Creativity

Dreaming the Dream

/ still a dreamer / 3 Comments

Dreams are very important. Not only do they assist and protect our physical and mental health, but they tell us things. Things we need to know.

Last night I slept an uninterrupted 8 hours for the first time I can remember in a very long time, and had a dream. It is a dream that comes to me at certain points in time, and always has something to tell me. The overall setting of the dream is more or less the same, but the elements and how they relate to my life situation at the given moment are different. I woke up this morning knowing what the dream had to say, and it was all good.

For many months I have been in strictly survival mode, dealing with one ailment after another, none life-threatening, but continually draining me. All my creativity was funneled into my design business and my web business, both at their peak of activity at Christmas, (what there was of it.) At the end of the day, I just faded. My dream of writing and illustrating children’s books was gathering dust in the corner.

And then came the bright spot, helping me pick the dream up, dust it off, and sit it right here next to me, it’s little face beaming with hope again. That bright spot was a meeting with my fellow facilitators of my local writing and illustrating group, HCCWIG. Although it was not my turn to be critiqued, the company of these creative, funny, warm and intelligent women infused my dream with life again, and I believe, helped me to also have that wonderful dream.

So today, I raise my (coffee) cup in a toast of cheer to (in alphabetical order — drum roll please) …. Cathy, Felicia, Laurie, Leeza and Sheri (and yes, even Little O) … for being the inspiring group they are. My dream is wriggling with excitement for when we can next sit down together and create something magical in children’s books. Thanks, guys!

The moral of the story: If you are a writer (or illustrator) feeling the need for support in your craft, be sure to seek out and find a local writers’ group — many are often listed on the SCBWI site. So check out and join SCBWI, too!  Reach out and find fellow creatives that share your dream, and who will be happy to hold its hand through the tough times and celebrate in the good.

Outstanding Picture Book – Pete & Pickles

/ still a dreamer

Pete & Pickles, written by Berkeley Breathed, is one of the most touching picture book stories I know. It is the tale of a very proper pig, Pete, and a very free-spirited elephant, Pickles. The story is about friendship, forgiveness, healing, joy, and accepting the differences in others. But believe me, even this does not do justice to this wonderful book.

Pete, mourning the death of his pig wife, Paprika, finds himself, in the middle of a stormy night, with an escaped circus elephant hiding in his home. Pickles has made a muddy mess from the rainstorm. Pete cannot accept his overly tidy life being sullied. When the nasty circus clown comes to collect the terrified elephant, who had begged Pete for help, he just points in disdain.  Yet she smiles at him as she’s led away.  As Pete disinfects his home, he finds Pickles has left him a gift, and he gets to thinking. He reroutes his daily stroll into town to find Pickles.

A rescue ensues, and a friendship grows between the very unlikely pair. One of my favorite illustrations is that of Pete coming out in his pajamas to find Pickles doing Tai Chi in dawn’s glowing light.  May I say, the illustrations are infused with the richest of color with all the little quirky touches you’d expect from Opus’ creator. On some pages there are also simple 2-color, pen and ink spot illustrations. The whole thing is just brilliant, and I am deeply touched each time I re-read this story.

But here’s what most reviews never mention … Breathed is tuned in to the horrific abuse suffered by elephants in the circus, and reveals it both subtly and on a level that children can relate to without being overwhelmed. When the evil looking clown stands in the entryway shadows to get Pickles, there is a glint on the metal bullhook in his hand. When Pete goes into Pickles’ tent, he finds her chained with heavy padlocks. She is not chained in the way circus elephants really are – chained standing in place 23 hours a day – but in a way which will engender empathy from a child to see so lovable an animal be both shackled and frightened in a picture book way.  Adults unaware of the plight of circus elephants will probably never notice these touches, but for those of us who are, we can be grateful that someone has spoken for them in a children’s book.

