tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post724271917561466428..comments2023-10-11T04:09:53.564-07:00Comments on materfamilias writes: On the Wall: Self-Expression and Play and Vulnerabilitymaterfamiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-8314650801860283692018-03-29T08:10:05.255-07:002018-03-29T08:10:05.255-07:00Thank you, K -- I will channel you next time I'...Thank you, K -- I will channel you next time I'm hearing my MIC. I probably need to take some responsibility, and step up my feminist language, get rid of those adjectives. . . materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-75149204054333632212018-03-29T08:08:19.024-07:002018-03-29T08:08:19.024-07:00Yes, we are better off, I think, if we can enjoy t...Yes, we are better off, I think, if we can enjoy the journey as much as the destination . . . materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-29810579258955558662018-03-29T08:07:29.816-07:002018-03-29T08:07:29.816-07:00;-) Oh, I know about that!;-) Oh, I know about that!materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-19409664308804568642018-03-27T23:59:22.317-07:002018-03-27T23:59:22.317-07:00Yes, of course I meant preferring Instagram to blo...Yes, of course I meant preferring Instagram to blogging. Breakfast-time blog commenting doesn't always mean the ageing brain is wakened up!Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11269887100694066103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-60501325017338829042018-03-27T20:34:49.544-07:002018-03-27T20:34:49.544-07:00I'm so pleased you decided to let your comment...I'm so pleased you decided to let your comment stay here -- it's an important and courageous demonstration of letting go of those vulnerabilities that can hold us back from new experiences. I think you'll find this is mostly a safe space for sharing. (and the duplicate comment has been deleted below ;-)materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-86436258584730448862018-03-27T16:52:12.461-07:002018-03-27T16:52:12.461-07:00Mater, my feelings and the words expressed regardi...Mater, my feelings and the words expressed regarding your post is still true today as they were yesterday. Being mortified was what I felt, after re-reading those unnecessary bits inserted about myself in the comments. A faux pas I aimed not to repeat. So please will you let my comments stand, for what I wrote about your art and writing genuinely came from the heart. Thank you for your gentle reply to what you've rightly intuited as a lack of self confidence. Writing and expressing myself well in English is tantamount to carrying around that proverbial sign "kick me". <br />The internet at its best is a beautiful place to learn and fill up on others sharing and generosity, at its worst is the least likely place to show any vulnerability. Sometimes to feel the pulse of life and be alive, we put on that second layer of skin, with hopes it covers most of the warts and imperfections take a deep breath and dive into the deep. Those moments are always refreshing and unforgettable. Thank you Mater for the strong, smart and wise woman that you are. And the same regards to all your readers in this blog. Sincerely. <br />~AM<br /><br />PS: will you kindly deleted the duplicate reply at the very bottom after Dottoressa's comment. Again oh lordy...:) thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-36523570871248720422018-03-27T16:41:56.714-07:002018-03-27T16:41:56.714-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-8532504271586690712018-03-27T08:59:32.682-07:002018-03-27T08:59:32.682-07:00Those who have never heard of electric kettles...!...Those who have never heard of electric kettles...! Reminds me of my immigration to Canada 47 years ago. mater, I admired your collage, then read the post. Please tell your Mean Inner Critic to take a long hike. I wonder if a man would describe his work as "my little collage" and "privileged play". IME they are far less likely to do so.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-2591417365112864312018-03-27T08:57:04.508-07:002018-03-27T08:57:04.508-07:00Lovely and interesting!
I think that there is more...Lovely and interesting!<br />I think that there is more joy and love in the journey( and not necessary the destination):playing,learning,seeking,exploring inspiration and creativity....<br />Linda's question is a good one indeed -I agree with her (although in my case it was the child :-)) <br />Dottoressa<br />DottoressaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-78309564565544179592018-03-27T07:26:16.204-07:002018-03-27T07:26:16.204-07:00Good question.
