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Learning learning learning! How not to do it.

18/9/2011

I swear writers are one of the most illogical creatures God put on Earth.

Here I am at a local Art Talk nd Networking event and joy - A writer is a guest speaker..

Most of the speakers at this type of event are visual artists and blabber along about how wonderful they are even though 99% of the audience have never herd their name. They talk about themselves, their background in art, their accomplishments (no matter how doubtful they are), and why they are the ants pants.

You would think a writer would do the same, wouldn't you? After all this is a captive audience, willing to listen to you speak. You only have 8 minutes

When I hear a writer talk I want to hear about their motivations, inspirations and what their book is about. I do not want to hear about their depression and nervous breakdown. Nor do I want to hear "I have published x books. Book 1 is called ABC, Book 2 is XYZ, Book 3 is......and so on up to Book x"

So the moral is - When I get my chance to address a group as a writer I MUST remember to speak of the motivations, the inspirations, what the book is about and incidents involved with writing the book (the research trip to England and the detour to the hospital because my contact got appendicitis and so on.

Support Local

14/8/2011

How often are we asked to support local businesses? We all look for the best value for the cheapest price. For some of us, the trade off is no contest. We have a limited amount of money and that is the deciding factor. It is then up to the local business to match the non-local business either in terms of money, quality, standards, materials etc.

When it comes to Art local support is absolutely essential. As a writer, I dream of winning a publishing contract with a big house that will pay me millions to write. Reality tells me to get of my backside and do the hard yakka, take the plunge, risk rejection after rejection etc. There are no publishing houses in my area who will take the risk of paying me a year's wage per book, do all the marketing and wipe the loss off if it doesn't sell. So The next best thing is to get the book printed myself and do the hard yakka.

What has brought this fit of the weepies on?

Simple. The local Agricultural show was on last weekend. Now local shows do a brilliant job of competing with larger shows and theme parks. My local show is ideally located for me (Down at the end of the road in fact.) It also has an Art section for the visual artist. Some years the standard is low, other years it is high. This year the standard is high and pretty much consistent across the board. However, there is not one piece of work that leaps off the wall and says 'Buy Me or else'. And it shows in the sales. The difficulty for the organisers now lies in how to get the artists with the WOW pieces to send them along next year. And why should artists send a painting worth $2000 along when the prize money is only $50? (of course Entry fee is onlyl a few dollars). However, the point is this: if local artists do not support the local opportunities provided by local organisations how can either one survive?

Enough of the weepies!

Moreton Bay Region has produced artists (visual, literary, and performing) of national and international standing. And the one thing they have in common is the fostering they receive at the local level. However, this fostering is always in danger of being snatched from them through lack of opportunity.

So please support your local arts organisation, whenever and wherever possible.

Getting Involved

24/7/2011

Getting Involved

24/7/2011

How often do you hear "get involved"?
I seem to hear it every week at least. And say it at least once a month.

And believe me, I used to think 'getting involved' would lead me to my dream job. I got involved with several peak art bodies as a volunteer and saw every job in those organisations turn over at least twice and sometimes 3 times. Unfortunately I was more valuable to them as a volunteer. Some one to do the dull, boring, routine jobs that a monkey could do standing on its head. Never mind the two degrees and three diplomas I hold. Oh that's right! They are business related and not art! So the jobs I would have loved to do and stuck at for 20 years went to artists who moved on to further their 'arts practice' within 12 months.

So what does 'getting involved' mean? Does it mean getting on committees to do some hard yakka in organisation? Does it mean offering to do 2 hours selling raffle tickets, walking around and chatting to visitors? Does it mean just showing up, smiling prettily and drinking wine in 'supporting' the event/ artist? Does it mean sending a cheque off as sponsorship and getting your name mentioned in all the material? - You tell me.

Now why am I getting all this off my chest?

Well you see, the other day I went to a little chat put on by the local municipal powers (in support of the arts). I found it - interesting (my son found it boring) even as I came to the conclusion that all 3 speakers were more concerned about praising themselves than explaining what the term 'unexpected art encounters' meant, and how it occurred.

Now what I gathered from that little talk has given me a few ideas for future reference. But did I get involved with the talk or the events?

Well to be honest I would say 'no'.

One reason is that those 'unexpected art events' were held at places I never go to. Nor did I know they were on (of course that would mean they were 'expected arts events' wouldn't it?)
Was I asked to get involved and participate? No. I go to an awful lot of these municipally sponsored and hosted art events but I had never heard of the speakers and I can safely say that they have never heard of me. Nor did I get to talk to them - they were too busy chatting with those friends that that came to support them. So I couldn't even offer to 'get involved' in future events. Nor could I extend the offer to them to 'get involved' with the groups I am involved with.

As a late comer to the arts scene, I find that my skills and knowledge is of less value than the lack of skills and knowledge a new comer to the arts scene. What of you?

Until next week
Happy writing.