Berkeley Breathed went up in my estimation X10 for not only writing a fabulous story in Pete & Pickles, but for opening the door to a child’s compassion for his or her fellow creatures. This is truly a must-have if you are a lover of children’s books – a parent, a writer, lover of fabulous illustrations, fan of Berkeley Breathed – or a lover of animals.

p.s. And a big thank you to one of my fellow PB writers, Paola, who so insightfully gave this to me as a gift.
p.p.s. Should you wish to know more about the abuse of circus elephants, you can check out a video showing the gratuitous violence inflicted by sadistic handlers in just one Ringling Brothers pre-show incident. This is not for children.

Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert

/ still a dreamer

Are the words #1 New York Times Bestseller a draw for you? For me, generally not, though I find and read some by chance every now and then. And sometimes one comes to me through a friend, as did Eat, Pray, Love. Because we are kindred spirits and she thought I might enjoy it, I began to read.

Eat, Pray, Love is the story of one woman’s journey to find balance in her life, to become whole. It is a spiritual journey with many revelations along the way, as she travels, spending 4 months each, in Italy, India and Bali. With everything a woman in her thirties is supposed to be grateful to have – a husband, a great career, and the house in the country – Elizabeth Gilbert is utterly miserable. She makes the year long journey after a painful marriage and an even more painful divorce, followed by a profound depression.

One of the things that is so striking about the story told through her travels is that Gilbert had the courage to embark on this journey at all. I find the book to have its shortcomings, but as I finished it, I found myself impressed with the bravery it took for one woman, on her own, to pick up and travel to 3 foreign countries. She spoke none of their native languages, although yes, English is commonly spoken in all these places. In fact, she went to Italy in part to learn Italian. What she learned – in the Eat chapters – was to enjoy and appreciate … food, beauty, life, and she began to recover, putting on weight and feeling a greater balance.

In the Pray chapters, she is at an ashram in India, working through more of her issues and finding her religion, her God, the spirituality that resonates with Elizabeth Gilbert. She learns to truly pray. And while I found this section too long at times, it was still easy to get lost in India, as in Italy, in cultural experiences so totally different from our own and so rich in their own right.

And then Love. Bali was engrossing. One of Gilbert’s strengths as a journalist is describing so many aspects of the culture where she is living, and I found the Balinese to be fascinating. Here, Gilbert continues to heal and grow, and at long last find what she thought she might likely be without the rest of her life after her marital experience – love. And sex. It is interesting to watch how this plays out, and how, only in a book promo at the end, we find how it all truly ends.

In a conversation about Eat, Pray, Love that I had with another woman, she felt that Gilbert was spoiled and self-indulgent … who could just drop their lives and travel the world for one year on a search for themselves? Who could afford such a luxury? Especially in our pressured economic times, it’s easy to see where that may come from, for how many of us could take such a journey? And yes, at moments, Gilbert did seem a bit self-indulgent. Does she seem to belabor points at times? At times, for me, yes. Ultimately, however, this should not detract from the wonderful adventure – one woman’s search to find herself , find balance and to recover from paralyzing pain – and the depths within herself Gilbert was willing to plumb to do this.

There are life-changing experiences throughout, wonderful people Gilbert meets and befriends, and a spiritual search … I think there’s good stuff here for lots of us.

Play the Cheese or Font Game

/ still a dreamer / 3 Comments

FONT-inaHere’s a fun little diversion for those of you who are mightily drawn to cheese and/or fonts. Play the Cheese or Font Game – it’s quite the challenge!

You are given the name of a cheese or font, and you have to decide which one it is. Sound easy? Guess again! The game seems to have an endless amount of selections, (can you say addictive?), you will be told after each choice if you were correct or not, and what percentage of players got it right.

So give the Cheese or Font Game a go, and let the cheese begin! (Gotta go – getting some crackers.)

Work as Love

/ still a dreamer / 1 Comment

treeforestWork is love made visible.

And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.

Kahlil Gibran “On Work” from The Prophet

After working intensely on one of my major jobs and getting it off to press, then shortly afterwards actually allowing myself a Labor Day weekend respite from the computer to attend to other creative projects – and relaxation – I find I am back. I  have work to do, (for which I am grateful), but am desirous of more time to just muddle about. So I searched out a quote, which might inspire me to get back in the mood of working … work is love made visible.

It’s a start, anyway …