I think I may always have been pla...Good question. <br />I think I may always have been playful enough, but never had confidence that I had the skills. And I was fortunate enough to take a class (given by a close friend) that showed me I could acquire enough skill to get started and enjoy the process. <br />Do you mean that showing rather than telling is why you prefer Instagram over blogging? If so, I'm very close to agreeing, except that just when I think I'd rather just do IG, I find I want more words. In the end, I still really love the words. . . ;-) (ludique/ludic being a good example. . . materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-87605863548134352192018-03-27T07:20:12.181-07:002018-03-27T07:20:12.181-07:00Ali, this is a really interesting insight, and it ...Ali, this is a really interesting insight, and it really resonates. It's very true that my island home allowed me to express creativity without being particularly conscious I was doing that. So now to continue finding ways to let me city home do that in a different way....materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-59578186485063635232018-03-27T07:17:43.991-07:002018-03-27T07:17:43.991-07:00I see that! It's true, although I never did th...I see that! It's true, although I never did the Style photography nor the flat-lay or Polyvore-type collages you did. But from the moment I started blogging, I've loved putting together words and pictures. Something about blogging itself has slowly brought me to this appreciation of the visual. . . interesting....materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-81135539677565569092018-03-27T07:14:23.864-07:002018-03-27T07:14:23.864-07:00Isn't that so true?! We can think of the creat...Isn't that so true?! We can think of the creative approaches for our students to take, but it's tougher to let ourselves just play, go random, make mistakes. Carry on with that sneaking up -- go on, you'll have fun! No perhaps about it! ;-)materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-77757220166393047512018-03-27T07:13:06.668-07:002018-03-27T07:13:06.668-07:00I so disliked all that kind of paperwork, and the ...I so disliked all that kind of paperwork, and the decision-making involved. I think there's something very freeing in the visual for those of us whose strength has seemed to be verbal. The expectations are more relaxed, for one thing, but I think there's something else going on that eventually, inevitably, gets transferred back into the writing. Different neural pathways? I don't know, but it's good for me at the moment.. .and might be for you as well...materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-60675562471145625422018-03-27T07:09:30.139-07:002018-03-27T07:09:30.139-07:00One of my daughters is taking a pottery class righ...One of my daughters is taking a pottery class right now and loving it -- she invited me to take it with her, but I didn't feel ready to take on another activity. Interesting what you say about the Gilbert book -- you might be right, and it probably didn't help that I had it out from the library at a time too busy for sitting with it. I'll have a peek in again, thanks.materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-72382032111874005922018-03-27T07:06:58.947-07:002018-03-27T07:06:58.947-07:00Oh, I think that collage with photography and wate...Oh, I think that collage with photography and water colour has infinite possibilities, and you've obviously got a good eye and many transferable skills from your needlework. materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-27041177305547680452018-03-27T07:05:29.716-07:002018-03-27T07:05:29.716-07:00I miss your classes very much, but I think the one...I miss your classes very much, but I think the ones at VanDusen will be good for me. . . ;-)materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-41709758456377359522018-03-27T07:04:36.764-07:002018-03-27T07:04:36.764-07:00am: if you would truly like to delete what you'...am: if you would truly like to delete what you've written, ask me again, and I'll do that for you. But let me tell you that I was so pleased to read both comments when I first saw them, and my first instinct was to applaud and to assure you there was no need to apologize for any "hijacking." The kind of realization you come to here, about the way you learned to see your own creativity and artistic abilities -- despite obviously having them in spades as manifest by your woodblock prints -- echoes my own five-decades-long labelling of myself as "not artistic." I hope that you continue to join in the conversations here now that our virtual cup of tea together has got you chatting. . . (and please know that I often freeze up the same way after seeing my words go out in a post, and I wonder what I was thinking to publish them -- it's vulnerable-making. Also, I will repeat that if you truly want your words deleted, I can do that, but I hope you'll let them stay)materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-69480781750184111552018-03-27T03:05:21.045-07:002018-03-27T03:05:21.045-07:00oh lordy, i thought it was a mug of tea i was drin...oh lordy, i thought it was a mug of tea i was drinking but apparently not or so it seems from my comments above. mater, will you please delete my silly comments. they are factual but not applicable to your post. too bad i can't blame a full moon. thank you and kind regards.