SKETCH BOOK PAGES

[RobynG]

DJ and Beth mentioned how much they enjoy seeing other artists idea books and sketch books. It inspires me enormously to see how other artists tick. Whether it's a writers jottings in a notebook, or the first few lines of a song or poem, the early designs for a piece of jewellery, phone doodles that lead to a painting or sculpture.....they all motivate me to get going on my own work.

So I'm starting the ball rolling. Come on everyone....post a page of your creative musings right here!

[artistikitty]

Great idea Robyn!! I, too, love to peek inside other artists sketchbooks and journals. It is fun to see the seeds from whence the creative flowers blossom. I can't wait. Love yours and would love to see MORE. ("Whence"...where did that come from? Not I word I often use. LOL : )

[RobynG]

I presume you have gone home to dip into your sketch books, artistkitty! I look forward to seeing a page or even a portion of a page of your sketchbook. Mine are very messy because I'm usually in a hurry to get my ideas down on paper.

[Dan Goodwin]

Great discussion Robyn!

I wanted to write more in my ongoing Caspian and Esra series of poems inspired by dancing and a certain dance partner. I just couldn't face sitting at the computer somehow for this one. Sometimes I need to write on paper in pencil to feel more connected with what I'm writing, it's more organic. So here's what I wrote, and the final typed out (and slightly edited) version follows.

(click on image for full size)

Oceans of Esra, I Caspian Sail

Esra my glittering comrade
Who knows not her own
Untempered wildness,
Unquenchable affection,
And eagerness to
Make to my brittle soul skip
Across a barely frozen
Shimmering black lake,
I Caspian,
Terrified of falling in,
Yet thrilled to breathlessness
At the pureness of such pursuits.

Will you recall the first moment
We touched, that night,
Fingers arms bodies senses souls,
That connection of
Your warm woozy atoms upon mine
Sent out a thousand reverberations,
And each of those
Triggered a thousand more,
Until we arrived
In a mutual mythical resonance,
Entwined twin sailors on lost oceans,
Together finding our way home,
And dissolving ever inwards
As the electric flicker of night
Is seduced into new morning.

[RobynG]

"Who knows not her own
Untempered wildness"........I like that! Dan did this poem develop easily? I get the feeling that it was effortless. Thanks for sharing.

[Dan Goodwin]

Once I switched from computer to pencil and paper it flowed pretty easily Robyn yes, my muse in this direction is high at present! As you can see, the editing once typed up was fairly minimal, just letting the poem end where it needed to end really...

Thanks for your interest!

Dan

[artistikitty]

Don't you just love that line....my favorite part as well.

[Dan Goodwin]

You know often they are the most attractive people, those who have an obvious allure yet they don't know it and they're not arrogant. The "untempered wildness" refers to a kind of raw dancing ability, but also other aspects of a person. In this case it's also about her not knowing she's inspired such words from me.

[artistikitty]

Ooooh...this is LOVELY Dan. What an honor for the lucky one who inspired this beautiful poem. I have been the inspiration for a few select words in my life...most of which aren't very polite...just kidding. lol

[Dan Goodwin]

Thanks artistikitty, she's worth every word, I should thank her for the inspiration.

This is the latest in a themed series I began in the Songs Of The Senses project. You can see the poems for that here if you're interested...

[Mary Hicks]

Here's a page from my "Praying in Color" journal, done at the airport last week on our way to vacation. I wasn't feeling real confident that day, but was really pleased with what came out of admitting that to myself and acknowledging it in writing.

[RobynG]

A praying in colour journal........what a great idea! Mary, I hope you had a wonderful holiday in spite of your initial unease.

[Dan Goodwin]

I agree with Robyn, a beautiful idea. Writing stuff down adds power to it, so it's great to write out positive thoughts and intentions. Use colour and you have a creative artwork at the end of it too!

Do different colours here represent different things Mary?