It's that time of year where the darkness descends and my body goes into hibernation mode. This year I've decided to embrace the benefits of Winter and focus on the fact I tend to find it easier to retreat into a world of creativity during the dark nights. Motivation can be a problem - but having some work published online in the past couple of months (work related articles and flash fiction) has helped!
In order to sustain that motivation I've decided to set myself two major creative goals to be completed over the next few months...
Thanks to a friend (thanks Rebecca!) I came across a really interesting Art Project called The Sketchbook Project. To participate you 'order' a blank sketchbook from the arts project in Brooklyn, then you fill it with whatever creative things you fancy (sketches, words, photos) and then post it back. They then take your sketchbook 'on the road' across America as part of a travelling library for people to view. At the end of the road trip all sketchbooks are then placed in a permanent collection at Brooklyn Library. I decided to sign up and am now awaiting my blank sketchbook. The deadline is 15th January so that doesn't really give me long and my mind is already ticking over with things I want to include. I love the idea and I was too impatient to wait around for a 2014 project. Plus New York is on my list of 'must see places' to visit so what better excuse than to go there to view my own work?! I've also opted to have my sketchbook professionally digitised by the project which means anyone anywhere in the world will be able to view it. No pressure then.
My other goal is to complete the first 15,000 words of my new novel by mid November. (I've only written 3,500 so far...). I'm not going to be undertaking NANO as I enjoy a longer drawn out process of writing and not always on a daily baiss. I'm more likely to go through stages of writing 3,000 words in one sitting.
So if you don't hear from me for a while during the last few months of 2012 don't take it personally - I'm just evading reality more than usual. (And if you see me on facebook too much please tell me to get off and back to work!)
It sounds a fantastic project, Vikki, especially for someone creative in more than writing. Good luck with all your plans! I love winter and I agree it's a great time for getting on with this kind of activity.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's good to have creative things to focus on
DeleteBrilliant Vikki - and delighted to have got you inspired about the sketchbook project too! I love keeping scrapbooks and that whole creative process of evoking a certain theme or mood, or just expressing myself through various forms. We should totally share our books before sending them back. Am very excited to receive mine, hopefully very soon. Also wish now that I had added the digitisation on - hopefully I can opt in when I send it back??
ReplyDeleteGood luck for your dual creative challenges:)
Rxx
Thanks Rebecca - yeah definitely swap books before we send them off and I'm sure if you contact them they'll let you digitise it. Hope they arrive soon so we can get started! X
ReplyDeleteThat's a wonderful project, Vikki. Winter is definitely the right time for it.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with writing the novel too. I agree that it's best to write in your own way and in your own time. Let us know how you get on.
Thanks Joanna! I'll no doubt post an update on how things go...
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