I wait for the spider to attack its prey. I wait for the sky to fall. I wait for something to happen. Anything that will alleviate this dreadful feeling I have. I’d like some relief from this horrible sensation that possesses my body. Something is about to happen here but I can’t imagine what it will be. All I know is I can feel it in my bones. Wait – forget all that. I know what’s going to happen; it happens every night around this time. It’s the feeling that I’ll once again be part of a weather disturbance that seems to accumulate around our dining room table.

Perhaps you’ve guessed –  it’s dinner time at our house. We live in a tiny little town called Hone (not to be confused with ‘home’). Dinner is always eaten together around our little oak table in the dining room, and no doubt, like every other night before this one, the temperature will rise and you just never know what’s next. I wait for tonight’s climatic changes. It usually starts with my brother Francis. Mom says he’s different. He sure is different, just ask anyone. Sometimes I wish something really horrible would happen, like my brother would choke on his broccoli and die. Or my dad would tell my mom he’s leaving her for Mrs. Bensmold next door. Or that my other brother Benjamin would turn into a frog or something. But nothing thrilling like that ever happens around here. It’s usually just another meal we all eat together – my parents, my brothers and my Aunt Gabby. Yet for some reason, it seems to me, there’s always some kind of charge in the air that causes everyone at the table to go crazy. It seems we can’t eat one meal together without some sort of fight.

The dinner is always prepared by my mother; she’s the Queen of The Kitchen. My mother mostly talks on the phone while she’s cooking, helping some poor soul, as she’d put it. She helps people who have problems. My Mom is like the town shrink. I wish she would shrink Francis. We should have a sign on our front door like that Peanuts character Lucy. My mom’s kinda like her.

My Dad sits in the living room while Mom talks on the phone and gets the dinner ready. He doesn’t mind though, he has his drink and his newspaper to preoccupy him until we’re ready to sit at the table. My dad is home from a long day on the road. That’s what he does, he sells stuff on the road. Not literally, you know, but he travels to different places selling things. I really don’t know what he sells but I’m pretty sure it’s important. My brothers are in their rooms probably listening to the radio. That’s their favorite thing to do. I help my mom with the setting of the table because, well, nobody else will and I worry that I’ll be evicted from my room if I don’t help around the house.

My mother hangs up the phone and grabs a drink as well and makes her way into the living room where my father is relaxing. Her apron flaps as she walks and her nylons make that swish-swish sound. Cigarette smoke, like a shroud, engulfs her as she moves, following alongside her like a constant companion. I hear her trying to get my father’s attention but he’s engrossed in his newspaper. Then I hear them discussing the day’s events – who said what, who went where, that sort of stuff. I listen but usually don’t know what they’re talking about. I don’t say anything, I just do my job and keep quiet while they talk. I’m sorta like the maid.

Eventually my father calls everyone for dinner. Nobody moves. Everyone ignores the call, ensconced in their own little projects. My father doesn’t respond well to this reaction from his children so he yells at them to hurry up and get downstairs for dinner. He yells very loud, and then my mother yells at him to stop yelling. At this point I know that the temperature is going to change. I try to ignore my parents’ arguing. I can’t though, it’s too hard. And like I said, the temperature’s rising. My brothers are younger than I am and they forget sometimes that there are rules. I wish my dad would take that into consideration, the fact that they’re young and immature. One of my brothers is also autistic which really adds some heat to the scene. But Dad is a stickler for rules, no matter what. Rule number one is always listen to your father. When he calls you, you’d better be standing in front of him within seconds.

Everyone is at the table. I wish I were somewhere else, frankly. I wish I were dancing with a movie star in the house we own in the Hollywood hills. Dinner always begins with grace. We take turns saying grace and tonight it’s my brother Ben’s turn. He’s ready for the assignment and we manage to get through grace without a scene. It’s not the same when Francis has his turn, believe me, but that’s another story. We listen to the conversation my parents and my Aunt Gabby are having. We’re not to participate. We’re only kids after all. We aren’t asked any questions about our day or what we did in school. Children are to be seen and not heard and sometimes it’s better if they’re not even seen. That would be rule number two I suppose.

Like a tennis tournament, our heads bob back and forth from Mother to Father as their conversation begins to heat up again. I try to ignore it. I try to fantasize about my house in Hollywood but to no avail. The tournament is now in full swing. “Get your elbows off the table, Francis.” “Boys, please don’t chew with your mouth open.” “Benjamin, elbows! How often do I have to say this?”

My brothers are oblivious to what they’re saying. Am I the only one that can hear them?

“Francis, stop that, it’s disgusting. Rita, are you paying attention to how your boys are behaving at the table?”

“Oh James, stop pestering the boys, they’re trying to eat their supper.” Francis and Benjamin have my mother wrapped around their little fingers.

