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I find inspiration in a lot of forms. I love to watch movies and binge watch shows. I enjoy music and listen to podcasts. I love walking outside and focusing on little things, for example, a flower or a bee. This is what inspires me. Another thing that inspires me is my teachers. One specific […]

I just learned about vision boards. I'm assuming I'm far behind on this trend, but I'm excited about it nonetheless

Following every blog post, book signing, or any other thing to do with my writing, I end with two words that are very inspiring to me; “Dream Big.”  I have been thinking about these two words what they actually mean to me. Everyone has dreams, whether they are dreams for the distant future, or even dreams for the near future.  It is up to each of us to make our “dreams” come true.  It all depends on how much we want it and what we are willing to do to make it happen.

I have many dreams and aspirations.  My dreams are goals that I set for myself.  Some dreams are big; Some dreams are small.  Whatever they may be, I always try to do my best to accomplish them.  Many of my dreams have already become a reality, which feels like an amazing success.  At the opposite end of that spectrum, I have many dreams and goals I have yet to accomplish.  Knowing that I haven’t accomplished such goals sometimes makes me frustrated, but it just makes me work even harder.  I often times find myself making new dreams, or just adding more steps and benchmarks to current ones to make them bigger and better.

For many years, I have had my story  “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge” written.  It took a long time for me to put my mind towards my final goal of getting it published.  I ran into many road blocks along the way which made me lose track.  After being off that track for a while, suddenly, something would spark inspiration inside of me and make me get back to it.  In 2013, I finally reached my goal.  I self-published “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge.”  My dream was completed…or was it?  No, it was only the beginning of a much more complex, more ambitious dream which I had really only scratched the surface of.  My dream and goals for “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge,” is to now get it “out there.”  I want  people to know who the Bunny Baron is, I want the Bunny Baron to become a household name.  My small dream has now expanded into something huge!  It will take time, persistence, and ambition on my part to achieve this next milestone.

So, what does “Dream Big” mean?  Set short term goals. Set long term goals.  Even if you may not be able to attain these goals, have something to strive for and something to keep moving you forward.  If you do reach these goals, don’t stop there.  Make yourself more goals to hit.  It is always a great feeling when you accomplish a dream.  Never stop dreaming…Dream Big.

Thinking about my own dreams and goals, I created the following list:

My current dreams:

1). Get out of Wisconsin and move to a warmer climate where I can enjoy the outdoors all year-round.

2). Continue working on the “Bunny Baron” series and get more stories published.

3). Work on SEO for my website so I can have a larger audience and be successful selling my stories.

4). Have my books become a business to support my family.

5). Branch out of the “Bunny Baron” books and expand my portfolio with different types of stories.

6). Continue going on vacations with my wife and experiencing the world.

This is only a short list of many dreams I have for myself.  I feel it is a broad spectrum of short term dreams and long term dreams.  This list of goals is a great visual for myself to see what I want to do, and is a great way to keep on track.  I will continue trying my hardest to make each and every one of them come true.

Dream Big!

This past week, I was very happy to hear a heartwarming story about my own story, “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge.”  I wanted to share it because it is very cute and uplifting.

Cannon K.’s elementary school has “secret reader” readings throughout the year.  This is where someone surprises the class and reads a book to everyone.  Clues are given to the class every day leading up the the end of the week, trying to get the class to figure out who the secret reader will be.

The clues were all issued, and the class had it determined that it was Cannon’s Dad, however, he was supposed to be in Chicago for the day.  The time came, and it was Cannon’s dad!  He was so happy  and so surprised!  Mr K. brought in “Adventures of the Bunny Baron: Captain Barnacle’s Revenge” and read it aloud to the class.  It is one of Cannon’s favorite books and he was so happy to be able to share it with his class, and even better have his dad read it to everyone!  Not only did he treat everyone with the story, but Mr. K also brought in a healthy snack in honor of the pirate Captain Barnacle called “Pirates Booty.”

It is always a great treat for me to hear how well received my stories are and how people like to share them with others.  They are obviously intended to be liked, but it is great to be able to see them “in action.”  Thank you Cannon and Mr. K for sharing your great story with me.

One of my favorite things is Terry Gross’s show, Fresh Air, on NPR. I especially love the interviews with actors and writers. Lately I’ve been listening to the podcasts while I’m doing something boring, like folding laundry.

Sometimes there just aren’t enough of Fresh Air interviews, though, so I’ve been looking for more conversations with authors and artists. Here are a few good ones I’ve found:

This Creative Life, created by YA author Sara Zarr (who btw also blogs here). There are interviews with a lot of writers and other creatives about how they work and live. I especially enjoyed the one with author Andrew Auseon (who is also a video game designer).