<br /><br />~am Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-9753309016837126292018-03-27T00:20:48.649-07:002018-03-27T00:20:48.649-07:00Mater, I want to come clean after whining about no...Mater, I want to come clean after whining about not having any artistic talents. In high school art classes, I found that I was good in woodblocking. My art teacher asked me to submit one of my woodblock prints as an elective for the School Certificate. I scored a 93 not perfect but pretty good. The School C is the equivalent of the ACT or SAT here in America. After reading Ali's comment, it hits home. Although I take an artistic liberty with home and garden, I should take a woodblock class again. See if I can go through an entire course without cutting one of my hands with a chisel or a knife. :) Sorry for hijacking your comment section. Promise not to ever do it again! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-87325307466035377112018-03-27T00:04:59.986-07:002018-03-27T00:04:59.986-07:00Some disjointed responses: I am really enjoying se...Some disjointed responses: I am really enjoying seeing 'le regard' that you bring to the world. <br />Do you think you are more playful in your creativity now that you have grandchildren? I don't mean childish, but giving yourself permission not to be constrained by learned structures such as the written word. 'Ludique' is the French word that springs to mind.<br />Showing rather than telling is the attraction for me of blogging over Instagram at the moment.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11269887100694066103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-73960591884841337502018-03-26T20:59:58.281-07:002018-03-26T20:59:58.281-07:00When you lived in your island home, your creativit...When you lived in your island home, your creativity was visible in the garden. Even picking up random pieces of driftwood and placing them is creative. I believe each of us has to be able to create in some way. It is encoded in our DNA. I love watching new resident of our island discover their latent artistic ability....and being totally surprised that they can do this or that. It allowing ourselves to play and getting out of our heads.<br />Or something like that.....<br />Ali<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-43262966518782660992018-03-26T20:02:10.268-07:002018-03-26T20:02:10.268-07:00What you are getting out of art, I got out of phot...What you are getting out of art, I got out of photography and collages etc. when my blog focused on style. I think playing with the purely visual is a really wonderful complement to the wordage we're involved in.LPChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18209861350905135093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-79760649661723689802018-03-26T17:38:04.866-07:002018-03-26T17:38:04.866-07:00I love collages, and anything done with mixed medi...I love collages, and anything done with mixed media. I admire so much your moving in different creative directions, Frances. I remember encouraging students to play with "found poetry" and making my own definition for that term, involving pulling everything and anything together to make meaning. Funny, I've always been much more creative in asking students to push boundaries than in pushing my own. Even though I think I'm sneaking up on being ready to push some of mine. Maybe. Perhaps. :)Sue Burpeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07282970328494769657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-92196277724520632662018-03-26T16:05:42.190-07:002018-03-26T16:05:42.190-07:00Dear Mater, I was looking at the picture of the co...Dear Mater, I was looking at the picture of the collage prior to reading your post and was quite taken by the arrangements of the cutouts and the interspersing of the earth tone colors. The old Tivoli wall in Italy and its similarity to the Indigenous art in your corner of the world makes me think deeply about your words "Travel to bring us home". No truer words than what's on your collage. That wall in Portland is beautiful, seeing it thru the lens of your camera. When the Great Spirit in the Sky, Mother Nature or whichever Gods handed out artistic talents, the Artistic bucket was empty when it was my turn. So it's an exciting feeling for me when I think I get a drift of what the artist or a piece of art is trying to convey (or maybe I'm just fooling myself). Funny thing is my mother and most of my siblings are artistic and creative. A brother who is a very good painter once told me I was adopted. LOL. Well, now I'm rambling on...I better saying thank your for sharing your creative talents and writings. I enjoy your words very much! BTW you never know what will make a long time lurker comes out of hiding and leave a comment. Your "Tea" post from Portland did it for me. I love a good cup of tea. :)<br />~AMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com