Tag: creativity

Two Nocturnal Poems, 2022-1026

Today I’m treating you to two nocturnal poems. The first one is a nontraditional poem by me. I wrote this whimsical poem many years ago when I was at college and studying the classics in literature. I rarely write rhyming poems, but this one came to me out of the blue, so I jotted it … Continue reading Two Nocturnal Poems, 2022-1026

When Dawn Came, Poem 2022-1022

I wrote a lot of poetry during my teen years in a free-verse style that became coined “Naked Poetry”—a type of poetry where words and cadence are more important than rhyme. I believe the term came from the anthology books Naked Poetry: Recent American Poetry in Open Forms (1969) and The New Naked Poetry (1976). … Continue reading When Dawn Came, Poem 2022-1022

Louie and Bruce 001-2022-1020

I was 9 or 10 when I fell in love with drawing cartoons. I copied everything popular on TV and in the newspapers and comic books. At 13, I began drawing my own “toons.” This allowed me to put on plays between the characters I created. The shows were silly or serious, sublime or nonsensical, … Continue reading Louie and Bruce 001-2022-1020

It Began With Watercolors

Like most kids in the U.S., I began my painting experience with a child’s watercolor pan set, also called a box set by my Canadian cousins. Those sets had a small painter’s brush and six blocks of colors bound by gum arabic inside: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Even at the high school … Continue reading It Began With Watercolors

Ghost Love, Story 2022-1004

Halloween grows closer and I’m in a ghost story mood. This short story about young Vree Erickson and a ghost appeared earlier this year in my post of June 6. Vree Erickson’s pleasant expression changed to surprise, then to shock mixed with fright. The air in the dugout became thin and dry, as though an … Continue reading Ghost Love, Story 2022-1004

Allow Mistakes

I think sometimes we strive too hard for perfection that when mistakes happen, we’re too hard on ourselves for not achieving perfection. As a wildlife and landscape artist, I learned early on to plan out my paintings to avoid mistakes. My sketchbooks brim with the many plans I used to reduce mistakes in my finished … Continue reading Allow Mistakes

The Joy of Writing Books

I love writing stories and turning them into books. Metaphorically, writing stories is a trip to the playground where I can run as fast as I can, fall and skin my knees, get into arguments with any big bully who tries to shove me down, and climb to the top of the monkey bars to … Continue reading The Joy of Writing Books