I received an invitation from Margie Goodchild, my great and good friend from the other side of the world, to participate in this Blog Hop. We met through a Goddess Leonie workshop,  and we have stayed in touch through blogs and FaceBook, and even worked together via Skype.  I am absolutely in LOVE with the art she makes, and with her!

Never turn down an excuse to make me show up on my blog, I say, especially these days when it tends to be fewer and farther between posts than in the old days of one every single day.  What can I say:  FaceBook has usurped much of the time of blogging.  And when I start to post, I realize that is such a loss to me because blogging is much like journaling and you never know what will plop itself down on the page and teach you something.

So many thanks on many levels Margie, also known as Tangerine Meg!

This particular blog hop requires that I answer 4 questions.  The questions focus on writing, which is interesting, because I haven’t done as much lately as once, so I am as curious myself as any others might be as to the answer.  Here we go!

1) What am I working on/writing?

Words!  Lovely, single, inspirational words.  Why single words?  Because, after 5 years I finally got a round tuit and now have beautiful new cement front steps, instead of old crumbling pieces of cement surrounded by wood.  What this means is that I can decorate the step risers however my little heart desires.  And my heart desires words, surrounded by mosaic pieces.  So I am working on words.

As you can see from my Pinterest boards (front steps, and steps),  I have been collecting inspiration for some time.  As you can see from the picture, my steps are curved, so the straight up steps can be inspiration only.  My final piece will be affected by the unique curve I am working with!

I need 19 words.  So far, I have 7:  abandon, playfulness (tho those two might be the same thing, I have to think about that), abundance, joy, serenity, balance, growth, transformation (if it will fit).  You are invited to add ideas in the comments!

2) How does my work/writing differ from others of its genre?

Well, I’m not sure there is a genre for step riser words.  So it doesn’t differ, instead it is rather unique, and a category by itself.  Mostly step riser decoration is straight up and down which gives a different “canvass” to work on than curved steps.  Which is actually what made me think of words as the focus, because I wanted a way to tie the risers together and couldn’t quite make it to a “picture” visual for planning purposes.

3) Why do I write what I do?

Generally, I write about topics to inspire myself which are also intended to work the same way for others.  I write first for myself – to discover something or figure something out about the way the world and people work.  If I’m writing about something else, it will be art – mine and/or others’.  The steps bring together both the inspirational and my art, which lately has focused much on large mosaic work.  So this whole project fits neatly into where I am personally in the world at the moment.

4) How does my writing process work?

My process depends greatly on my aim.  If I am writing poety, I will fill up by reading the poetry of favorite writers and then letting it spill over with my own energy; if I am writing an inspirational piece, I sit in front of the computer and let whatever wants to come out, come on out – this is a rather intuitive process.  I know I can clean it up afterwards.   Sometimes a whole post that isn’t used needs to happen before I can get to the real heart of what’s trying to come through.  This process is the same as making art:  set off in a direction, open to the energy that is asking to become present, and become a conduit.  Finally, if it’s about art, it’s pretty much just descriptive/how to writing.  That just takes paying attention to setting up the writing so that others can follow it logically.

The final part of the blog hop is to nominate 3 more people to follow this process.  The following bloggers and friends from various parts of cyberspace (and I do mean to tell you we have representative from everywhere here!) have gratiously volunteered to join in:

Jacqueline-Marie Nunes Baxman

Mixed media artist/writer, serious walker, foodie, Reiki Master and, as my Twitter bio states, “…good hair days are iffy”. 

I attended Westchester Art Workshop in New York concentrating on Surface Design and am trained and skilled in faux marble and faux bois (wood).  I have worked professionally as a garden mural artist, a residential decorative artist, and have contributed my artistic skills as a volunteer in homeless shelters. 

I am a self-taught jewelry artist – have now been making jewelry for twelve years – and mixed media sculptor who has also had a thirty year career as a legal assistant in the fields of entertainment and general contract law. 

Retired from the legal field, I am committed to being the full time Artist and Journey Woman, a title I fully embrace.  I write about life on my blog and photograph the neighborhood.  Recently returning to California to live, I am setting up a new studio space, establishing a solid relationship with the cows next door – yes, I said cows – and thinking about next steps.  One and one-half years ago I had open heart surgery for a birth defect. It was a gift. My main goal now is to live in gratitude, continue to develop as an artist, and document the Journey.  http://jacqualinemarie.wordpress.com/

Beth DeSombre (pronounced:  de-SOM-bree)

Beth sings new songs tht spring from old traditions, telling the stories of people and places along life’s crooked highways.  

Sing Out! magazine describes her songs as “smart and uplifting…focusing on the quiet meaning to be found in ordinary life.”  Christine Lavin calls her songwriting “wonderful,” and the folk-pop duo, The Kennedys, laud her “catchy melodies and insightful lyrics.  

Her songs have been honored in national and international songwriting contests, and she has made special guest appearances at major folk festivals (Boston, New Bedford, Strawberry Park).  Her blog can be found here:  http://www.bethdesombre.com/blog.html

Mo Davies

I am Mo Davies, 66, and I live in North Cyprus with my husband and a menagerie of four dogs and three cats who somehow believed we were operating a pet motel and moved in. I am a digital artist, writer, photographer, Tarot reader and Tarot teacher. I operate two blogs, one which is my book as blog about my life, adventures and lessons learned. The second is devoted to my digital art. I take photos of nature – scenery, rocks, flowers, etc., – because I can tune into the energy fields of nature’s gifts and use these as a basis for my digital art.  I am in my crone years and enjoying – finally – being a misfit, a rebel, a revolutionista, a purple-wearing arty-farty drama queen, and a sacred warrior for fearlessness, feistiness and mad, mighty mojo.  

Art Blog: http://modavies.com  Blog: http://thecrazycrone.org  Book blog:  http://thecrazycrone.com