Mini studio-tours with artists at Little Scraps of Paper make me smile so much. The one above is of three collaborators who make these wacky wonderful costumey-snuggie-kind-of-things. Trust me, you just have to watch it. The videos are so beautifully filmed and just the right size for a quick pick-me-up. Thank you to Blair Stocker of Wisecraft for this hot tip.

Here’s a video of young fashion blogger/ Rookie magazine editor Tavi speaking at TEDxTeen about the strong female characters she’s looking for, and not always finding. YA writers, if you don’t know Tavi, you SHOULD!

What about you? Do you have any favorite creativity-related podcasts?

And by the way, are you on Twitter? I’ve been on it for years but am really just now learning the language and getting into it. I’m discovering all kinds of things there, including some of the above links. Meet me on Twitter @emilysmithpearc

A few other random things:

-Speaking of talks about art and writing, if you’re in the Charlotte area, check out the April meeting for the Women’s National Book Association (yes, men, you can join us, too): Monday, April 22, 6:30 – 8:30 PM at Consolidated Planning. The talk is titled “Latin American and Latino Women Writers and Literature in Translation.” More details here.

-Did you hear about the break in the Isabella Stewart Gardner art heist case? Soooo exciting. I used to work down the street from this lovely, one-of-a-kind museum.

-Saw Natalie Merchant the other night with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. Great show. Her new material is as complex and thought-provoking as ever, though I have to admit my favorite part was the 90′s set she did for an encore. The nostalgia factor is hard to beat. Seriously, what pipes she’s got—and what a talented songwriter.

-Lastly, I love this DIY magic potion kit over at Elsie Marley.

What’s got you inspired these days?

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you may remember my first encounter with real Easter grass, in my son’s German kindergarten. I was almost amazed at the simple thought of growing something that we’d always bought manufactured from plastic, in plastic bags.

But really, it’s the simplest, easiest thing you could ever grow, and the payoff is huge.  This year, we’re growing our own at home. I’m just as excited as the kids to watch the green pop up.

I got a package of wheat grass seeds from the garden center, we filled some pots, lay the seeds on top, and watered. My son, now 5, told us not to cover the seeds with any dirt.

And shazam!

It’s got me singing Now the green blade riseth…

P.S. The lovely bird pot was a gift from our friend Sally Brotman, she of chicken kebab fame I love, love this pot!

I scooped up these beauties at the last Waldorf craft basar we attended in Germany. I got them as much for myself as for the kids.

Don’t the stove and tiny pot, just like, kill you? I realize it’s hard to tell the scale here, but the pot has about the same circumference as an acorn top. I’m powerless before this kind of stuff. Makes me want to take up whittling, because, you know, I totally need another creative hobby.

Acorn dishes!

A teensy Fair Isle cape!

I think one of the things I like best about these is the bark. For some reason it never occurs to me to make things out of actual sticks from trees.

Hope you had a good weekend. I’m pressing forward on my novel revisions, though I had a reminder this morning of just how slow I am when I looked at where I was last year this same week. Yipes!

Are you in a reflective mood about what you’ve done over the past year? Celebrating goals met? Making new ones?

Hey! Just thought I’d share a little of what I’ve been reading/ plan to read.

From the top, Writers I’ve Met and Liked is a blank journal given to me by my friend Bettina. It makes me happy just to look at it. But at the same time sad to think how far away she is now (in Germany).

I picked up A Single Shard by Newbery winner Linda Sue Park when I was in Montpelier for the Vermont College alumni mini-residency (which was great, BTW). Ms. Park was the keynote speaker, and let me tell you, this is the woman I want to be when I grow up. She is a serious writer. Such a wordcrafter. She’s also a gifted teacher, a  downright cool person, and has a big, kind heart. I was totally inspired. This copy is signed by LSP herself, as is The Kite Fighters.

Up next is Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder, lent to me by my eight-year-old. I decided to re-read (or in some cases read for the first time) the whole series after enjoying Little House On the Prairie so much with the family. Seriously, the woman has got some mad skilz. There’s a reason these books have survived. I’m loving the full-color illustrations in this edition—-go ahead and sue me, purists!

Yes, I realize Jonah Lehrer’s Imagine, about the nature of creativity, has since been recalled, but I’m finishing it anyway since I was already halfway through when I found out. More on that another time. Purchased at lovely Bayswater Books in Center Harbor, New Hampshire.

Also from Bayswater Books is Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby, an old friend from Vermont College.  Oh, the cover is so delicious. Can’t wait to read it.

Then Nueva Salsa from the library. Sadly, I didn’t have a chance to try any of them out, but I’m going to check it out again. Some very interesting combos.