Travellers Tales

17/7/2011

This exhibition at the Pine Rivers Art Gallery is a visual feast.
The mosaics were the pieces that really caught my eye and my attention.
These pieces are truly a visual delight and have given a new meaning to 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'. I have never seen so much bits of broken china and plateware (I do hope the artist scrounged the op-shops and local garbage tip and .did not buy the china. Smashing brand new china into pieces would break my heart.) woven into such vibrant and imaginative pieces.

Since becoming involved with visual artists, I am finding my own writing processes are developing and extending into other venues and down different avenues. Like visual art, there are many different forms of writing and each have their own set of skills and techniques. Where a writer can excel above the norm is by taking those skills and applying them to another area or form. For example, did you know that Lorna Doone (R.D. Blackmore) is written in Iambic Pentameter? (At least passages are). Nor did I until a few years ago.

I guess what I am saying is the same thing. Use what you know and use it in a different place. Lateral thinking is a term some people use for the exercise. Use adjectives, metaphors, similes etcetera in new ways. Have fun with words and their arrangements. Use places you've been to and transplant them into your writing. Who says that cosy little shack as to stay on the beach?

Until next time
Happy writing
Lexcia

Star Zero - Exhibition - Valori's Espresso Lounge, Scarborough, July, 2011

9/7/2011

Star Zero is an exhibition I collaborated on. The artist is Carol Schwarzman, and the exhibition is hers. Curator Therese Morgan, asked me to write a few pieces to complement Carol's artwork. When Therese asked me if I would write something for the exhibition I was a bit dubious - even negative. However, I have decided that I do want to take my writing further so I leapt in and gave it a try. I sent her two pieces to see if that is what she wanted. (I kinda hoped she would say no. Instead she said yes.) Therese then emailed me images of 3 pieces of Carol's artwork.

The theme of the Exhibition is Mapping. I was able to write pieces on this theme, in both prose and poetry.

2 pieces were inspired by images of Earth taken from the Apollo 11 Space mission. They are how I would imagine how a space farer would see Earth for the first time (Pretty Bauble and First Glimpse). This led me to think about how newly discovered lands could appear to explorers like Cook and Flinders after months at sea, and how they drew the first charts of that new land, and a third piece (Hidden Land) came into being. The fourth piece is Finger Painting and is an interpretative piece on one of Carol's maps.

As many good writers know, describing a physical place is one thing, but we are never content with that. We move on and try to describe the world of the mind. Mirror, Mirror, is inspired by both one of Carol's works and a legend of a mirror that reflects not the physical appearance but the true nature of a person. My last attempt at writing to the theme is 'The Dark World'. This piece is lifted from an unpublished manuscript of mine and tells the character's journey back to consciousness.

So!
To Summarise
My first attempt at Collaboration was not as daunting as I first dreaded. I actually enjoyed it.
Would I do another? If the right one came along, yes.

Thank you Therese, for coming up with the idea and asking me. And thank you, Carol, for allowing me to collaborate with you.

Fellow writers - if the opportunity is presented to you - take the plunge and give it a shot.

Until Next week,
Yours in Writing
Lexcia

EOFYS is here

30/6/2011

Yes it is that time of year, and a delightful time it is too.
Where did the first half go? No answer there. Besides tax time, it is a good time to take stock of different things and look at refining a few things.

Like New Year's Resolutions. I don't think I made any this year. Well, not definite ones. Any I did make were a bit vague. I have to say There has only been one year where I made a New Year's Resolution and acted on it.

Did I get any of my grand plans and new ideas under way? Well yes. I launched my book, and I'm well into getting the second novel under way. - Oops I was supposed to up load that this week. - Maybe next month. I did get it edited by an outside person, though. Now I have to work through those revisions.

Like all the best laid plans of mice and men, something always crops up to send me off on a tangent. Like my collaboration in Star Zero. Never really thought of doing that. And my Creative Writing Clinic. I learnt a lot from that. I'm going to look at developing that next year.

However, some things have finally come together after many 'I should's' This website is one of those. I've talked about it for over 12 months. It is still not perfect and I am learning a few things. However, things are looking beter. Now, for phase 2...

So thinking back, I have achieved quite a few things n the first 6 months of this year. Now to make the second 6 months as productive.

First Post!

23/6/2011

For many years I never thought about even trying to get published. One, I never thought I was good enough. Two, I was just happy to write. Three, I didn't know where to start. Four, I didn't have an ego.
The catalyst for me was realising how good a writer I truly was. I was on the panel that read the first submissions for an Anthology of short stories a group I am involved in decided to do. When I read those submissions, and some were from self-published writers, I really had to evaluate my own writing and discovered I was way up the top of the list.
Since then I have taken some giant leaps. It is a real boost (to the ego, morale, and self confidence,) when three of your bosses buy a book each.

Forward>>

Learning learning learning! How not to do it.

Support Local

Getting Involved

Getting Involved

Travellers Tales

Star Zero - Exhibition - Valori's Espresso Lounge, Scarborough, July, 2011

EOFYS is here

First Post!

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