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Weekend fests and events
Related: "Like Jia Zhang-ke''s recent Still Life, Manoel de Oliveira''s new Christopher Columbus - The Enigma parallels a foreground story of personal changes and losses with a background one: how all has been lost to history," writes David Pratt-Robson. Action is Everything
In a recent series on the hidden workings of our minds I noted that scientists, artists and writers often have considerable difficulty explaining their thought processes. isabella replies that perhaps this difficulty is a necessary part of the process: "perhaps these accounts of thought processes that are "disappointing", "unsatisfying" or "implausible" are so murky because creativity needs that muddiness, needs to work away from the light of our attention?" I think there''s a very interesting point here which I have a personal take on influenced by my own efforts at creativity. Consider some of the language of creativity; people are:
What these have in common is the idea of something coming from the outside to aid the self. They emphasise the external orientation of creativity: the concept that the self merely ''channels'' ideas and energy from somewhere else. Of course we are all influenced by external factors. So, to a certain extent these phrases are appropriate - creativity doesn''t occur in a vacuum. But for a person in the middle of creating something, it can feel like the words, images, thoughts, forms, structures, relationships, notes or rhythms are coming from elsewhere. Unfortunately taking this apparently external locus too literally can be extremely detrimental to creativity. When I first started writing I fell for this externally oriented language of creativity hook, line and sinker. I sat down in front of the computer and waited for the muse to visit me, an idea to strike, or some other vaguely conceptualised kind of external inspiration. It usually didn''t work, I just ended up going out for a walk to get away from the empty screen and the blinking cursor, still looking for my ''inspiration''. It''s the classic rookie mistake of course. The truth is, there is no muse, there is no right frame of mind and there is no perfect moment. There is only now, here, right in front of you. In some ways the very murkiness and inaccessibility of creativity can lead us to think the ideas must be coming from elsewhere. But I''d argue that this murkiness is really a by-product of an exceptionally complicated process. People can''t explain their creativity because they don''t understand it themselves, and neither does anyone else. Nowadays my way of approaching creativity is not by waiting for inspiration to strike but simply by starting with whatever I''ve got right here, right now. For me creativity is all about action. Over to you.... What do you think isabella, and everyone else? Carry That Weight - Re-revisited
Way back in a year they once called 2005, I made a post about a snag that had fallen on top of a nearby Blackjack Oak tree, bending it to the ground. Then, just over two years ago, I went back to the tree to see how things were holding up (or down?), and I made a post about what I found then. On my last visit to Roundrock, I stopped by the tree again, and here is what I found this time: That little tree is still carrying that weight, a long time now. For those of you who don’t want to click the links, let me tell you that the roots of that fallen snag are suspended in the air. It may look like they are touching the ground, but they are not. (The top of the formerly standing tree is resting on the ground outside of the photo on the right.) This little balancing act is a feature along our trail to the pond, and it happens to be fairly close to the place where we had put one of the game cameras recently. (In fact, I’ll probably put the camera there again since the critters obviously like the corn and peanuts I had seeded there. Maybe they’ll visit the location again.) I suppose that some day I’ll come to this spot and find that the old snag has slipped off the oak and the delicate balancing act will be over. That will probably be worth a post as well. Missouri calendar:
Single Malt Whisky Chocolate, a manly gift for Valentine's
Traditional gift-giving for Valentine''s Day is mainly focused on the woman as the receiver of gifts, but apparently, this is not so in Japan, where Suntory (Japan''s oldest distiller) and Lotte (confectioner) have blended their efforts to concoct this whisky chocolate (the 12-year old whisky oozes out of the middle like caramel). Via Trends in Japan (which tells us that in Japan, women give men chocolate on February 14th, and men give women gifts on March 14th). Contest time!!
