Change is in the air this week! Light changes, life changes, temperature changes. The week began with a drag for me, but the spring is returning to my step as it closes. And seriously, the costumes doodles that people are sending in for the costume contest are making my day. You have till the end of this month to enter.
1. Fall means more full views of the sky and less shadows. A friend flipped my perspective on autumn upside down by showing how leaves fall off the tree branches and give us more of the sky. Light is diffused more in autumn, too and the shadows are not nearly as sharp. Fall is a season of increased light? Really?
2. Take the risk and be brutally honest about how life really is. Someone will thank you. I’ve discovered Ann Lamott’s book Traveling Mercies and I’m stunned by her candid details of a very painful coming-of-age. The truth and honesty of her words brought me to tears yesterday. I knew she could understand things I’d gone through. I want to share my life as bravely as she does.
3. Inspiration needs to be practical to catch fire and spread. A friend told me that I make practical applications out of my inspirational thoughts whenever I talk about them. This must come from the go-getter in me. I don’t want to hear something that sounds nice and dreamy; I want to know how to do it. Inspiration and how to do it must go hand-in-hand to make other people excited.
4. Dreams speak as loudly as we listen. I’ve salvaged two fiction ideas from dreams that I wrote down. My sister told me yesterday that the ornate picture she was sketching had began as a dream. If you’re looking for creative inspiration and you don’t write down your dreams, get a little pad and pen to store beside your bed. Write for five minutes when you wake up. It’s amazing what you’ll see.
5. When taking down the crepe paper decorations after a party, might I suggest wearing the crepe paper as you do so? I did this in college during every clean-up after a swing dance. I think I’m attempting a “tough ninja” face for this one.
