Journal for an Imaginary Life RSS

A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN…VIRGINIA WOOLF MADE THE PHRASE FAMOUS, AND IT IS AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT ABOUT HOW TO LIVE A CREATIVE LIFE.   WHEN I WAS 13, I STARTED TO FEEL THE NEED FOR A ROOM OF MY OWN, SO I MOVED MYSELF OUT OF THE BEDROOM I SHARED WITH MY SISTER,  AND INTO THE BASEMENT.   IN SPITE OF MY FEAR OF SPIDERS, AND DAMP AND DARK,  I INSTINCTIVELY KNEW I NEEDED A PLACE OF MY OWN. I PROCEEDED TO DECORATE THE PLACE WITH ALL MANNER OF THINGS CURATED BY MY DEVELOPING AESTHETIC.  SEASHELLS WERE ARRANGED SPILLING OUT OF A BOX.  TOULOUSE LAUTREC PRINTS COVERED THE WALLS.  I MADE A TINY COZY CORNER WITH PILLOWS ON AN OLD...

Journal entry number 3 - October 2020 I’m trying to see past the smoke - not just of the fires here in California but also the smoke that obscures my vision of the future -  from the clouds of social and political upheaval, the COVID and lockdown ... it’s hard.  I’ve had to work at keeping my little ship of good hope in order by constant patching and propping... and paddling.  Sometimes the future is obscured by this figurative smog bank... but we must keep steering - steady on - not just gravely - but full steam ahead!  As my good friend Robert says, WORK AHEAD IN HOPE. I believe that the times when you feel the most lost are...

PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW FOR A FULL SIZE VERSION, COMPLETE WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING A PINWHEEL ROSETTE!  August 1st, 2020. These last weeks of California summer always have me in a nostalgic mood….the trees rustling in the dry wind, the tiniest hint of fall in the smell of dry grass.  One of the things that filters back is a sense of solitude that by August, has deepened into a magical stillness.  Now that we are all on a lengthly stay-cation,  it is even more so.  The solitude and quiet are a gift. This is a good time to sort out priorities, and nudge myself a little closer to what I really want out of life, and who I really...

As our time in lockdown continues to draw out, my thoughts have begun to settle into more solitary, but still pleasant, habits.  I miss all the time I used to stand behind the counter of my magical little shop, meeting and talking with all the wonderful people who walk into my world.  \I miss seeing their upturned faces looking at the shadow puppet theatres, voices hushed, eyes lit up.  Its one of the things I work for - to see that look of wonder on peoples faces when they respond to the waking dream of my shop.  On the other hand, I am spending lots more time in the studio, and sitting at my little messy desk into the night, totally...