What it is: Everyone has that one picture of themselves looking absolutely fabulous....and LA-Story.com wants to see it! Submit that prized photo of you in your most glamorous getup and win gorgeous gifts from designer Marc Jacobs! Show us your super chic style, bring on the glam and win! What you win: Grand Prize: One winner, chosen from all entries by Brickfish's fashion panel, will win a glamourous Marc Jacobs leather bag and a Marc Jacobs cashmere hat and glove set. ($985 value). Most Viral: One winner, selected from the top 10 entries that get the most attention across the internet, will win a $250 scholarship or cash. Where to enter: Brickfish.com Where to get more info: LA-Story.com Sega Mega Drive handheld game system
Anyone else had a Sega Game Gear in the 90s? If so, then you''re probably already playing your new AtGames Sega Mega Drive as you read this. And why not? It''s only $40, comes preloaded with 20 classic Sega games like Sonic & Knuckles and Ecco, and runs on three AAA batteries. Very retro chic and much less damaging to your social reputation than singing along to a Color Me Badd CD. Not everything from the early 90s makes a comeback, you know. Via GEARFUSE. VISIT THE POPGADGET SHOP. Culinary laser thermometer
$60 at Amazon. Sunday delivery
Linda, of Linda’s Backroad Musings, is a rural letter carrier. She recently had a post about the survival of postal letters in the age of email. It’s an interesting post with some facts and figures. As she points out, the age of letters has not passed yet. This is the mailbox we have at Roundrock. (I showed you the mail box over at Fallen Timbers in this post.) This one is by our first fire ring (we’re on our third now) so it’s a bit off the path and unlikely to get rural free delivery. Still, I keep hoping that some day some interloper will leave me a note. Linda had suggested that I leave the flag up and maybe some wayward letter carrier would see it and come by. So I’m counting on that. I’ll let you know. Pablo did not make it out to the woods last Sunday, and he was kicking himself for his choice. Libby and Seth left early that morning for St. Louis, and I was free to do whatever I wanted with the day. But we had had a significant snow storm a few days before, and the reports suggested that the snow was deeper to the south. I didn’t expect the 100+ mile drive down on the highways to be bad, but I worried about the last two miles across a washed out gravel/dirt road that went up and down and around the Ozark hills. The sun came out and the temps moderated, and by mid-day it was lovely outside in Kansas City — and probably even nicer at Roundrock. I could have driven all but the last two miles and then hiked in, but I didn’t. So did I go out today? So far, the stars haven’t aligned properly to allow all of our offspring to be at home at one time. We’ve seen all of the faces, just not all in the same place at the same moment. It looks like it may be next weekend before we have everyone together (including my brother, his wife, and their fine son in from central Illinois). The next Festival of the Trees is being hosted by Lorianne at Hoarded Ordinaries. Her deadline is December 30 — next Sunday — so you still have time to send her a link at zenmama (dot) gmail (dot) com. Or you can use the splendid automated submission form, which often works. The new year promises new hosts, and we’re hoping that you’ll be one of them. Just let me or Dave know that you’re interested, and we’ll give you all the help you need. Mark of Biomes Blog is back after a short time away from the blogging world. Why don’t you head on over there and let him know the world is a better place because he puts his fingers to the keyboard, okay? (Be sure to click on the ads and make him wealthy.) Maybe Blogger doesn’t hate me specifically. Lately, when I’ve left comments on Blogger sites, I’ve been able to leave my URL as a clickable link. I guess what is happening is that Blogger is slowly rolling out a new system for leaving a hot link signature, and not all of the features were (are?) installed right away. I’d read somewhere that the new system is an attempt to prevent phishing through hot linked signatures. I don’t know how that would work, and I’m not sure that Google really isn’t bent on world domination, but I’m willing to grant them some credibility for the moment as we see how this new mechanism unfolds. What’s Pablo reading now? I’m still working on The Sea, The Sea, by Iris Murdoch. It will be a long haul. I’ve read this book once before, in fact, it’s the first Murdoch book I ever picked up. Now my ambition is to read all of her novels in order. This one puts me past the half way mark. What will I do when I am finished? Perhaps re-read all of the Philip Roth novels in order? Find a new author? I don’t know, but I’m eager to find out. Missouri calendar:
Horsebalm
Three days from the solstice, & the shriveled leaf still smells faintly of lemon. Are We Raising Entrepreneurs?
Is this next generation going to steer clear of being their own boss or are we raising youth who will embrace the entrepreneur spirit? This morning on The View, Sean P. Diddy Combs (he clarified that he'll answer to any of the above including his original Puff moniker) was a guest and the ladies of the View referred to him as a "mogul" and enterprising entrepreneur. They said that they didn't think the youth of today nurtured their dreams of entrepreneurship. Diddy said that his slogan is "close your eyes and dream big then open your eyes and see what you can do." He clearly dreams big with his eyes wide open. He has his fingers in every pie, from the obvious musical industry to marathon runner, fashion and fragrance, movie and Broadway star. His latest venture is in the spirits industry: Sean Combs is the new Brand Manager for Ciroc Vodka. Ciroc is a division of Diageo, the world's leading, spirits, wine and beer company. Last month Diageo announced a groundbreaking strategic alliance between Combs and Cîroc vodka. Under the terms of the deal, Combs and Sean Combs Enterprises will take the lead on all brand management decisions for Cîroc, while sharing in the future profits of the growth of the brand. This exclusive US multi-year collaboration, which calls for a 50/50 profit split, is a first for the spirits industry and could be worth more than $100 million for Combs. As part of the new alliance, Combs will take the lead on brand management decisions, including marketing, advertising, public relations, product placement and events. For those students looking to follow Sean's example and engage in an entrepreneurial program, Entrepreneur Magazine again listed their top 25 entrepreneurial undergraduate and top 25 graduate programs along with an additional 208 schools with some entrepreneurial focus. Most of of the top 25 schools offer a business plan competition with prize money ranging from $8500 to over $40,000! Babson College offers the top rated undergrad program and University of Southern California took the 1st place prize for graduate programs. "There are programs that exist to deliver as many different opportunities as students are looking for." Some programs help students launch businesses; others teach how to become an entrepreneur. Some focus on engaging in the local business community, while others gear their curricula toward woman-owned or environmentally conscious businesses." At 38, Sean makes it look easy. Let's hope our youth look to the Sean's of the world rather than the Britneys when latching on to role models. Deborah Chaddock Brown Writer Older Blog Entries 1 |
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