Creative Healing Through Writing and Art
Here are two photos and a cartoon that I found on the web today. Remember that as an empowered individual, it is up to you make your own choices and be personally responsible. So go forth and speak your mind on important matters that effect you, your community and the world. Create a positive difference peacefully and non judgmentally.
After seeing some wonderful art made with the embellishment of string on Artsy Forager, I decided to make some of my own. This was drawn on thick paper with ink and colored pencil. I then used embroidery floss to add extra oomph! For my first try it turned out wonderfully. It also took a long time of sitting still. One to two hours a day for 4 days and voila!
If you try string on paper be aware that putting the holes too near each other will result in one giant hole. I used a needle with a wide head so the string would fit. You could use a finer thread to make smaller holes and get a different effect.
My goal is to try a new art medium each month this summer. It’s kind of like art camp. I got the idea from Hot Pink Underwear.
I saw this article and wanted to throw my computer out the window. It’s just so offensive to me. It’s promoting a ignorant view of women as weaklings who need to be sexual before we become real people. What the heck is wrong with people? Do the men who create video games think that women are not worthy of our attention until a man has tried to break us or rape us? Should we just die if we cannot fend off a rapist?
Were they just sitting around discussing how to boost sales and some ignoramus said, “Let’s make Lara seem like a real person by sexually assaulting and objectifying her.”? Was there a round of applause for such a genius idea? Score one for men. They know that violence against women sells. Someone is getting a bonus.
This is the point in the article where my aggravation level hit a all new high. “She literally goes from zero to hero… we’re sort of building her up and just when she gets confident, we break her down again. . . She is literally turned into a cornered animal. It’s a huge step in her evolution: she’s forced to either fight back or die.” -Ron Rosenberg the executive producer of the Tombraider video game.
Hey Ron, you are an ignorant person who needs to take a course on the reality of domestic violence and sexual assault.
I feel like everyday of my life I have to stand up and tell someone to stop putting me down or stop taking away my rights. It is exhausting being a female.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MARKETING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN TO BOOST SALES?
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I could barely put down”Up; A Mother and Daughters Peakbagging Adventure” By Patricia Ellis Herr. Fresh mountain air filled my lungs, morning sun warmed my skin, leaves of trees brushed against my skin and gave me shade when it was hot. I could smell the flowers, dirt, sweat, and rain. Birds chirped and lizards scurried away as the thrill of this oh so enjoyable exercise that only hiking out in nature gives me. Vicariously of course.
Peakbagging is the term for climbing a group of peaks/mountains. This wonderful story is of a mother and daughter who climbed all 48 of New Hampshire’s highest mountains. The kicker is the young girl was only 5 when they started. Her mother noticed the seemingly endless amount of energy her daughter possessed. So they went hiking, the young girl loved it and they continued. It’s a short book, but interesting enough to hold my attention so that I could barely put it down. I was a bit sad when it ended, not due to some tragic plot twist, but because I was enjoying the hikes with them so much. Since birth, my life has been a back and forth between tiny mountain towns and bustling cities so that I always want both worlds simultaneously. For the past several years I have lived in a large city and often wish to be out in the wilderness more than I find myself there. I give this book 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who loves the stories of other adventure seekers.
Find UP online or at your local library. What is a favorite books of yours?
It’s all about the hair. What can I say, but when I was younger I always had to have some weird hair style or colors. Nothing quite as fun as these, so that is probably why I LOVE drawing crazy hair portraits.
I was given the Beauiful Blogger award by The Unpredictable Life. Visit their BLOG.
The nominated recipients are asked to:
~ Thank and Link-back to your nominator;
~ Nominate 7, 6, or fewer (or more) other blogs that you enjoy to receive this award as well;
~ Post a comment on each of your nominees blogs with a link to your page for the details;
~ Paste the Award image somewhere on your blog, if so desired;
~ And, continue blogging all your beautiful thoughts, suggestions, and musings. More readers are coming!
