This is not a book.....yet it is a book

Surrealism

Noun

A 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature that sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind. One of my favourites Surreal Adjective Having the qualities of surrealism; bizarre: "a surreal mix of fact and fantasy". (haha, that's me!) How it all began It was a normal working day, I have no idea which one, recently I think...I have slept since then! "Hey Sleepy, have you seen this? Keri Smith, she's done these books and you'll love them!" (I am paraphrasing, I reiterate I have slept since this conversation took place.) There on amazon (we occasionally use it as a search tool and I in no way encourage you to buy from them, use independent where possible or at least proper book people if not *stepping down off my soapbox*) was a list of books. But these titles were like cat nip to me: Wreck this journal Finish this book How to be an explorer of the world The guerrilla art kit For a full list see Kerri's Page When I got home I did a little tinternet searching and found her blog, which is equally intriguing but kind of left it at that. There was no chance of these books being in the library, and with 'wreck this journal' as a title it didn't take a genius to work out why. So I'd look into getting them at some point. A week or so passed and I found myself in a bookshop and after mulling around for some considerable time, having picked up something for everyone but myself, I saw it. A name I recognised but wasn't sure why. A title that was winking at me and tickling at my brain, whispering 'you know you want to read me....pick me up, go on what harm could it do?' Little did I know that this little book and its cute title would shake my little booky world! Cracking the cover Instead of a generic introduction Kerri starts with 'Notes to the reader/user' after a note about the book there are three things to remember  1. Trust in your imagination. It is the source of all true journeys 2. Things are not always what they seem 3. Anything can happen  Are you hooked yet? I was! It took me all of a day to read from cover to cover. Now I say read....each page is a task to be completed. But what she is suggesting is.....surreal. Cut out this page, draw on this page, stick this page.....It's just not what a book should be, but then it is called 'This is not a book' This book is dragging me kicking and screaming on a surrealist path; each task is seeking to release the creative potential of my unconscious mind! I am determined that, no matter how wrong it feels to rip out pages or deface a book, I will complete ALL the tasks in the book...and then move onto the next book, and the next (yes that was a hint to anyone who may feel like buying me a present). I think my mind could use some creative unlocking!! Where to start? I have no idea! I really don't want to cop-out and pick any easy task that doesn't challenge me. However I equally don't trust myself to do that so I have chosen this page to start with, but I am handing the reigns over to you. Yeah, yeah...cop-out, I know! All you have to do is choose a number between 1 and 221, post it in the comments and I promise to carry out the task this leads me to. If I get more than one response I will put them all in a hat and pick at random. Lets set a deadline of Sunday 12pm (GMT) and what ever the task I will report back on my progress next week. A little gem to end on ;-)

Aaarrrgggghhhhhhh!

I avoided switching on my laptop last night to type today's post in advance and I have been avoiding this empty page all afternoon!!

It isn't that I have no ideas, my ideas are just like little seedlings in a greenhouse; some dozy gardener forgot to come water and feed them! They haven't grown up to be big and strong. And they certainly aren't bearing any fruit!

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How do I kick my lazy ass out of this duvet that I have crawled under? How do I avoid all the interesting things that distract me when I am tucked up warm and cosy? How do I pluck up the motivation to tend my little baby ideas?

I know, I will give myself even more to do. I seem to work well under pressure so here goes!

Challenge time! Who's with me?

Slight deviation from fairy tales....myths! Or legends, I'm not really picky. The rules are simple; find one, favourite or random it doesn't matter, tell me in the comments which one you have picked. Then you have 300 words to re-write it, twist it, tell us what happens next, any or all of the above. Or hell for those who are more artistically minded give us the photographic or pictorial version! Post it and link back here ready for next week.

Lets hope inspiration strikes for my chosen myth....Cupid

Good luck and may the gods be ever with you.

So to leave you some cupid related tunes (because we couldn't find a clear winner...by we I mean me and my Facebook / Twitter friends!)

And yes just an excuse to include some 30 Seconds to Mars

:-D

Day 7 NaBloPoMo December - Fairy Tale Friday

Fair enough, I admit it....I have run out of time. I wanted to write a post about a cool fairy tale which is believed to have come from Lancashire, looks like this will be next week.

Instead, how's about we go with a little audience participation?? All you need to do is leave a comment with the details of your favourite fairy tale and why.

Simple, right? Or is it harder than it looks......

We will see what happens with these favourites over the coming weeks, I have plans....bwahahaha!

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Dancing in the rain

Audience participation, the two words I used to cringe at when someone uttered them or eluded to them. I would start to slouch down in my seat and pray that my eyes would not connect with the torturer.

Something in me has changed, I don't know if it is blogging or the direction my working life is taking (I employ audience participation on a frequent basis) but the words kind of fill me with excitement now. Although I am not sure I could get up in front of hundreds of people and karate chop a lump of wood (I saw that once in a Shaoulin Warriors show!). So when Tangled Lou at Periphery shouted audience participation I got all excited and shouted how high (ok whimpered I'll have a think).

Cliché's love them or hate them they have become ingrained in the way we communicate. They are useful in some circumstances, but to tell someone with short or no hair to 'let their hair down' is absurd. That is about as insightful as I seem to be getting on this subject. However, my mind does work in very mysterious ways and this is what I did come up with, I hope you like it:

 

It's time I kicked these shoes off

and go dancing in the rain

It's time I let my hair down

and live life with no shame.

 

It's time I stood on my own two feet

not wait for a hand to hold

It's time I opened the other door myself

and get used to feeling alone.

 

I'm tired of walking a mile

in someonelse's shoes

It's time I put my own back on

and enjoyed my slice of now.

 

 

If you read my post on Tuesday you will know I was dithering over doing something that scared me a little, something just for me. Please don't think any worse of me, remember I did say I am a wus, I was scared of driving. I know, I know stupid right. I was going to avoid something I enjoy just because it meant driving to a city that I have never driven in before and worse still having to do it alone!

 

Well I 'bit the bullet' (sorry Lou) and I went. I took myself to Liverpool and had a morning all to myself. I had a danish and a coffee walking through the city shops. I wandered down to the dock side buildings and stood for a moment; the breeze on my face, the taste of salt in the air, the sound of seagulls drifting around. Relaxed and energised I enjoyed an hour of beautiful art work at the Tate Liverpool. An exhibition of impressionist art work was what I had gone to see. The later paintings of my favourite artist Monet, mentioned before here, were on display along with some work from Turner and Twombly.

 

 

I may post about the exhibition and the thoughts it stirred in me at a later date. I will however say that; I smiled, I laughed (quietly to myself), I sat and floated with the waterlilies, I cried (see definitely a wus) yes a painting brought me to tears! I don't know if it is the memories I have attached to the Monet pieces, or the way the Twombly works seem to depict the turmoil I feel of the here and now but I have become an emotional wreck in the space of one day. It is as if someone has messed with my emotional switch. I have felt more creatively alive in the last 24 hours, I am just not sure why it has to come with an emotional roller coaster ride!