Journal 1: Finding the Artist in You

Our first writing project is called "Finding the Artist in You," and I'd like you to think about the ways you express yourself artistically.  There are the more obvious ways, such as painting and drawing, but how far can we stretch that? Some people see football as artistic, or quilting or fly tying or gardening. Can any activity be considered artistic? Dog groooming? The folks who paint the yellow lines on the road?

I'm a poet, and if I were to choose an image that represents me as an artist, it would be the one at the top of the post -- the books and my desk. I write every day -- poems, book reviews, essays, flash fiction, journal entries....something. In the book on the left, The Raintown Review, I have both a poem published in that issue and a book review. My friend, Quincy R. Lehr (below, if you'd like to watch a clip of him reading one of his poems), is also a poet, and Obscure Classics of English Progressive Rock is his second collection. I put these two books together because I have aspirations of having a book of my own someday. Having my friends' books around me inspires me, and few things bring me as much pleasure as writing. I spend hours thinking about how to put words together to make meaning, how to achieve a certain sound combination or cadence, how to accurately represent a feeling or an idea. There are moments of frustration or exhaustion, but in a very pure and simple way, writing makes me happy.

Your Assignment: Find an image, either on the Web or from your own stash of photos, that represents you as an artist and post it in the comments section below -- this will also count as your first journal entry. Add a short paragraph, as I did, explaining how the photo shows the artistic side of you or represents your artistic aspirations. If you have difficulty identifying the artistic side of yourself, you may find it helpful to view some of the short video clips on our ePortfolio page. Be open to inspiration!