Now the climatic change is about to shift once again. My father slams his hands on the table to show us who’s boss. It usually works too. We usually get it when he does that; the message is loud and clear.

“Oh sure Rita, we’ll just let our kids go out into the world and be pigs. That’s fine with you, is it?”

“Oh James, just stop it, please.” She’s about to start crying. My mother has my father wrapped around her finger. “You see the pattern here, don’t you? I can’t take this every night, I just can’t. Can we not have just one night without this sort of chaos going on? Just stop it, all of you!”

My mother’s screaming at my father, and the rest of us, for that matter. You’re included even though you had nothing to do with it, with what just transpired. It’s your fault that Francis and Ben are pigs, though you played no part in the drama. You may as well have because one wrong look and you can have wrath fall upon you. Apparently everyone sitting at the table is guilty of making Mom cry. Even Aunt Gabby. Does Mom not know that I was sitting perfectly still, minding my own business the whole time? Sitting quietly, making friends with the potatoes and carrots? I didn’t want to be part of this so-called human hurricane in the dining room.

The atmosphere is heavy now and I just want to run and hide. There’s no way out though. You’re stuck in your chair until you’re excused. My mother is still crying. Finally she gets up and leaves the table. By the time dinner is over my body is so tense it feels like a cement block. I’m afraid to look up. I don’t want to catch anyone’s attention, if you know what I mean. What transpires at supper time is enough to make me cringe. I’d like to have a fit like Mom but she’d probably kill me if I did.

“Alright children, you may leave the table. Elly, you’re in charge. Make sure the dishes are done. Aunt Gabby, will you supervise please?” Having given instructions, my father leaves the table and goes upstairs to see if my mother is still crying. I can hear whimpers coming from her room. If I were a weather person I would have called what I just witnessed a substantial hurricane, the atmosphere heavy and tense enough to qualify as a level ten. The storm subsides just as it always does.

“Always rinse before washing, Elly,” my aunt tells me in no uncertain terms. I mean, how hard can it be to wash dishes? Yet every night I get step-by-step instructions on how to wash dishes by my ninety-something-year-old aunt. I can’t bring myself to tell her she’s given this lesson to me a hundred times before.

Aunt Gabby lives with us. She has a small room at the back of the house. She has everything she needs in that room and could manage her own dinners if she wanted to, but she chooses to join the chaos at five o’clock every night. I often wonder why she chooses to eat with us amidst all the fighting and carrying on? I would gladly give up my place if I could. Sometimes I think she enjoys the entertainment every evening. Other than that she pretty much sticks to herself. My friends are afraid of her and so am I, for that matter. She’s like really old. I feel like Cinderella in the house. I seem to be doing all the cleaning and looking after things.

My aunt joins my parents, who are now in the living room watching the news. My parents have made up and I suppose the boys are safely tucked away in their rooms. I embrace the peace and quiet. I find my way up to my room to do my homework.
Often I find myself daydreaming about living a different life, the kind of life that wouldn’t include my wicked brothers Francis and Benjamin. Maybe my parents wouldn’t fight so much if they weren’t around. Life would definitely be simpler without them.
It would be so amazing to be the only child. I wouldn’t have to worry about those kind of fights breaking out all the time. I know if my parents knew what I was thinking about my brothers and about them, they’d kill me. I try to put those thoughts out of my mind. I often wonder if my parents can read my mind.

“Elly, what are you doing?” my mom yells from downstairs.

“Nothing Mom, why?” I didn’t say anything. They CAN read my mind, I knew it.

“Elly, have you done your homework? What are those brothers of yours up to?”

“I’m doing my homework now Mom, and they’re both asleep.”

“Alright, well your father and I are going out for a while. Good night, dear.”

“G’night Mom.” No kiss, no hug, just a ‘good night dear’. Well, it’s not like that hasn’t happened before. 

I feel bad about all the stuff I was thinking about, especially the stuff about Francis and Ben. They’re pretty much dead to the world now, they will have forgotten the storm that passed through this house, that passes through on a regular basis. I haven’t though. That’s why I’m telling you, I guess. I could be considered some kind of family weather-person, predicting disturbances in the family a part of my job. It’s just too bad nobody listens. They don’t understand that unlike the weather channel, I can usually predict with a one hundred percent accuracy when and where the storm will hit. Like tonight, right here in Hone. A hurricane passed through and nobody noticed. Another such storm will pass though here again, and no doubt I will predict the outcome of that one as well. I’m getting pretty good at storm watching. I’d prefer to not have this super power but what can you do. If you have it, you have it.

I keep looking ahead for what will happen next – in a little house, on a little street, in a little town called Hone.

