Hi ~
We're trying on some new colors! We've been listening to your comments and your GREAT ideas, and tonight we're rolling out a new look and style for Articulation, with lots more features in the works. Thanks for all your feedback, and let us know what you think of our new style!
Last week, it seems that there was a whole chunk of our readership that did not receive last week's Articulation, due to blocking and filtering problems. If you did not see it, you can see it at this link.
Please take a moment right now to make sure that the email address, articulation@artellawordsandart.com, is in your Address Book, and/or the domain www.artellawordsandart.com is on your "safe list". Also, if you did not receive last week's issues, check your blocked/filtered/deleted folders to make sure it has not been delivered there.
Now, on with the fun...
INTENTIONAL ARCHIVING: A MINI ARTICLE
Thought for the week: making memories is not something that happens by default. We can actively participate in the process.
I'm still in Dallas, having extended my trip after spending so much of it in a dental-problem haze. It's been the longest visit I've ever had here, as an adult, and I have found the experience of spending so much time in the house in which I grew up to be quite magical.
It's as if at every corner I see phantoms of the past. Memories are everywhere and they appear almost as if a fairy with a slide projector is playing games with me, casting images on walls, floors, bedspreads, dinner plates. Some are hazy, some are clear, some I'm not sure if they are even real or not. Even as our memories are constantly and inevitably stitched around us in quilts of unpredictable patches, something about being in this house has made the presence of every thread known.
This awareness seems to be cultivating in me a new understanding of the conscious nature of making memories. We are constantly manufacturing memories, as every "now" moment turns into a "then" moment in the perpetual motion of living. Yet this is not something that happens independent of our will. There are many ways that we can participate in the memory-making process and I think there is a powerful autonomy that comes in doing so. A few ideas -- to take or leave in whatever way feels right -- follow below. I'll close this mini-article with a beautiful quote by Paul Bowles, the author of Sheltering Sky:
"Because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well and yet everything happens only a certain number of times - and a very small number really. How many times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your life that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many times will you watch the full moon rise, perhaps twenty, and yet it all seems so limitless..."- Paul Bowles |
MINI-MUSINGS- What are your best memories? What makes them most special and important to you? How does their meaning help inform you of the kinds of memories you would like to create?
- Is there a memory that you would like to experience more clearly? Can you connect with another person who shared the experience to fill in the details?
- What would you like to remember about THIS WEEK? If nothing comes to mind, what can you plan or spontaneously unveil to create a meaningful memory?
- Is there a way to reframe an unpleasant memory with a new understanding of it, that brings you closer to the meaning of the totality of your life's journey?
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THIS WEEK'S ART-SPLASH!
This week's art-splash is created from my heart, from my childhood home. It's called Archive Eyes. I hope you enjoy it.
This is the link to view Archive Eyes
If the above link doesn't work, copy and paste this into your browser: http://www.artellawordsandart.com/artic70.html
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ARTELLA NEWS!
1. Artella 6 is here! Artella 6 arrived today in all its lushness - half in Dallas and the other half in New York awaiting my return. Didn't you hear my happy squeal resounding from the south this morning? :-) A crew of fabulous volunteers and I will be working in batches and I expect all issues to be mailed out by the end of next week.
2. Our Newest Poetry Winners! Winners of the Fourth Weekly Poetry contest are: - 4th Place - Federico U. Acerri, author of "Pretend", wins a 1 month Artella Membership!
- 3rd Place - Jim Nelson, author of "Learning to Juggle", wins the above PLUS the Artella eBook, ExerSIGHS: A Self-Esteem Workout for Writers and Artists!
- 2nd Place - Mary Rowin, author of "Goals Are Not For Everyone", wins all of the above PLUS The Artella eBook, Those Who CAN, Teach!: Uncovering the Workshops Inside of You, and guaranteed publication in an e-Artella issue!
- 1st Place - Penny Hackett-Evans, author of "Celebrate the body?", wins all of the above PLUS featured listing on our upcoming poet's page, and a brand new copy of Shakti Gawain's Creative Visualization Kit.
Thanks to all who submitted Remember, the next deadline is coming up Friday at midnight!! Details are here.
3. Poetic Idol Competition Debut Deadline! If you haven't already submitted your entry into Artella's AprilPoetic Idol competition, be sure to get your poems in before the deadline THIS THURSDAY, April 29, at midnight EDT. The deadline is firm and no entries received past that time will be considered, and all entry feesreceived after that time will be refunded.
