East Buntyn Art Walk

Today I am crawling out of my weekend cave, putting on outside pants, and heading over to show off some of my handmade books at the East Buntyn Art Walk here in the grand city of Memphis. I art a lot, and I walk a good bit, but I've rarely combined the two.

Hey, it seems like a winning combination to me!

I'm hoping to find some new homes for some of my books, because I am running out of room in my house to store them and I have a strong hankering to make more. If you're local, come join me. If you're not, but you want to take some of these things off my hands, email me.

Here's hoping for a beautiful day, some time to scribble a few words in my own notebook, and for lots of fellowship with some fantastic local artists.

Well, and cookies. I am also hoping for cookies.

Arkansas Pen Show

This weekend my friend Derek and I have taken the plunge and set up shop to sell some of our journal handi-work at the Arkansas Pen Show. I've been to the show in years past...and I usually leave with a pen or two, yes...but this year we are on the other side of the table.

I have enjoyed getting to meet so many interesting people with whom I share interests: fine writing tools, art, craftsmanship, and writing. I must admit, I have also enjoyed the experience of having people come and hold my handbound journals, flip through their pages, and think through how they would put them to use. That is a big thing for me--I do hope they will be used. Though I spend much time building the books to be as perfect as they can be, I secretly hope they will cross my path again, just for a glimpse, so I can see them with their pages full to bursting, their corners bumped and frayed, and their bindings limbered by use.

I've enjoyed this, hermit though I am, and I'm thrilled to share my art with people whom I hope will love it the way I do.

Inspiration Monday: Lucky Day

Luck is one of those words that people throw around a lot, but when you sit someone down and ask them if they believe in luck, you'll get differing answers. Some people believe that there is no such thing as luck. Some people believe you make your own luck. Some people thank their lucky stars.

Star Buddy by Stacey

Most everyone knows someone who has bent his or her life in some small or large way for the sake of a good patch of luck. When I was a kid, I had an actual foot of an actual bunny attached to my cute little backpack because they were supposed to be lucky. It was the foot of a dead animal. A kind of animal I quite like, and one I would have been traumatized over had I seen one hobbling around missing its foot. But, because it was famously lucky and dyed an unnatural color, I didn't seem to have too much of a problem with it. Ah, the creepy innocence of youth.

Nowadays, I don't give too much thought about luck except in passing conversation. My beliefs about the ebb and flow of the universe have grown in complexity and devotion, and most major events and near misses in my life tend to get attributed in a spiritual direction rather than toward a severed animal foot.

That said, if I get a dose of good news right after finding a heads-up penny from my birth year, I will look a little closer at that penny and keep it around in my purse for a while (just for ambiance, you see. I'm not superstitious!)

However you fall on the issue of luck, there is no denying that it plays a big part in literature. If an author relies on it too much, the plot can seem contrived. No matter what heroics the main character pulls off, the reader has already checked out. They don't believe your big 80,000 word lie anymore because they've seen the seams. The illusion is broken.

Used judiciously, however, luck can give a little extra thrust to your pacing. A near miss is an exciting thing, and lucky objects make great MacGuffins. Characters can espouse all the same perspectives on luck as us boring flesh and blood folks. For instance, you could have a heart surgeon who always wears his or her lucky insoles when performing surgery on Tuesdays. This would be a man or woman of science, whose precision determines life and death in a very direct and literal way, who relies on worn out sneaker guts to function properly. Maybe you could have a compulsive gambler who will only bet against people on "lucky streaks" because he's psychologically profiled them to the point that he can predict their every move--and baits them into believing in those lucky streaks.

Put your lucky bamboo plant out on your desk, grab your lucky pen and your lucky notebook and write a story where luck plays a part, whether in the positive or negative sense. A lack of luck can be just as compelling as someone who just can't lose. A change of luck can compel a character toward new heights...or lows.

Grab some inspiration and see where it takes you. After all, it may be your lucky day. 

My Life as a Toy

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a lovable plush toy representation of yourself?

No?

Well, you're missing out.

My good friend Stacey from Searching for Wonderland gave me just such an opportunity. Ladies, gents, and crochet creatures, I give you Marisa Monshter, a cheerful citizen of Monshter Town.

Stacey, the almighty creater of Monshter Town, is a master with a crochet hook...and a paintbrush...and a Wacom...and a sewing machine...and rocks, paper, scissors, and all kinds of other things. She has got to be one of the most creative and talented people ever to live, and I'm all smug and smarmy about the fact that I've known her since high school. She even made a box, complete with the little tabs and insert thingies that used to hold your Care Bear toys in their boxes like war criminals.

This is seriously one of the coolest gifts EVER, and at an absolutely perfect time. She presented my new little friend to me when I was doing my best to keep an aging stiff upper lip on my thirtieth birthday last year.

Now I'm immortal, and with adorable little fuzzy horns and fantastic blue hair. I don't actually have horns or blue hair, but the little bit of punk streak in me wonders how the blue hair would look...

The text on the back is fantastic (as is her graphic design prowess).

"Marisa Monshter's favorite color is blue! She loves making new friends and she has a lot of hobbies (that's an understatement). Some of her favorite things to do are draw, write, and go horseback riding. Marisa loves music more than just about anything else in the whole world. She even plays the trumpet! Marisa's favorite food is waffles! (A shoutout to our writing group--hi, Laura!) Won't you be Marisa's friend?"

Yes. Won't you? She enjoys long walks on the beach and staying out of the dog's reach. She's currently reading the entire David Sedaris canon and hoping to upgrade her little pink and green iPod to an iPod touch with better battery life and Angry Birds.

Seriously, I thought I'd post about this today because it inspired me. I've been moping around my house all weekend and feeling sorry for myself because I can't get into a creative groove. That pesky writer's block I posted about last week is still wrestling with me, and it doesn't fight fair. I flopped myself down in a chair and decided to stare blankly at the mocking bookshelf full of its writings and publishings and awesomeness that I can never attain, and there was my little stuffed doppelganger staring happily at me.

It just kind of reminded me that there are a million ways that a person can be creative, and that maybe my desire to get into a writing "groove" is part of my problem. Maybe I'm so far into the groove that it has become a rut.

I hauled myself up from my chair and decided that I would find something else to flex my creative muscles for a while. Dear Husband Chris and I ended up putting on our photographer hats and harassing the animals by chasing them around and taking pictures of them.

We worked on a light box and took completely useless (but really cool!) pictures of seashells.

You know what? It kind of worked. I started feeling refreshed and energized, like I was charging my batteries instead of trying to draw on a dead one. Now I feel like I could sit down and get a little bit of writing done without beating myself up over it.

So, hurray for today's Surprise Muse, Marisa Monshter, and her fabulous creator, Stacey-friend.

Vogue.