Photo Credit

Photo is by Martha Farley – All Rights Reserved

I’ll get there when I get there
she always said
torturing the fast-moving
the odor of weariness
on her clothes
in her hair
stolen time
in the middle of the day
but not too long
never too long
draped 
like an afterthought
on the end of the couch
walled off
by veiled eyes
her head on a bent-arm pillow  
the next worry
puckering 
her forehead
as weakness gloated 
in self-care’s limelight

Photo Credit

Photo courtesy of Carol Good – all rights reserved

I danced through a field of sunflowers
large and full and yellow
running against a deep blue sky
puffs of white scattered here
to remind me of the inconsistency
of nature
the fragility of time
racing by like the clouds
I watched as the flowers
reached
and so did I
though I did not know
what it was
I was reaching for, light perhaps
upon this awakening
the sky in me, the fragility of nature
the inconsistency of time and space
perhaps I danced through
the field of time
and discovered there
that I was
a sunflower

Photo Credit
Photo courtesy of Martha Farley – all rights reserved

Prep Your Curls with Gentle Care

The foundation of any great curly hairstyle starts with proper hair care. Cleanse your curls using a sulfate-free shampoo to avoid stripping natural oils and follow up with a hydrating conditioner. Curly hair tends to dry out quickly, so maintaining moisture is essential for keeping it soft and manageable.

After washing, use a microfiber towel or cotton T-shirt to gently scrunch out excess water instead of rubbing. This reduces frizz and protects the natural curl pattern. Detangle your hair when wet using a wide-tooth comb or your fingers, starting from the ends and working your way up to avoid breakage.

Styling with Minimal Heat

Heat styling tools can damage curly hair if overused, but that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve polished looks. To style without excessive heat, consider techniques like braiding damp hair for a stretched-out wave or setting curls with soft rollers. Air drying or diffusing on a low heat setting can also enhance your curls while minimizing heat exposure.

For special occasions that require heat styling, always use a heat protectant spray. Additionally, opt for ceramic tools with adjustable heat settings to keep your hair protected.

Hydrate, Define, and Protect

Using the right products can make a substantial difference in how your curls look and feel. Lightweight leave-in conditioners, curl creams, and gels help enhance definition and fight frizz. Look for products with ingredients like shea butter, aloe vera, and glycerin for extra hydration.

Protective styles, such as braids or twists, are great options when you want to give your hair a break from daily styling. These styles help prevent tangling and preserve hair health—ideal for maintaining strong, resilient curls.

No-Product Styling with Accessories

Sometimes, there are days when adding extra products just isn’t necessary. Using accessories like scarves, hair ties, or a headband for curly hair offers quick and stylish solutions that are both gentle and protective for Type 3 curls.

Wrapping a colorful scarf around your head or tying it into a turban can be a chic way to protect your hair from environmental factors like humidity or wind. Scarves are especially useful for bad hair days, as they help tame curls while keeping your hairline smooth. High ponytails, pineapple buns, and half-up styles are also great options that take only minutes to achieve. Use spiral or fabric hair ties to avoid pulling or snagging your hair, and keep the tension light to prevent stress on your scalp. A padded or fabric headband can keep curls off your face while adding a touch of elegance to your look. These are perfect for casual and formal events alike and require no additional effort to style. Decorative clips or minimalist barrettes can create polished styles without the need for excessive tools or effort. They also work well to accentuate your curl pattern while keeping your hair secure. Experimenting with accessories allows you to change up your look effortlessly while giving your curls a rest from products.

Nighttime Care for Longevity

Styling curly hair isn’t just about what you do during the day; nighttime care is just as important for keeping curls healthy. Sleeping on a satin or silk pillowcase prevents friction, which can cause frizz and breakage. You can also secure your hair in a high ponytail or use a satin bonnet to maintain curl definition overnight.

Type 3 curls have an innate beauty that shines when cared for properly. By prioritizing gentle techniques, occasional heat-free styles, and thoughtful accessory use, you can maintain the health of your curls while exploring a range of looks. Whether styled with moisture-rich products or accessorized with headbands and hair ties, healthy curls are versatile, timeless, and effortlessly captivating. With the right tools and approach, every day can be a great hair day!

Photo Credit

Photo is from Pexels

Guest Author Bio
Rachelle Wilber

Rachelle Wilber is a freelance writer living in the San Diego, California area. She graduated from San Diego State University with her Bachelor’s in journalism and media studies. She tries to find an interest in all topics and themes, which prompts her writing. When she isn’t on her porch writing in the sun, you can find her shopping, on the beach, or at the gym.

1 – The Language of Abstraction – Embracing the Unspoken

Abstract art speaks in a universal language—shapes, colors, and textures. These elements have an innate ability to resonate with our innermost feelings, allowing us to express what words cannot. Whether you’re creating or simply appreciating abstract pieces, they encourage you to:

• Embrace Freedom: Abstract art liberates you from rigid expectations, inviting exploration and self-discovery.
• Connect Emotionally: Colors and forms evoke emotions, creating a visceral connection to the art.
• Interpret Individually: Each viewer sees something unique, fostering personal insight and reflection.

