the Monastery in Sierra Madre.
The package was left in a space at the monastery that looked like a mini pavilion for a statue but there was no statue. I’m curious by nature and I was checking the space for signs of it’s previous use. I saw the package propped up at the back of the base and went to investigate. I read the writing on the package and looked all around me – doubting that it was really a gift for me. Just as quickly, my mind wrapped around the idea that yes indeed the universe wanted to give me more and I took the package and sat down.
I haven’t even read the book yet. I’m still processing the retreat with Karen. But I just know on a very deep level that this book and your message are definitely meant for me to help me on my journey.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for my gift.
Laura”
Thank you Laura!
See the entire 100 Books Gallery right here, and for a Master List of all the 100 Books stories, links, and entries, click here.
Limbo
[Photo taken in Big Sur last spring.]
I have been feeling quiet ~ at least as far as all things online-related are concerned ~ focusing on Tilda, working on my book, and attending to projects around the house that have been neglected since summer. A new trainer is on board to help us learn how to best train Tilda, and one of the first recommendations she made was to get Tilda in a routine with a dog walker. Before we got her, my husband and I always said we would not be those people ~ the kind of people who get a dog and then hire someone else to walk her. How lame! How lazy! But it is, in fact, the very best thing we’ve done for her. Not only do I get a break from non-stop puppy minding (Why hello there Sanity ~ it’s so nice to see you again), but it gives her loads of fun time with plenty of new playmates. Tilda jumps in a big white van with ten other dogs ~ big dogs ~ and comes back home tired and happy.
It can be so difficult for me to ask for help, and this situation with Tilda speaks loudly and clearly to that. If I wasn’t doing everything that needed to be done for Tilda, then I wasn’t being responsible. What can I say? A lifetime habit can be tough to break.
As we’ve gotten settled into her new training routine, I have been thinking quite a bit about this blog ~ about what purpose it serves, what I am usually inspired to write about, what readers have responded to and what has been met with ambivalence. This is not one of my usual angst-y explorations, but a quiet observation of this space, a wondering and pondering about the best way to use it. On my first two days without Tilda ~ while she was romping around with her new canine posse ~ I cleaned and re-organized my studio top to bottom, creating a slightly more minimalist arrangement of things. I moved on from there to tackle different areas of our house this way, getting rid of piles of things that have accumulated inside cabinets, next to furniture, in hidden corners, and beneath beds. I am wanting more air, more light, more space, and more room for nothingness.
Beyond this, in the long term, my job is to be vigilant about what I let back in. If I’m not careful, I’ll end up with new piles of things in other small spaces, things I’ll have to spend my time considering, organizing, and possibly clearing out. This is not only true with regard to my physical space, but in all areas of my life. My intention is to stay in this open space and let it expand ~ to sit still in the nothingness, in the feeling of disconnect from things I once thought I couldn’t live without, from places I once believed were my safe havens, from circles I once felt were the center of my universe.
Not so long ago, these feelings and observations would have sent me into a tailspin, and I would have put all kinds of pressure on myself to tackle, confront, and wrangle some of these circumstances into submission ~ into what they once were, into what I thought they should be, into something other than what they actually were evolving into (or out of.) Today I am doing a much better job of savoring this space and letting myself remain in limbo as I quietly consider what direction I might take from here. I am hanging new art on the walls of my home as I brainstorm on a creative project that is farther out of my comfort zone than anything I’ve ever considered. I am hauling piles of clothes to Goodwill as I read short stories from a literary journal devoted entirely to Pakistan. I am sharing bacon and eggs with a friend as I ignore Twitter. I am living, and breathing, and taking small naps with Tilda by my side. I am lingering in uncertainty, in the beauty of what has yet to be revealed, in the magic of what I can’t yet see.
Somerset November 2010
Somerset Studio November/December 2010
“I always want my paintings to surprise viewers. Nothing pleases me more than when someone tells me they notice something new in my work no matter how many times they look at it. With each layer of paper, paint, ephemera, and sometimes even rusty hardware, my intention is to build mystery and magic.” ~One Palette Feature
This issue also features an interview by Christine with 1000 Journals film director, Andrea Kreuzhage in the Melange section of Somerset Studio.
