I Blog, Therefore I Am

I seem to have too many ideas for one head. My right brain and left brain seem to have very different agendas, and I am oddly caught in the middle. The inner geek , despite lack of confidence and experience, has the challenge of mastering the fine points of website building. Well, yeah, I could hire someone. But how would I find someone who would understand the other part of this endeavor. That would be design, and they’d have to answer to the right side of my brain. I keep looking at the computer screen like it’s a canvas or a sketch pad. Which in and of itself is not a bad thing. But while I know what to do with a brush or pens or crayons et al, all I have to work with is these funny little buttons on a keyboard. I have spent this entire summer exploring what is truly within the realm of my possibilities. Some of it has been surprisingly easy; other ventures have left me vexed beyond my capacities. All of it has eaten away at my time and energy. Much of it has caused neglect to other priorities. You should see what’s piled up on my kitchen table. Um, no, you probably should not.
But there has been progress, and I have produced evidence to prove it. And I have also learned something besides the building of websites. Blogging is more than a journal. It has a therapeutic value in that it can help sift through the chaos, clarify some of the thoughts. I’m not sure if that is a left brain accomplishment, or an actual collaboration between both the right and left hemispheres. I am wondering if any other artists /bloggers have noticed this effect. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what YOU think!

To Quote or Not To Quote

There is a lot going on right now. I had a quote all picked out from my collection attributed to someone named John Gardner: 'Art has no laws, but it has a lot of complicated suggestions'. It was a really fitting description of all the different styles tried out in this blog. It also fit all the many different forms of art I am drawn to (no pun intended)

In order to share some of my discoveries, we've decided that we should join the 21st century and get WiFi for our household. We have to figure out what works best for the left brain/right brain salad on our plates.

All of this happening this weekend. We celebrate the 40th (!?) anniversary of Woodstock, the release of 'Ponyo', a beautiful anime film from Disney and Studio Ghibli (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan), and locally, Irish Fest, a tribute to all things Celtic in art, song, dance and toasts. I once believed myself to be of Irish descent, because my grandmother made a stop there in her European travels. Once the notion set in, I felt quite at home. It even helped inspire several entries to the early Irish Fest Poster Contests. I never won, but I made the top ten each time I entered. I was very flattered to be even considered with those other fine entries. It helped me to believe in myself as an artist, and for that I will be forever grateful.

Yes, art does indeed have a lot of complicated suggestions, but when I tried to verify the quote and author, I can find no record of the quote anywhere. There is an author named John Gardner, but he apparently never shared this little inkling. If anyone has heard of this quote or its author, do let me know.

I would be remiss, if I did not include in these artistic celebrations, the life's work of Les Paul. His contribution of the electric guitar has quickened the heartbeat of musicians and audiences worldwide. We may not have had Woodstock without him. He lived a good life for 94 years; if I may paraphrase the Irish toast: He made it to Heaven a good half hour 'fore the devil knew he passed.