For those drawn to this expressive form of art, browse inspiring abstract art collections to begin your journey.

Soothing Abstract Art Displayed in Frame – Emotional Release and Growth

2 – The Canvas as a Mirror – Reflecting the Inner Self

Abstract painting offers a unique way to explore your subconscious mind. Unlike representational art, which requires adherence to visual reality, abstraction allows you to:

• Express Freely: Use color and shape to channel emotions directly onto the canvas.
• Experiment: Let go of perfectionism and discover joy in the process of creating.
• Reflect: Your finished piece becomes a mirror of your emotional state, helping you understand and process feelings.

By engaging with abstract art, you’ll find it easier to navigate your inner landscape.

3 – Mindful Movement – Finding Calm in the Chaos

The act of painting abstract art is a meditative practice. As you immerse yourself in the flow of creativity, the world around you fades, leaving only the canvas and your imagination. This mindful engagement can:

• Reduce Anxiety: The repetitive motions of brushstrokes provide a calming rhythm.
• Promote Focus: Immersing yourself in the process anchors you in the present moment.
• Foster Relaxation: Playing with colors and textures creates a soothing sensory experience.

For more inspiration, visit PastelBrush.com to explore how abstract art can enhance your mindfulness practice.

4 – Emotional Release – Painting as Catharsis

Abstract art is a powerful tool for emotional release. It provides a safe, nonjudgmental space to externalize feelings that might otherwise remain bottled up. Whether you’re expressing joy, frustration, or grief, the process can be profoundly therapeutic.

How to Use Abstract Art for Emotional Healing

1. Choose Colors That Speak to You: Let your emotions guide your palette.
2. Experiment with Techniques: Use brushes, palette knives, or even your hands to explore texture and form.
3. Let Go of Expectations: Focus on the process rather than the outcome.

Vibrant Abstract Art Framed on Wall – Healing Through Expression

5 – Building Resilience Through Creativity

Abstract painting fosters resilience by teaching you to adapt, persevere, and find beauty in imperfection. It’s a reminder that art, like life, is often unpredictable and messy—yet profoundly rewarding.

Life Lessons from Abstract Art

• Embrace Uncertainty: Allow the painting to evolve naturally, without overthinking.
• Celebrate Mistakes: Unexpected results often lead to the most beautiful discoveries.
• Grow Through Practice: Each piece, no matter how small, strengthens your creative confidence.

6 – Creating a Healing Space for Abstraction

To fully experience the therapeutic benefits of abstract painting, design a space that encourages creativity and introspection. Consider:

• Setting the Mood: Soft lighting and calming music can enhance your focus.
• Gathering Quality Supplies: Invest in paints, brushes, and canvases that inspire you.
• Displaying Your Work: Surround yourself with your art to remind yourself of your creative journey.

Conclusion: The Abstract Art of Healing

Abstract painting is more than a creative endeavor; it’s a journey into the heart of your emotions and thoughts. By engaging with abstraction, you’re not just making art—you’re nurturing your soul, finding clarity, and building resilience. Let your creativity flow and experience the healing potential of abstract painting.

Photo Credits

Photos are by Marius Rome – All Rights Reserved

Guest Author Bio
Marius Rome

Marius is a passionate fine art painter specializing in creating captivating canvas paintings for living rooms and bedrooms. With a keen eye for color, texture, and composition, Marius brings spaces to life through stunning, expressive artwork. His work blends creativity and emotion, offering unique pieces that transform interiors into inspiring, visually rich environments. Beyond painting, Marius also manages an online art store, making their creations accessible to art lovers and collectors worldwide.
Website: https://www.pastelbrush.com/

The integration of machines into creative spaces marks a significant shift in how art and technology intersect. While algorithms crunch numbers and robots execute precise movements, human designers bring nuanced understanding and emotional depth to their work. This partnership between digital capabilities and human imagination points to a future where data strengthens rather than supplants creative expression.

The Role of Data in Design

Data mining converts abstract numbers into practical design choices. By analyzing user interactions, purchase patterns, and engagement metrics, designers can pinpoint what catches attention and what falls flat in an increasingly cynical society. The resulting insights build a foundation for designs that connect with target audiences while maintaining creative integrity.

Predictive analytics fueled by AI and machine learning (ML) reveal hidden patterns in user behavior that shape more effective design strategies that connect with people on a more individual level. When paired with creative vision, these data points illuminate paths to stronger visual communication, better user experiences, and more meaningful connections with audiences.

