Social Media Day: Really?!?

A lot is going on in the world lately, and when one logs into a social media site we can see that really quickly!  Today is Social Media Day, and I have to say, for the most part I am not a fan!  I know… as an artist it is important for me to put myself out there, to be seen, but yet… I open Facebook and I see a lot of negativity.  Everywhere we look there are people attacking or feeling under attack.  People saying accept me or else, while others are lamenting laws that are giving others rights that are long since deserved.  It is just sad to see how ready people are to attack others just because they are different.

Now I know… I am being that guy here, but it doesn’t have to be that way!  Of course, I also see Facebook as one of the worlds biggest time sucks!  It can really just eat your whole life away if you let it and for that very reason I wont have it on my phone and nowadays I only check it once or twice a month!  I have turned to other mediums to get myself out there, and they are not all great either, but the pros far outweigh the cons.  At least with things like Google+, WordPress, Twitter and even Tumblr I don’t have to open my feed and see a bunch of bad news and sadness glaring back at me. I don’t have to be hit with the news that I never watch, so why would I want to see it when I open my social media to see what is going on in the lives of those I know?

            

What about you? Do you find social media to be a challenge? Are you ever overwhelmed by the level of negativity that can breed there?  What do you do to put yourself out there and not have all your time sucked away by the void that is social media?

Current Events

Well, having a scheduled plan is nice and all, but I have to say, while I do not often write about any current events, I needed to write about this one! Sides, everyone wants to know about my weekend, am I right, or am I write?!?  *grins*

B & I at our wedding!

Friday it happened!  Same sex marriage is legal in the United States!  A little known fact about me, I had an amazing wife, and while we never were legally married, we celebrated our marriage that lasted a year and a month before she passed away!  Seeing our country finally make it legal for everyone, it was a big thing for me. Something my wife would have been right there on the front lines trying to make happen.  I spent an emotional day remembering my amazing wife, and looking at how far things have come and the changes we are seeing.

Here I am, with my amazing sushi!

I am blessed with an amazing sister (honestly I have several amazing sisters, not to mention several amazing brothers as well!) and long before we knew that change was going to take place we had already decided to go out for a formal dinner, just because!  And where did my sister take me you may ask? To this really great sushi place in Fargo! I can’t remember the name of the place right now, but I have some fun pictures!

A friend who also got sushi! (no he didn’t know I was snapping his pic!) 

My sister and her teriyaki salmon! (it was very amazing as well!)

Up & Coming: Letters from Camp Series

Next month is Camp NaNo, which I have already informed you all!  Speaking of, don’t forget to leave your NaNo name in the comments if you would like to be included in my cabin!  So as you all know I am going to be trying to actually finish Mo Thuras! I know I can do it! And it would be lovely to have an actual finished piece!  Well, the month of July I will be updating you on my progress and sending you Letters from Camp!  So stay tuned to hear all about my camp experiences through the month of July. I would love to hear from you as well if you are going to “camp”!!!  Let’s be pen pals!

Are you participating in Camp this summer? What writing projects are you currently working on? Are you taking steps forward?

Ideal Writing Environment

We all have it, those dream desks, dream homes, dream offices.  That dream environment where we feel if we just had “…” then we could write happily and perfectly!  And of course we also know that is not true. Oh sure, for a while we can diligently write away and thrive in this amazing environment we have, but when it is ours, when we use it day after day, it all becomes the same!

Here are some of the things I think are most important to keep in mind when thinking about your creative space!

• Define your space!  No matter if it is just a little corner of a room, a closet or an entire office, etch out the space into what you want it to be.
• Make sure there is plenty of Light! I know it may sound silly, but when we don’t get enough light we can become drowsy or even sad.
• Keep it Organized!  Now I know, not everyone is very organized, but we all have systems of organization that work for us. Utilize that!  Know your system and keep things organized.
• Have a comfortable place to sit!  Without something comfortable, you are not going to want to spend hours creating in this space, so some form of comfortable seating is needed!
• Decorate your Space!  We all like to have things to look at that reflect our likes.  We want to feel comfortable and how we decorate will affect that!  Even if it is something as simple as a favorite throw blanket, add your own personal touches.

My personal writing space at the moment is just a little space in my bedroom, but I am hoping as I work hard to clean and organize my house to find a space that will become mine!  What about you? What is your dream writing space? What do you currently use? Does it work for you?

Inspiration Struck

Alright, so I totally had a different topic planned for today, but I wanted to share with you this bit of inspiration I had the other day.  You see, I have been really busy! Like… gone every day for a month now, busy.  So with that has been a lot of time spent in the car driving, which of course gives one too much time to think.  I had this major apostrophe!

http://imgur.com/gallery/0NvfDa6

So here it is, I write songs every once in a while and I had been thinking, how cool would it be to make a soundtrack for Mo Thuras, right?  Well… then after I am home I hop in the shower, why does the best ideas always happen in the shower where we can’t write them down?!?, and had this amazing tune, and the chorus to Melody’s life story pop in my head!

