Monday project: Box of Sun

Okay, so I'm not a bad friend this time. Sarah only put this post up yesterday! Promise.

This is her response to the Box of Sun theme. You'll need a password, and it's the same as last time: 'monday'.

I wish I could write poetry like this (or at all)!

Monday project: Brave

Sigh. I'm really revealing myself as a person with a very distinct lack of organisation skills. My friend Sarah responded to the theme before the last theme, Brave, and I'm only just linking it now. Great friend I am!

But! Sarah is a lovely poet, so please have a look-see. You'll need a password to read it. The password is 'monday'.

Also....

I found this fellow in the park near my house the other day.

He only visited for a couple of days, so I'm glad I got the photos when I did.

You can tell I live in a really fancy pants area, can't you? All the graffiti and beer bottles at the local playground really give it away.

Safety In Art and other craftiness

So I've been told by Pseudo Rhys that I really must write something, because he's impatient to read more about Safety In Art, which Kate and I attended in Melbourne last weekend. I too am beginning to see a pattern here with mine and Kate's level of organisation...

Pseudo and I both went to an arts and crafternoon this afternoon (the afternoon's name was borrowed from my good friend Sarah, whose friend coined the term). This is, well, sort of the aftermath.

In a lot of ways, this afternoon's efforts were reminiscent of Safety In Art last weekend, in that it was a bunch of people getting together and creating stuff. This was certainly a part of Safety In Art.

I've found it difficult to describe Catacomb Creative's efforts to people who weren't there. It was group crafting, it was discussion with the Creative Women's Circle, it was live art, it was people selling their wares. It was people continuing to sketch even when we all moved to a nearby bar. Kate and I made ourselves some business cards and joined in the discussions and the laughter, but we kind of forgot to tell anyone in attendance the theme. Or that they should be responding to it... I guess we were too caught up in meeting people and having conversations about all things creative.

Ummm... yeah. We also neglected to take any photos. Go Monday Project!

It was such a great day. Thanks to Catacomb Creative for putting it on. We promise we'll be more organised for the next one!

The only negative thing I will say about the day is that it made me miss Melbourne like crazy. But then only a few of you would agree that's a bad thing...

PS. Responses to this month's theme are due Monday week, 5 October.

new project and exciting news!

So we are a bit behind with announcing the new theme - hmm okay I am seeing a pattern here for us - but we have some excited news to share which I think definitely makes up for our lack of organisation this month!

As you no doubt heard, this Saturday is Safety in Art! Kel from Catacomb Creative has put together one awesome day out for all you creatives. You can read more about it here and here but basically it is one action packed arty kinda day being held at Guildford Lane Gallery in the city. It is bringing all type of interesting and excited people together to meet and chat and make and share their wares.

There will be round table discussions, artists selling their work, live art, all kinds of crazy creating, as well as coffee and nibbles and a bunch of awesome people to meet.

AND! Also... most importantly! We will be there for the day with a bit of a challenge to keep you all busy!

Which brings me to the theme for this month! Things will work a little bit differently for September so listen up!

Submissions can be sent to us or blogged about up until 5th of October, however during the Safety in Art event we will be running a competition to see what you all can create on this given theme in one day. It does have to be polished and perfect, it's just about getting your ideas out and having a go! So come along and play!

Okay, the theme:

"... and there followed a moment's silence"

Travel

I know I've written about this here before, but travel does wonders for me. I might've only travelled three hours away physically this weekend, but in my head I travelled to the other side of the world and back, into the future and back into the past. When I'm not tied down to my regular life I find myself free to go anywhere, mentally. Which can only be good for creativity, right?

I'm ready to have an adventure (and to write about it).

(PS. I did take some photos at Floriade, but stupidly forgot to take my own camera, so they, along with some ridiculous shots of my brothers wearing matching bright yellow sunglasses, are still in Canberra on my Mum's camera -- her birthday present. I'll upload a couple once she's sent them through to me.)

I am a bad Monday Project organiser

Yep. I'm both late and incomplete. In fact, hardly even started. I do have an assignment and a new, unrelated short story to use as excuses, but I still feel like I should be a little more organised...

Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my ideas instead.

• My first idea involved a small box used by a woman to put bits and pieces of happy things in her life into, saving them up for a rainy day. A wee bit corny, so that's where the idea stayed.
• My second idea was similar to the above, but it was about a child collecting treasured things in a box and coming across them many years later by accident -- if anyone's seen the opening few scenes of Amelie, you'll know the kind of thing I was thinking of.
• The third idea was similar to Mr Sketchy's, and involved a window, or, more specifically, the two windows in my room, which are such lovely boxes of sun for me.

So that's it, really. And unfortunately that's as far as I got. Hopefully I'll be able to share some bits and pieces of a new story I'm working on with you soon, so you actually believe that I was writing something else.

In other news, Pseudo Rhys and I went to life drawing this week (both drawing, neither modelling). It's been such a long time since I've sat down to draw. I was a bit creaky at first, a little hesitant with my HB pencil (where my graphites are, I do not know), but once I'd got warmed up it was as wonderful as I remember. If I get around to scanning or taking any pictures of my efforts, I'll be sure to share them here.

I'm off to Canberra for the weekend for my Mum's birthday, and hopefully to have a look at Floriade. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to share when I get back.

Thanks to everyone who played along this month! We've got a new theme to go up soon, and some exciting news about something we're up to in Melbourne on 19/20 September. More details soon!

A box of sun

...and when I said "tonight" you realise I really meant TOMORROW night...

yup, I suck. It's true. But gimme a break I am sick with a cold and headache and snuggled up in bed....

I didn't get to production stages this month, but I can tell you my idea. (Yes an explanation will be necessary - sorry about the terrible picture, I really cannot draw...). My idea was very literal. I am going to make a sterling silver locket, with 18ct yellow gold on the inside. A box of sun!

I also toyed with the idea of making a locket with a little internal pocket that you could put a little note in, with some kind words... the idea being it would be a little box of positivity and sunshine! I like this idea, so I think I might play with it a little bit more...

coming soon...

Yup okay, we are a bit behind schedule!! We're coming!! I will put my response up tonight! Until then, here are a few great responses here and here from those more organised than us.... please go and check them out because they are really good!

I am really excited by this month's responses! For a theme that a lot of people said was really hard the responses have been so detailed and in depth and varied! It's great!

Walking

Today I went for a big walk over to a friend's house for a writers' group meeting. The meeting, as usual, was great, but it was the walk that surprised me with its positivity-inducing ability.

I'm not sure why I was surprised. I walk everywhere. I love it. But I guess most of the time I walk to get somewhere. Today I was doing just that, but I also made sure to enjoy the journey itself. I didn't hurry, I positively strolled. My brain slowed down with my pace, and I was able to think through some things more clearly; I came up with a new idea for a non-fiction piece. The sun shone, but not too warmly, and I could smell spring (jasmine, in my mind) in the air. All in all a good walk.

Enjoying the journey isn't new to me either, I guess I just haven't done it for quite some time. Today must be a day for reminders.

sometimes i need a little reminding....

New things

I love new things. They're exciting and unknown, and full of potential. I started a new story this week, inspired by something I was half-watching on the tele. I went to a new cafe to write on Sunday, a recommendation from a friend of mine.

Two new things I think I will persist with.