Pattern Recognition and User Insights

Design decisions backed by data reduce guesswork and boost impact. When a designer spots that users linger on specific color schemes or interact more with certain layouts, these patterns shape future creative choices. A/B testing proves particularly valuable. For example, a recent web redesign project found that users clicked 60% more on orange call-to-action buttons compared to blue ones, leading to a strategic shift in the site’s color palette.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Raw numbers mean little without interpretation. Smart designers mix quantitative insights with qualitative understanding, creating work that appeals both logically and emotionally. They study how users interact with interfaces, note which elements spark engagement, and observe the paths people take through content. Regularly revising data collection and analysis protocols keep these insights relevant and actionable. These observations guide refinements, leading to designs that feel natural and intuitive.

Human-Robot Collaboration in Creative Spaces

The integration of robotics and AI into design studios opens fresh possibilities for creative expression yet brings its own set of challenges. Advanced machines consistently handle precise, repetitive tasks while allowing human designers to focus on conceptual thinking and artistic direction. This technological partnership holds promise but requires careful navigation to maintain creative integrity.

Digital tools and robotic assistants transform traditional creative spaces into dynamic workshops, though the transition rarely runs smoothly. The key lies not just in implementing new technology but in understanding its limitations and potential pitfalls. Successful studios develop strategies to harness technological benefits while protecting the spontaneity and flexibility essential to creative work.

Automation Benefits in Design

Modern design tools transform traditional graphic design processes into more efficient workflows. Digital assistants handle complex calculations and repetitive tasks. At the same time, robotic systems execute detailed physical work accurately. In architectural design, mechanical helpers craft precise models while designers focus on improving their creative process and client relationships. These tools are most valuable when managing intricate, repetitive work that might limit a designer’s creative potential.

Integration Challenges

The path to effective human-machine collaboration comes with hurdles. Technical glitches can halt production, while over-reliance on automation might stifle creative spontaneity. Some teams face steep learning curves adapting to new tools, and maintaining equipment adds complexity to creative workflows. Finding the right balance requires careful planning, as studios must weigh the benefits of automation against the need to preserve creative flexibility. Success often means starting small, training thoroughly, and maintaining space for experimental work outside automated processes.

The Human Touch: Creativity and Emotional Connection

Behind every successful design lies a human story. While machines process information more rapidly than their human counterparts, flesh-and-blood designers bring a more subtle understanding of cultural nuance, emotional resonance, and social context to their work. These deep human insights turn good design into great design, forging lasting connections with audiences.

The digital revolution brings powerful tools, but human creativity remains irreplaceable. Designers read between the lines of briefs, anticipate unstated needs, and infuse projects with a warmth that no machine can replicate. Their perspective comes from a mix of professional training, personal experience, and an innate understanding of human nature — creating work that speaks to both logic and emotion.

Beyond Algorithms

Human designers pick up subtle cues that machines miss. A designer notices how light plays across a surface at different times of day, senses the emotional weight of white space, or grasps the cultural significance of certain symbols. These intuitive choices stem from lived experience and emotional intelligence, qualities that set human creativity apart from systems powered by cold-hard computational logic. Design software might suggest color combinations, but only humans grasp the psychological impact of those choices.

Creative Problem-Solving

Solutions often emerge from unexpected places. Designers draw inspiration from nature walks, conversations with strangers, or childhood memories — sources no algorithm can access. They synthesize seemingly unrelated ideas into fresh concepts and adapt their approach based on client reactions and subtle social cues. This flexibility and lateral thinking lead to innovative solutions that surprise and delight users while solving complex design challenges in original ways.

Final Thoughts

The fusion of technology and human artistry marks an exciting chapter in design’s evolution. Data tools sharpen decision-making, and automated assistants handle precision tasks, yet human insight remains central to creating meaningful work. This balance — mixing digital capabilities with artistic intuition — points to a bright future for creative innovation.

As design tools grow more sophisticated, the human element becomes more vital, not less. The most successful creative work springs from this partnership: machines provide clarity and precision while designers bring vision, emotion, and a deep understanding of human connection. This combination of technological power and creative spirit opens new paths for design that speak to both mind and heart.

Photo Credit

Photo is from Unsplash

Guest Author Bio
Charlie Fletcher

Charlie Fletcher is a freelance writer from the lovely “city of trees”- Boise, Idaho. Her love of writing pairs with her passion for social activism and search for the truth. When not writing she spends her time doodling and embroidering. And yes, she does love all kinds of potatoes!

Memento Mori: “Take A Little, Leave A Little”

It would seem on the surface that artists want to share in order to fill some attention void. This can veer into the obnoxious for some. I had a serious poet friend in my youth who would regularly shove a sheaf of papers at anyone within reach demanding, “Read this!”. Sharing has taken on a whole new meaning in the modern digital age, and of course artists and writers want attention for their work, but not for an ego boost. At least not all of us. Amanda Palmer says that as a musician, she wants to be seen, not looked at and notes the distinction. It’s the difference between adoration and connection. I believe process also plays a vital role in this experience.