Then Vintage Craft Workshop, a gift from my friend Jamie. I especially loved reading the histories of Aleene’s Tacky Glue and Mod Podge.

Slipcovers—I flirted briefly with the idea of trying to silpcover an old chair, then decided it was just too big a project and swapped the chair instead. Again from the library. It’s a little dated, but the technical info and photos are solid. Appears to be out of print.

Handmade Home, also from the library. Can you tell how much I’m enjoying having access to a full-fledged English-language library? This is a beautiful, beautiful book, and during those awful days when our stuff arrived and the house was a fruitbasket turnover, I’d look at these pages and dream of such cozy, inviting spaces. Oh the handmade wool blankets! The European cottages! The made-from-scratch furniture!

And lastly, also from the library, Reinvention by blogger Maya Donenfeld of mayamade. A book after my own heart, about making new things out of thrifted/ recycled fibers. I’ll never look at a wool blanket or suit the same way again.

Speaking of fibers, I’m currently making a throw blanket out of some inherited silk. Yeah, gettin’ fancy.

Also, watching some great new shows: Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep and Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom.

Have you read anything good lately? Watched anything that’s worth seeing? Do share.

It’s that time of year again, when the German sun sets at 4 p.m. in a blanket of gray, and even a candlelight lunch doesn’t seem like a ridiculous idea.

In this season I always think of a poem by my friend Etta, and today she’s agreed to share it with us. Thanks so much, Etta.

MOON SHINE

I.

There is never enough light in winter.

Even in the room you chose

for its double window,

the sun barely gives enough

to read by.

*

I imagine you at your desk

scrambling to catch

what morning light there is.

II.

You have made me think about winter.

how the sun is closer to us

but its light is less:

an inverse, illogical proportion

that my science can explain but not excuse.

A tilting on the axis,

a simple change of wavelength,

hardly seems enough to cause

a melancholy season.

*

Winter’s saving grace

is cloudless night,

each star a perfect prick

in blue; midnight’s moonlight

compensates for gray noon,

bleeding cold life

through your thick curtains.

*

Etta Jensen-Barnes

Etta and I have been friends since first semester of our freshman year, when we took poetry with the late, great Robert Kirkpatrick. After that class, I became an English major and never looked back.

With so little light, I’m grateful to have the tree up and the advent wreath to light each day. Did you know German tree stands hold no water? We learned that this week. It’s traditional to get your tree on December 24th and to keep it up until January 6. Trees are cut much closer to the time of sale, so they don’t really need watering during that short period, I guess. We brought our American tree stand, so we’re watering ours anyway. Some habits die hard.

I love this idea for a children’s Christmas tree over at elsiemarley, and also check out her list of Christmas activities to do with the kids. I especially like this woven ornament idea from the crafty crow.

Also, randomly:

An editorial about amazon’s sneaky new promotion. But hey, hardcover book sales  in stores are up!

Also, I’m making progress on the sleeves for this. Maybe, maybe it’ll be done in time for Christmas. But I’m not above wrapping it up in pieces. Watch me.

Also making progress on my novel and trying to get an old nonfiction writing project restarted. Back to work.

4 Comments on Seasonally Affected, last added: 1/9/2012

What are you reading these days? I like to keep a little stack by the bed. And in the kitchen. And by the couch… and pretty much everywhere. Ever read If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler? Pretty much like the character described there.

I haven’t converted to an e-reader yet. I’m not anti-digital but I do so love the physical presence of a book. I trained in print-making, after all. I’m pretty much addicted to paper.

I ordered a few things recommended by friends. The Island at the Center of the World I stole from my husband’s night stand. That would be the absolute best way of finding new books.

Although now he’s got a kindle, and because there’s no cover I can never figure out what he’s reading. So every night I have to ask him.

Downton Abbey is of course a TV series, not a book. It’s a British show that’s supposed to be awesome, done by the same guy (Julian Fellowes) who did the movie Gosford Park.

I seem to be into British TV right now. We’ve been watching Doc Martin.

Meanwhile, I’ve been tackling a revision of my work in progress, a young adult novel. I found out about the shrunken manuscript technique here and can’t wait to dig into that. Also using the spreadsheet technique (from the same website) and reading Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. It’s nice to have some new approaches to the process.

A shout out to all the SCBWI folks who attended the talk in Berlin on Saturday. It was great to meet you all! What amazing weather we had, as we sat outside all afternoon and evening chatting about books. If you’re a writer or illustrator (or aspiring one) living in Germany or Austria, join us at our website here. You can also find us on facebook at Children’s Writers and Illustrators—-Germany. I’d love to see some more events and gatherings here in Northern Germany, so say “hi”  if you live up this way.

Have a great weekend!