Wandering at the Shadows' Edge

exploring potential and possibility

Archive for the category “Spotlight”

08 Aug 2019

Revisiting the Shadows

Sometimes you just have to travel back to someplace you’ve already been. That’s true when it comes to places, projects, stories, and many other things.

At the moment, I’m traveling in the shadows I’ve already mapped, going back to things that are familiar and, in some cases, comforting. I need to start exploring again soon.

Work has been taking a lot of my mental energies, so I’ve been reading old favorites. They’re fun and easy since I’ve already read them at least once. That leaves my brain cycles available for other things.

What are those other things? Revising the second and third Double Helix books into to drafts I can give to an editor is part of it. I’ve also been doing some editing on Secrets and Shadows before I release it wide and in print. And I’ve been working on the short stories my mailing list gets for free. And then there’s the zero draft of the fourth Double Helix book. That’s most of the writing related stuff that’s not new.

I’m re-exploring the fiber arts as well. I need a new lanyard for work, so I warped up my inkle loom. I got a couple of inches dones then set it aside. I need to finish it because there are other weaving projects – new techniques – I want to try. Of course, I need to finish balling the yarn for some of those projects too!

I’ve been jotting down ideas and steps for completing some older SCA projects too. I need to practice specific calligraphy and illumination styles and figure out some fairly extensive blocking. I need to make a test batch of gesso, test some gilding options, and do some more research and practice on book binding.

I’m considering pulling an old project here out of the shadows. There’s a lot of negativity in the world and on social media right now. And there are a lot of people doing their parts to make things a little better, a little easier, a little nicer. They need to be seen though, and all too often they aren’t. So I think I may bring the spotlight back. There’s light in the shadows, though we usually only see the dark.

Hmm….

It looks like I’m not quite ready to start mapping new paths in the shadows yet. But I’ll get there.

Are you revisiting old maps or exploring new ones?

Posted in Bookbinding, Calligraphy & Illumination, General Wandering, Inkle Weaving, Modern, SCA, Spotlight, Writing | Leave a Comment
17 Jan 2018

Spotlight: Kelly Paige Standard

Here’s the first Spotlight for 2018:

Kelly Paige Standard

Kelly is an extremely talented artist who has worked in several different media but she’s currently making her living mostly by her oil painting.  I’ve known her since she and my sister were in high school together and her art has only gotten better. She does all kinds of paintings – portraits, pets, still lifes, fantasical images. She’s incredibly creative.

You can find her on Facebook  and at her website.

Here are a couple of samples of her work: The first is my sister’s first Great Dane, Zoe and the second is part of a series of paintings that Kelly used my sister as the model for. Although the second one has a price listed, I believe that it did sell.

Posted in General Wandering, Modern, Spotlight | Leave a Comment
03 Jan 2018

The Wandering Plan for 2018

I started and ended 2017 pretty well here…. the middle was a bit of a mess. I don’t want that to happen again. So here’s the plan and how I intend to stick to it.

  • I’m committing to one post a week here.  I may, at times, post more often, but the commitment is once a week.
  • I’m scheduling craft, reading, and posting time every week. So I’ll have projects and books to post about.
  • I’m setting up drafts for posts 3 months at a time. In most cases they’re just titles and a few notes bit they are ready and waiting.

And what will I be posting about?

  • I’m bringing back the Spotlights
  • I’ll be sharing my favorite authors and books
  • I’ve set myself a goal to work on a crafting project every day and I’ll be posting  updates on my progress
  • The actual projects themselves… some calligraphy, iconography, weaving, sewing, costuming, needlework, bookbinding, crochet and other fiber arts… And who knows what else.

I’m planning on exploring a lot of the shadows in 2018 and recording what I discover. Come wander with me.

Posted in Book Reviews, Cooking, Fiber Arts, General Wandering, Modern, Paper Arts, SCA, Spotlight and tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
09 Jan 2017

Spotlight – Bethany Powell and Unlock Coaching

Today’s spot is going in yet another direction. One of the people I met at the Sirens Conference is a writer, but she also offers a unique take on life coaching. She targets her coaching toward those in the more creative fields. Being a writer herself, she has some insights the average life coach may not.

In Bethany’s own words on the Unlock Coaching website:

Are You Pursuing Your Dreams?

Or are you scraping for energy to write after work?

Unable to find focus for art projects on the weekends?

Wishing you had time for both work and play?

UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL FOR MORE WITH COACHING.

Bethany is a lovely person to be around, and she has the ability to help you see where you need to make changes to improve your creative efforts and feel better overall. And I think creatives, even more than those that don’t pursue creative endeavors, sometimes need some help keeping that creative well full and flowing while balancing the more mundane tasks life requires.

You can find information on Unlock Coaching and Bethany on her site, linked above, and on Facebook. She coaches both in-person and long-distance.

If you’re feeling like you could be doing better, doing more, take a look. You never know how a different set of creative eyes might be able to help you out.

Posted in General Wandering, Modern, Spotlight and tagged , , | Leave a Comment
06 Jan 2017

Spotlight: Courtney Phi

Last time I spotlighted a group of people. This time I’m putting the spotlight on just one person who is talented in a multitude of artistic and creative areas

Courtney Phi Art

Courtney Phi Art

Her name is Courtney. She does everything from fine art and calligraphy to sewing and embroidery. She inspires my own creative efforts but she’s so good at everything that sometimes I’m also intimidated by her talent.

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, she does personalized, calligraphed Hogwarts Acceptance letters. If you’re in the market for a special piece of artwork, she has an incredible eye and works in many different media.

You can find her on Facebook, purchase art and calligraphy at her Etsy store,  or support her art and creative efforts over on Patreon.  And if you can’t afford to purchase her art but still want to support and encourage her art, please tell your friends and family who might be in the market for a special gift or piece of artwork. Share these links on social media. Drop her a message on her Facebook page.  Shine a little light in her direction.

 

 

Posted in Calligraphy & Illumination, Modern, Paper Arts, SCA, Spotlight and tagged , , | Leave a Comment
03 Jan 2017
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Spotlight: Krypton Radio

My first spotlight for this year is not an individual, but rather a whole group of creative and fun people. I spend most of my New Year’s 3-day weekend listening to internet radio – specifically:

Krypton Radio – it’s Sci-Fi for your Wi-Fi!
Krypton Radio - it's Sci-Fi for your Wi-Fi!

Krypton Radio was created in 2009 by Gene Turnbow and friends because they wanted a geek radio station to listen to while gaming. If you’re a geek or fan of speculative fiction, movies, games, anime, or anything along those lines, this is a station for you.

In their own words

Krypton Radio plays an eclectic mix of music from the entire spectrum of nerd culture. We also play old time radio serials, and even have geek DJ’s. We’re the only station in the world that plays music the fans make themselves. We have geek-centric talk shows, radio dramas and a ton of geek tunes. It’s all family safe, so yes, if you’re a kid, or are old enough to have kids, everybody can listen.

Visit their site, give them a  listen. You can stream the station on your computer or mobile device, and listen in-game on Second Life, InWorldz, and Open Sim.

If you like what you hear, give them a shout out on social media. You can find them on Facebook and Twitter. If you’d like to support them, for as little as $1 per month, you can do so at Patreon.

Posted in General Wandering, Modern, Spotlight and tagged , , , ,

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