If someone looks at a painting or reads a poem of mine, I am not looking for praise or compliments (although that is very nice), but something that a viewer or reader might add of their own. Something that says, “Yes! I’ve been to that metaphorical place you write or paint about” (or not). Isn’t communication part of what art is all about? I believe that hidden in every painting or poem are questions begging to be asked. True communication is always best when there is a response or exchange of some sort.

The very process of painting is about communicating with your materials, images, and forms.

If artists and writers are honest however, we will tell you that often we have no idea what we are doing. Most of us rely on a combination of skills, experience and sheer determination to realize a painting or piece of writing. We experiment. We tinker. We “see what happens”. Photographer Sally Mann calls hers a “magpie aesthetic”, scavenging whatever happens to be around to capture with her camera. The creative act is like being an explorer. I go blindly to the vast corners of my imagination and then report back with a tangible record. I want to know if where I’ve been resonates with anyone at all, or whether I’ve only experienced a fever dream on my own. Being left with no observations or reactions is sometimes, to feel unmoored.

But artists thrive on the wisdom of insecurity! (thank you Alan Watts) A more accurate word might be uncertainty. As an explorer, I accept uncertainty as part of the deal, along with a dash of romance. I’m not talking of course, about romance in an erotic sense, or something wrapped up in a Valentine, although there is eroticism in viewing the world from a romantic lens. (Nature is my Valentine).

Both uncertainty and romance seem required to suspend our belief during the creative process until we are convinced of something. I am used to these two states of being. Many of us operate on the fringes of society or convention all our lives, foregoing soul-sucking employment or costly possessions in order to pursue our work. Or perhaps the work teaches us that uncertainty is the only way in. I know that dogged pursuit eventually leads to something. Susan Sontag refers to the the world as an “aesthetic phenomenon”. At my fingertips is a landscape of color, shape, form and movement, without politics, context or agenda. That seems to me the ultimate romantic view. I fell in love with that world view and artists’ interpretation of it at a very young age. It was and remains mysterious to me.

Organized Chaos

Much like the mystery we initially fall in love with in humans. We respond to their being or presence: their look, smell or manner, even though we know little about them. We might even be stopped in our tracks by something that can’t be explained. Paintings can be like that. They act mysteriously on our “nervous system” as Francis Bacon liked to say, before any information or meaning has leaked out. My particular style of working is to obey what I might even call “romantic” impulses and only consider them afterwards. This keeps the uncertainty from slowing down the flow in the studio. Artist William Kentridge believes that one doesn’t have to have a brilliant idea, but a trust in the material in your hands. To trust your impulses as recognizing something that is part of your process.

And what is the need for artists and writers to tell a written or visual “story” in the first place? To share their “impulses”? To some degree it’s built into our DNA as humans to share. We are born to connect; to convey an experience. In presenting my work, I am sharing the experience I had in creating it. Looking at a painting is to have a singular experience as well. Often people who view my paintings relate some very elaborate narrative that they see in the image and wonder if they got it “right”. But of course, there is no right.

Both mundane as well as life-altering experiences invite reflection. Looking at art provides a similar invitation to reflect and ask questions. And there aren’t any wrong ones. To be clear, I am not a believer in “explaining” paintings. The best paintings to my mind retain a bit of ambiguity so that they continue to evolve and change, just as significant experiences in our lives continue to inform and mold us long after they occur. I also don’t consider an audience during the painting process however, in finished paintings, the meaning in my work evolves over time, with contributions from viewers a part of that. Ideally, this is what sharing work with peers can foster.

I have many artist friends who welcome a constructive critique or comment. Emerging from the creative process prompts me to look for shared excitement about where I’ve been (Look what I found! What do you see?). I love to talk about art and making it is my way of starting the conversation.

Photo Credits

Photos by Linda Laino – All Rights Reserved

Guest Author Bio
Linda Laino

Linda Laino is a visual artist and writer who has been making art in one form or another for over 45 years. With an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she received two years of fellowship awards from the Virginia Museum, Laino was influenced by language from a young age, and moves between painting and writing in search of the connections and the crossover. She has shown work regularly in solo and group exhibitions since 1988, when she was awarded a prize from The American Craft Museum in New York. Her work is included in major collections including the McDonough Museum in Ohio, and Fundación Valparaíso in Spain. In recent years, she has been making art around the world at residencies in New Mexico 2015, France 2016, Spain 2018, and Maine in 2023. In June 2024, she traveled to Greece where she was awarded a grant for a month-long stay to paint on the island of Skopelos. Her poems and prose have been published with distinction in many small presses and anthologies, most recently in “La Presa” out of Guanajuato City. Her poem, Poem at Sixty was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2019. Originally from Philadelphia and Richmond, Virginia, since 2012, she has lived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where the color and flavor allow for endless inspiration.