So, just to share with you, here is a little bit of the song that I created Sunday night.

Don’t forget to tell me what you think!  How about you? Do you ever dabble in other mediums?  Do you have creative ideas to go along with your writing?  Would you be interested if your favorite books had soundtracks of music written just for them?

Finding Inspiration: New Writing Tools

So I am finally finding my inner inspiration once more. Working hard on writing, and pursuing my dreams. That said, something that always inspires me is new writing tools! I mean, who doesn’t love a new notebook or pen!  Recently I tried a fountain pen for the first time ever and I have to say, I am in LOVE!  They are amazing… (when they work right) and nothing flows over the page as smoothly!  I received this little beauty from a great writerly friend, who is one of my best friends!

Oh, abut that little side note, yes I am having a bit of trouble with my beautiful new pen, but in part I think it comes from not knowing a thing about them!  So I will be doing some research into fountain pens in the very near future.  I did a little digging today and learned that the tips are just suppose to get better with time, and they “learn” your writing style, so you should never borrow out your fountain pen!

Also, because it is too beautiful not to share, here is an amazing dip pen I had received from my wife!

What inspires you? Do you love new writing tools? What about fountain pens, have you ever tried them?  What do you really enjoy?

Fairy Day

As writers we are the teller of tales. As readers, we devour all the tales we can find. I know that I have always loved fairy tales, not to mention who doesn’t love a fairy!  So today I had to share with everyone my own bit of fae!  Here is me, all decked out with my fairy wings!

Celebrate with me today, on International Fairy Day!  Take some time out to tell your tale, or read one by another, or even revisit the classics! If you want something a bit more active, work on creating a fairy garden, or build a fairy house!  Revel in your childhood dreams, celebrate in the joy of magic, and let out your inner child!

What do fairies mean to you? Do they remind you of the magic of your youth? Do you think of the stories you read as a kid? Bring out your own magic today!

Let It Go!

Today is Let It Go Day!  Nowadays hearing that we instantly think of Frozen and Elsa singing this rather infamous song.

Now before there is any groaning, I have to admit that I really love this song!  It is very empowering to sing it in your car at the top of your lungs and not worry about who is listening!

That said, think about it.  A day that is actually devoted to letting it all go! There are so many things that we hold on to that do us no good!  Habits that we need to break, relationships that we hold on to long after they have ended, life events that live in our past!

It is time to leave the past in the past!  Take a brave new step forward into a new chapter in our lives. One where instead of dwelling on that past negativity, instead, we focus on the positive. On where we want our lives to go.  On the person we want to be. On the life we want to create. Wouldn’t that make you a happier person at the end of the day? I know it would me!

So, take this moment, and sing along with Elsa, even if it is just in your head, and stop wasting your precious energy on the past. Instead, step into a brave new day with me, while I too take this moment and let go of those things that no longer suit me or my life, and instead write a new chapter, see a new tomorrow that has a brighter dawn and builds a positive future!

Thanks for tuning in to another strange holiday visit with me! What about you? Are there things that you need to let go of, but maybe don’t want to? Something you have carried around for years and don’t even realize anymore?

A New Direction

Me!

Hey all! So I don’t know if you have noticed, but I am taking a little different approach to my blog these days.  When I started out on this blogging journey I didn’t know what it would mean to me. I also didn’t think I would ever have anyone want to read it.  When setting out, I was very focused on writing and only writing.  Since then I started adding in a little of my life, and I think I named it appropriately, it is all random acts of writing in some form or another.  That said, I am looking to shift it just a bit more, to not only include my writing, but to also include my life as an artist, the things I am learning, life in general and finding balance in all of that!

What I would love to hear from you, my wonderful readers is, what would you like to read about?!?  I am open to any and all thoughts, I am working now on scheduling August, as I have already gotten this month planned.  What intrigues you? What makes you want to read more? What inspires you? What makes you feel? What is a topic you want to know more about?  Please drop me a note in the comments and let me know!

A Father’s Day Thank You

I can’t believe that it is Father’s Day already!  Happy Father’s Day to all you dad’s out there!  In honor of Father’s day here is a big thank you to the man who raised me!  That is him and my nephew! Aren’t they great!

Thank you so much for always being there for me, no matter the storm (and let me tell  you, there were many of various types, including real storms!).  I couldn’t have asked for more!  You raised me to believe in what I could be, and that through work I could achieve anything I wanted. You raised me to be a leader, not a follower of the crowd and I love that I am a very unique individual. I owe that all to you!  I love you!