I have to applaud Teresa over at Blueberries, Art and Life. If you haven't stopped by her blog, you really need to. She is a skilled artist, and one that I admire a great deal. Way back when (a.k.a. high school) I took a drafting class because I thought I could draw fairly well. I was quickly disillusioned as I realized my inability to create images with dimension or depth. I have never had the most steady hand either, which I assume is an absolute necessity in drawing or painting. The art world can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I will never try to subject others to my scribblings.
In my family however, there are a number of people who have artistic talent. My mom can sew (both by hand and machine) incredible blankets, costumes, pillows, etc. Her sisters all have talent in sewing, crafting ceramics, or other artistic endeavors. I can't explain what happened to me, other than to say I'm ecstatic that the drawing talent seems to exist within my youngest son. I have a tattoo on my right bicep of a yin-yang amid ocean waves that he sat and copied freehand one day with amazing results.
What does this have to do with writing? Writing is an art, and as I've said many a time in comments on other blogs, it takes talent. I am also a believer that not everyone can do this well. I've had the pleasure of reading works created by many of you, and I'm often times in awe at the apparent talent. The Surly Writer is one who can capture the soul of a southern rural setting with ease. Elana is a master of dialogue, among other things. The Screaming Guppy writes with a flow I am constantly envious of. At times we may feel hindered by our own inability to write the way we want, but thankfully we just have to look around to find inspiration and example in the works of others. And if I didn't mention you as an example I admire, please don't feel slighted. All of the blogs I follow have something that helps me to improve my own writing. You all have talent I admire and respect, and the three listed here are merely the first ones that came to mind.
Who do you look to for inspiration? Who are your iconic examples of excellence in writing? Feel free to share, because everyone has talent in some way and all of us can improve through examining the works of others.
6 comments:
I take inspiration from everyone because we all have something to offer. Funny you mentioned drafting. I took drafting through high school and college now drafting is part of my career as an engineering tech.
Brian - I'm glad you're able to make use of that particular skill. Once the class got into three dimensional objects, I was out of the running.
Wow, you're so kind! A master of dialogue. Pshaw. I look to those that are published for guidance. Sometimes even published books aren't my cup of tea, but I love Scott Westerfeld and Cornelia Funke. They are GOOD writers and GOOD storytellers.
Hi Eric,
Wow... when I started reading this post and saw my name I was so surprised! Thank you so much for your kind comments and link... that was very generous of you!
Hmmmm... should I say what I'm thinking? Okay, now you're curious, so I'll say it.... if you really want to draw/make art.... you can! Believe me, it's like the old quote.... "Talent is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration". If you could see my early attempts at art you'd have said I should keep my day job! But, I love it, so I stubbornly refused to quit. Every time I made a mistake (often!) I learned from it and used that knowledge in my next piece. I do the same thing when writing. In fact, I'm writing my monthly newspaper column today. It takes me less time than it used to because I've learned what not to do... and perhaps that's as important as what to do?
Enjoyed your comments about your creative family... that's wonderful. I do think creative people enjoy life more!
Elana - Don't cut yourself short. I will have to check out the authors you mention however, as I'm not familiar with them.
Teresa - You're very welcome. I stumbled on your blog a while back, and I've been very impressed with your artistic ability. I agree with you though, that creative people enjoy life more. We have energy and excitement, and more important we have an outlet to utilize and explore both.
Eric, the more I push myself to do things out of my comfort zone, the more it fires my ideas and creativity. I love being around folks who think differently than me because it gives me perspective. Great post!
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