Visit her website: www.lindalaino.com

Speaking of greed. I’m stood on the street corner, waiting for the light to turn. The polar gusts somehow coil icy tendrils into my heavy winter jacket, leaving me shivering. A pathetic excuse for a Santa swings a bell that sounds as if someone had dropped shards of glass into a cheap tin cup. His drooping red sack of a coat is tarnished with soot and enhances a skeletal frame, he didn’t even have the decency to stuff a pillow under his shirt.

I glare at him, not hiding my disdain. Beside him, a handwritten sign, glued beneath a cracked plastic bowl wired to an old shower curtain rod might fool a distracted passerby, but not me. There’s a pitiful pile of coins at the bottom, like he couldn’t even be bothered. This guy’s a fraud. I should report him to the police. How despicable, a thieving Santa.

He’s not even wearing boots, just those fake wrap-around pieces of felt one sees in children’s plays. What a joke.

As the crowd surges forward, I catch a glimpse of his shoes, they’re full of holes, taped and covered in black marker. Blue skin, tight against bony ankles, protrudes above the shoes.

The light flashes green and I’m swept across the street. Grateful a few minutes later to be snug in my warm office and holding a mug decorated with eight tiny reindeer. Tendrils of steam wafts up, promising a hot cup of wakeup.

I pull the shutters down, but all day, whenever I hear the icy pellets rattle my windowpanes, I think about corner fraud Santa. I’d spent five minutes outside, dashing from parking lot to office, wrapped in a heavy jacket, grateful to get in out of the elements. Is raggedy Santa still on the corner, I wonder.

Eight hours later, when I step out onto the streets, colourful city lights twinkle against newly fallen snow. It’s almost up to the top of my low hikers. Heavy flakes, thick as blobs of yogurt, are still falling. I’m buffeted by shoulders, arms and hips by the masses of shoppers as they stream by me. Inside my thick toque the noise of the city is muffled, but, as I move closer to the corner, I hear the pathetic sound of broken glass.

Santa’s still there, arms wrapped around his body, hands covered in black socks. He’s stamping, almost prancing, trying to keep his feet from freezing. I hurry past him, he’s huddled close to a brick wall, his only windbreak. Recalling my self-righteous glare from this morning, I drop my gaze, the memory makes my cheeks sting more than the cold.

I hesitate at the parking entrance, then instead of going in, I continue toward a nearby discount army and navy store. Its windows stream friendly golden light, promising warmth and the pungent aroma of gun oil. Once inside, I scramble up and down aisles, guessing at sizes and filling my bags. Santa doesn’t even look up when I stop in front of him. “Here,” I say holding out two large sacks. “Put these on before you lose your hands and feet.”

He jerks and reaches out instinctively; his mouth widens into an oh. There’s a sturdy pair of boots inside. Two pairs of woolen socks, heavy black mittens, snow pants and a dark green scarf. Water floods his eyes; a perfect droplet clings to an eyelash as if reluctant to fall. Or maybe its already frozen in place.

“Oh. And I almost forgot…” I pull a red toque, trimmed in white fur, from my jacket pocket. I’d stolen it from our window display as I was leaving. “Santa needs a hat.”

His mouth moves but there’s no sound. Tears sparkle against his white cheeks, but before he can speak, I turn and run.

Merry friggin Christmas, I think as I make a beeline for my car. 

Photo Credit

Photo is courtesy of the author

Drawing on thousands of notes from team meetings at his dealerships, the book was initially a professional reflection. However, with encouragement from his wife Diana and one of his daughters, Priestner added deeply personal stories, revealing a side of himself his children barely knew. In the opening chapter, Priestner recounts a chaotic childhood marked by alcoholic parents and financial instability. Despite these challenges, he says, “If the book helps anyone, I’m thrilled.”

In an interview, Priestner shared how his personal journey mirrors the hidden struggles many others experience, particularly the challenges that often remain unspoken. “We all have a story,” he said, noting that his transparency about his past was motivated by a desire to help his children and grandchildren understand his life better.

Priestner’s entrepreneurial journey began when he dropped out of university to sell cars, determined to avoid the financial hardships his parents faced. His determination quickly paid off—he became the top Chrysler salesman in Canada within his first year. From there, his career took off, and at the age of 26, he and his twin brother Mike bought into a struggling Chrysler dealership in London, Ontario. Within a year, the dealership turned around, and new car sales tripled.

However, the pressures of success took a toll. Priestner battled alcoholism, saw his first marriage end, and experienced a rift with his brother. But over time, he sought mindfulness practices and Buddhism, finding peace and balance in both his personal and professional life. He attributes much of his growth to working through his emotions and stresses the importance of this ongoing effort: “If you’re not working on that, your life is going to be pretty tough.”

Having founded AutoCanada, Priestner left the company in 2017. His book not only recounts his business success but also serves as a testament to his personal growth and journey toward contentment. All proceeds from the book go to Well-being Canada, a mental health initiative founded by Priestner and his wife Diana, which focuses on providing youth with wellness tools.