Here are my choices for the top 7 beautiful blogs. I encourage you to check each one out. Bookmark this page and come back to it later if you can’t sit still that long.
Lifestyle 30, http://lifestyle30.wordpress.com/
Totsymae, http://totsymae.com/
Artsy Forager, http://artsyforager.wordpress.com/
Helping Women Helps the World, http://hwhtw.wordpress.com/
Fierce Buddhist, http://fiercebuddhist.org/
Somkritya, http://somkritya.wordpress.com/
Kimberly Harding, http://kimberlyharding.wordpress.com/
(PS, if you copy the URL of this photo above, you can than add it to the sidebar of your site so readers know you were given this award)
Here are some photos I love so much I want you to enjoy them as well. Happy Wednesday!
I was inspired by this post by Rebel Grrrl Italiana, http://lachristagreco.com/2012/05/26/youre-no-fun-living-sober-at-26
I tried drinking a lot in High School to make friends, but I never enjoyed it and once HS ended, so did drinking. It’s not an activity that my family is really into either. I did not grow up in a home where alcohol was present. I did have an alcoholic father, but only saw him once a year. I also see a lot of people who at older ages drink and do drugs so much they are not healthy and not all there anymore. It seems like such a waste.
A few years ago while working at a job I would go out drinking with co-workers. It was fun, but I got bored fast and when that job ended so did my friendships. Finally I am at a point where I don’t want to be around people who drink and definitely not anyone using drugs. It isn’t because I feel it is wrong, but rather because it’s not something I enjoy nor do I like how it makes me feel. These days I only have fun on my terms and while I am willing to try new activities, changing my state with drugs/alcohol is not one.
It is rough finding new friends that want to be sober. I REALLY miss going out and being sociable with a drink in hand, but that won’t happen again until smoothie bars are open till 2am.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT DRINKING OR RECREATIONAL DRUG USE?
This is really sick stuff from Mr. Charles Worley, who is a nasty, hateful man. He hates people whose sexual orientation is different than his. He wants to put anyone who identifies as lesbian, gay or trans in a giant fenced off area, drop food in there and wait for them to die since they cannot reproduce. It’s not quite the holocaust, but pretty close. His parish supports him. I would love to see this church close down from all the pressure from all of us who are tolerant.
You can call or send an email or letter to Providence Church in Maiden, NC and tell them how offended you are. Heck, the crazy people do it all the time to abortion clinics and the KKK used to do it to our dark skinned neighbors. Call them up until they close down and stop spreading their hate. You can also flood their email with letters to have them stop spouting hate an violence.
Write: Mr. Charles Worley (AKA Mr. Hateful)
3283 Providence Mill Road Maiden, NC 28650
Call: (828) 428-2518 Email: preacherworley@charter.net
Read the article here: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/05/21/pasto/
Pass it on.
Are you brave enough to read this book?
I loved this book. It was recommended to me by a former teacher. She thought it would be a good read for my work with youth. “If I Get to Five: What Children Can Teach Us About Courage and Character” is written by Fred Epstein M.D. and is a inspirational and fun. He highlights several children, young adults and their parents who survived or died from inoperable tumors. It could have been a total downer, but it’s not. It is the best reminder of how amazing children are and the strength and beliefs they can show in the most terrifying of situations.
Can you imagine being 8 years old and undergoing multiple surgeries or chemo treatments for months or years? I honestly cannot. The worst physical injury I have survived is a broken ankle. I thought that was bad. I was in the worst mood during that time. Maybe I could have been a bit brighter if I had read this book during my bed rest and therapy. It is a short read and one I recommend EVERYONE READ because it crosses cultural, economic, gender, and racial lines. The children and families in this book could be you or me. Some of you reading this are and have been going through physical pain for some time. Despite the grim prognosis given to many children, their spirited stories had me laughing and reminded me how wonderful life is if we only take the time to let it be.
Check it out at the library, your local bookstore, or order it online. http://www.amazon.com/If-Get-Five-Children-Character/dp/080507144X
Individual Empowerment 