The contest offers three top award packages, including up to $150, 10 honorable mention awards, and excellent exposure and great Artella gifts.
The entry fee for the contest remains only $5.00 to submit up to threepoems...and, to celebrate the debut of Artella's Poetic Idol Competition,when you enter by this Thursday night you can order ANY e-Artella issueof your choice for free (normally sells for $4.95)!
Simply go to www.artellawordsandart.com/prizes.html and follow theeasy instructions to enter.
It's been very exciting to be building a new community of Artella poets and I am grateful for everyone who is participating in our various contests. In two weeks, we'll announce the arrival of our new free PassionPoetry Newsletter, with more great inspiration for the poet's soul. Sign up at this link.
4. Get published in Artella! There is a new "Projects Seeking Partners" list available that includes our needs for writers and artists for upcoming issues, including the next print issue, "Theatre & Cinema" (which has a firm deadline of May 10.) To view the list, follow the instructions on the Submit page.
5. "Dreams" ATC Swap! Artella is hosting an ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap with the theme of "Dreams", organized by our own beloved Administrative Assistant Deb Silva. Create original 2.5" x 3.5" cards using collage, paint, drawing, rubber stamps, stickers, etc. Submit 4 for 3, or multiples of 3+1. Deadline to sign up with Deb is May 15; cards are due June 15th. Selected cards will be published in Artella. Anyone is welcome! For more details, email Deb.
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SHOPPES' CORNER
Our featured artist this week is Christine Anderson, whose whimsically-themed pins (currently 50% off!) and stunning sophisticated necklaces sing with a creative, joyful spirit!
We have lots and lots of products on sale, so be sure to gowindow shopping on the shoppes home page and click on the shoppes with "sale" signs in the windows, or visit our Specials page for a list of all our current sales.
My favorite discount?: The great discounts on the luscious necklace and earring sets by Melissa Chapin. I am lucky to own a couple of Melissa's jeweled creations and let me just say that these necklaces NEVER fail to get astounding compliments everywhere I turn. Wearing Melissa's work makes me feel like a fancy, funky princess! Highly recommended!
Note that we also have new items in the Art Supply Shoppe and several extraordinary sets of brand new greeting cards sets in the Greeting Card section of the Cards~Stationery~Gifts Shoppe. |
ART TIP OF THE WEEK!
Diane Wright shared a great tip with us! She wrote, "I work with glass, metal, clay, shrink, beads, dominos etc. and found that E6000 glue just wasn't reliable for some applications. I experimented with other glues and found one that works where E6000 fails. A product called 'Glass, Metal & More' by Beacon Adhesives is available in craft stores (like Michaels) on the mosaic glass aisle. It is in a royal blue tube and then packaged. It is a lot like E6000 but not as smelly. Let it dry overnight for strong adhesion." Thanks so much Diane - our assemblage artists appreciate it!
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WRITING TIP OF THE WEEK!
Don't "write off" material that you have written that you have discarded as being "no good". If you have hard time looking at material you've written previously, consider these prompts as gentle conversation-starters between you and your work. You may find some nuggets in your past work have a light that you hadn't previously seen.
- What if I wasn't afraid to make mistakes?
- What if I knew I truly was a REAL writer?
- What if I let this piece of writing know more than me?
- What if risks were delicious?
- What if I let this writing come to life?
- What if I let my brilliance show?
- What if I didn't have a critical thought in my head?
- What if the words wrote me?
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ARTFUL LINKS!
1. If you have never seen a copy of Artitude Zine, you are missing out on the best of the best. With an emphasis on dazzling how-to articles, every issues just POPS with eclectic passion and a wealth of information packed in a gorgeous publication. I think the world of Helga and Suz, Artitude's Editors, and I hope you'll go check out their stuff. Also be sure to check out Artitude's sister site, ArtChix Studio, an online store for vintage images and so much more!
2. I'm in love with a monthly e-newsletter called "Tip of the Month" offered by Bonnie Snyder, of BeStressSmart.com. Bonnie is an Educational Psychologist and Personal and Professional Coach whose StressSmart™ Coaching combines a holistic healing approach with practical, result-driven techniques to reduce stress and improve happiness. I had the privilege of receiving a one on one session with her last Spring and I still get goosebumps when I think of my session with Bonnie and how well she "got" me. Her newsletter is great, and she offers two versions: one for individuals and one for organizations...visit her site to subscribe.
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Sending you a feather duster to dust off all of your cherished memories!
~artfully and archivingly,
Marney
Artella Founder/Editor
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