For more information, or to purchase the book, visit www.notesforthechildren.com or find it on Amazon.

Investing in yourself and refining your skills makes creative projects more exciting, too. Whether you’re learning new literary techniques to aid your efforts to pen a masterpiece or are learning a new kind of joinery to improve your carpeting skills, investing in training helps you get more out of your favorite pastime.

Improving your skill set needn’t break the bank, either. Instead of spending a fortune on workshops and retreats, consider investing in cost-effective strategies like online learning portals and collaborating with other skilled creatives in your area.

Finding Inspiration

Finding fresh inspiration is a skill that all creatives must nourish. However, inspiration can be hard to come by if you’re a professional author, poet, painter, or photographer. It’s all too easy to spend an entire morning staring at the blank page, waiting for inspiration to strike, and you may find that the lull between projects leaves you feeling like you’ll never produce another noteworthy piece of art again.

In reality, the world’s most famous creatives find inspiration in unusual and unexpected places. Igor Stravinsky — a Russian composer — found inspiration for his melodies by completing a few headstands. Dali tricked himself out of a state of semi-sleep by holding a metal key above a plate during his afternoon siesta and then used his hypnagogic visions to inform his paintings. Agatha Christie ate apples in the bath while trying to generate some new ideas for her next novel.

As a creative, you can break new ground and enhance your own creative skills by investing in your own imagination. Get the ball rolling by exposing yourself to creativity. For example, if you’re a writer, consider spending the afternoon at a portrait gallery. Conversely, if you’re an artist, crack open a collection of poetry. Pay attention to the main themes that you notice and aim to explore any similarities.

If you’re a visual person, you can note down these themes by using an online whiteboard. Online whiteboards are the perfect place to store your sources of inspiration, as they’re highly collaborative and allow you to link directly to videos, blogs, or images that can generate new insights and help you beat the blank page.

Gaining Some Soft Skills

Many creatives inadvertently overemphasize the importance of hard skills in their daily work. This is understandable, as many writers double as digital marketers, while visual artists often use complex programs like Photoshop or Avid to edit their work.

However, if you want to last in the creative industry, you’ll need to find unique ways to develop soft life skills like communication, interpersonal relationship management, and emotional intelligence. You can hone your soft skills by playing games with trusted friends. For example, if you have a free evening every week, consider playing a combination of card games, cooperative games, and tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons.

By playing games, you give yourself a low-stakes environment in which to practice key soft skills. This is key if you need to pitch your work to clients or want to boost your brand by partnering with similar businesses. By investing in yourself — via games — you can hone your creative skills and improve your ability to network as a creative.

Remaining Competitive

When was the last time you assessed the state of the industry and looked through your competitor’s portfolios? If, like most creatives, you haven’t conducted any market research since launching yourself into the world of creative production, now might be the time to do so. This is a great way to expand your own portfolio, which can help you land new contracts if you’re a creative in a field such as marketing.

Get the ball rolling by finding out which qualifications your creative peers have pursued. Are there any new courses that you should be aware of? Is there a commonly used piece of technology that you’re unfamiliar with? Most folks will post their qualifications directly to their LinkedIn or portfolio site, which will streamline your efforts to enhance your creative skills.

You can also bolster your creative skills and become more competitive by finding courses and workshops in your city or town. Look for accredited workshops that feature folks who have the same creative interests as yourself. This will also help you add a few qualifications/certificates to your professional portfolio, which could reel in a few extra clients every year.

If you’ve been working diligently to improve your skill set and remain competitive, consider spending time on a creative project that has nothing to do with your typical creative output. For example, you may want to spend more of your free time exploring brain-boosting activities like:

• Meditation and mindfulness
• Test your memory recall
• Take up some engaging hobbies like cooking or reading
• Start reflecting on your day with journals and diary entries

These habits and hobbies help you remain mentally sharp and will enhance your creative skills. Journaling can help you reflect on your current skill set and set some goals for the future. This can be extremely useful if you’re new to the creative industry and feel like you’re behind the competition. By journaling, you can identify a few core skills that need some extra attention and begin to become the creative professional you always hoped to be.

Conclusion

Honing your creative skills requires a lifetime of dedicated practice. You can’t expect to become an expert overnight and should track your progress based on years and months, rather than days. You can make the most of your time spent honing your craft by exploring ways to find fresh inspiration and researching other creatives in the area. This will boost your self-awareness as a creative and give you a deeper appreciation of your craft.

Photo Credit

Photo is from Unsplash

Guest Author Bio
Charlie Fletcher

Charlie Fletcher is a freelance writer from the lovely “city of trees”- Boise, Idaho. Her love of writing pairs with her passion for social activism and search for the truth. When not writing she spends her time doodling and embroidering. And yes, she does love all kinds of potatoes!