Tag: creativity
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My Favorite Things
‘Tis the season for gazing at our tree’s twinkling white lights, sitting by our fire’s comforting warm flames, and baking (then eating!) our family’s favorite Christmas cookies. These are a few of my favorite things this time of year! To that I’ll add a new tradition, writing re-mixes, last year of the beloved holiday poem,…
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Breadcrumbs
My husband, Art, recently launched his own blog. His “why” for writing? To help him answer the question he is most often asked when anyone discovers we have visited all 63 national parks, “which park was your favorite?” It’s a simple, 5-word question that’s lead to a complex, many word answer. To that end, he’s been…
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My Paean
Here’s a nerdy but likely not surprising fact about me, I LOVE the English language! Mrs. Haas, my 12th grade English teacher, was a gem. Fresh out of college, she taught my mother and, as she neared retirement, she taught me. She inspired my mom to study English in college and, later, to also teach the…
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Never Too Many Questions
I don’t know how many times I heard my father open a conversation with, “Let me ask you a question,” but I know it was A LOT! All five of us understood, when Pop Pop led with those words, we were in for a lengthy discourse on some subject of interest to him, often involving…
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“Taking a Line for a Walk”
“Taking a line for a walk” Paul Klee Paul Klee (1879-1940) was a Swiss-born artist whose works are found in major museums around the world. As I dive deeper into art, artists, and art history, I’ve come across his words, “taking a line for a walk,” many times. It sounded like a lovely way to draw…
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I Worried
“I Worried” by Mary Oliver I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the riversflow in the right direction, will the earth turnas it was taught, and if not how shall I correct it? Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,can I do better? Will I ever be able to sing, even…
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Make
“Your life is already artful – waiting, just waiting, for you to make it art” Toni Morrison 3 pottery pieces from my recent class and an old treasure I’ve saved from Scott’s elementary school days (circa 2005) It’s been a lovely winter for me, spent happily making art from my life. I crafted a PLAY-book,…
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Nesting Season
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”George Eliot Early in 2024, while enjoying New Year’s with our family in Jackson, Wyoming, I stumbled upon a gallery shop and was instantly wowed by the artist’s vibrant paintings of animals (Amy Ringholz). Since I don’t have the wall space nor the budget…
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60 By 60
Five years ago, in November 2019, I was listening to the voice of Stacy Julian on her podcast, “Exactly Enough Time.” Stacy is a colorfully bright, positive and passionate memory keeping creative. For many years I’d been an avid reader of her magazine, Simple Scrapbooks (sadly, no longer published), as well as her books, The…
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Coffee Shop Writer
Have you ever wandered into a coffee shop, placed your order and then, while the barista was brewing your beverage, looked around? Not a quick, cursory glance before your attention turns to your phone to solve the mystery of today’s Wordle; I mean an unhurried, inquisitive look around the café. I have, and I’ve noticed…
Melissa Stephens Art 