The number 5
Torso: My Secret Self, slab-built, hand-made, glazed clay wall sculpture by Tammy Vitale.
As you can see, I finally have some new work to show. Three torsos out of the kiln: this one, one that needs to be stained (and will probably show up tomorrow) and one to raku. This one isn’t finished yet, but I needed something new, so you get to see her in transition. I took a close-up to post but can’t find it and this morning I’m simply not in the mood to go look or rework the photo for posting. Humor me. I haven’t had my coffee yet.
Several days ago I asked what everyone’s 5 books (and only 5) would be (the desert island thing but I didn’t say that). Only Jana answered. What, the rest of you don’t read? Then I realized I hadn’t posted mine (and, oh yes, I do read). I have tried to narrow it all down and know immediately I will leave favorites out, but some spring so quickly to mind for me it isn’t hard: Women Who Run with the Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estes (my 1 if I could only have 1); Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom, John O’Donohue; The Horn Island Logs of Walter Inglis Anderson. If you’ve never seen his work, please do yourself a favor and check it out – of course if I had this book, I’d have to have an unlimited supply of water colors too (what better for an island), and paper; This Time I Dance by Tama Kieves, Loving What Is by Byron Katie. At least for today, those are my 5.
Now tell me, do you like this new pop-up widget I’ve added that gives you a preview of the link? or is it simply annoying? Typepad makes it so easy to add these things that I thought I would just try it out. It seems to come up slowly on a lot of things, so I’m not sure if it’s helpful (as in: loading). I’ll give it a few days and await your comments about helpful vs. annoying.
The number 5: today’s title. This is a good example of trying to create an intriguing headline. All of the blog marketeers out there say titles are very important. If you read this blog at all you will know I find them bothersome and sometimes even forget them. But titles are important if you’re out there trying to sell stuff and need ranking on your blog (I’m not, maybe that’s why I don’t care). If I did care, I think I’d surely bookmark Shem at Enhance Life because she seems to have a pretty good take on what makes a good blog (for selling purposes).
So why do you blog? I posted reasons I blog over at Enhance Life this morning in case you’re interested (and no, I won’t repost them….what is the internet about if not clicking away from where you started and getting totally lost way down the line somewhere).
Reading back over this I find that I have no single focus, but have at least 5 different subjects so perhaps the title is appropriate after all, and not just about books.
Posted in Stuff and More Stuff (Ramblings)
Tags: 5 favorite books, clay sculpture, clay torso, hand made, slab built, wall sculpture, Walter Inglis Anderson
January 8th, 2007 at 9:15 am
Is your secret self still secret if you blog her?
I like the preview widget thing – does it only work on external links?
Only 5 books is too hard… maybe that's why you didn't get many takers! I'd have to have The complete works of Jane Austen (a book I do have so not such a cheat as you might think) because I think I was her in a past life… but then I have a really difficulty making any further selection… there are just so many I would want!
At least one book on dreaming, one on creativity, one on spirituality, one on gardening, one on ancient artifacts, one on how-to make things… and I've already exceeded my limit just on categories!
I blog because I can.
January 8th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Caro – as best I can tell, the snap widget does only work on external links, altho I thought i had it working on internal earlier this morning (perhaps I was dreaming).
Re books – yeah, I know.
January 8th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Yeah, the book thing is tough. Hrmm…at the moment, I'll go with Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, Succulent Wild Woman by Sark, The Illustrated Rumi, and um, the Harry Potter Series (oops, I cheated.)
Yeah, that widget is cool!
I like seeing your work in transition. Very cool.
January 8th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
I really like the name of your blog…especially the "weaving it all together" It reminded me of the Greenham Common women when they used their "weaving" to block the gates to the missiles and the symbology was so strong it actually worked.
January 9th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Good title, Tammy! The widget is pretty cool. Always glad to see work in transition! 5 books I have read or in the process since I am very slow reader… Joseph Campbell Power of Myths (read it a long time ago but re reading and finding things that make more sense now …), The Uses of Enchantment (meaning and importance of fairy tales) by Bruno Bettelheim, Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss, Women Who Run With Wolves, Summoning The Fates… oh, and Eckhard Tolle's New Earth!
January 9th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Hi Tammy,
Thank you so much for your kind mention of my blog.
Yap, Love the title for the post too. Appropriate and a "curiosity" generator
Sham
January 10th, 2007 at 3:40 am
Sorry – somehow I missed this post (and the one where you asked for the books) – I'm running behind on my blog reading. Um, can I be stranded on Leah's desert island, so I can have her books to read as well as my own?
in on e volume now – I've always been greatly amused by there being 5 books in the trilogy – and it seems to fit in with your preference for the number 5 this week!)
I actually would pick a Tom Robbins – either Skinny Legs & All, or Jitterbug Perfume; a Bailey White (either When Mama Makes Up Her Mind, or Sleeping at the Starlight Motel); Nick Bantock's Griffin and Sabine (so I could pretend I was still getting mail); The Complete Hitchiker's Trilogy by Douglas Adams (they do have all 5 of the trilogy