Multiple Artistic Urges, Teaser Tuesday & Award

Firstly, MizB at Should be Reading does Teaser Tuesdays, where you turn to a random page in the book you're currently reading and post a two sentence teaser. Click on "Should be Reading" above to find out more.

"They were family gone to ash, the bond between them as bloodless as time can make a thing. Maybe that's why I felt a kinship, why I thought of once precious bonds charred to light gray nothing."

-p. 174, Down River by John Hart

John Hart is an excellent author, by the way, and an all around nice guy.

Speaking of authors, I've found that artistic people tend to have interests in multiple areas, such as a writer who also does water paintings, or a composer who also does photography. For me, I used to do a little cartoon drawing and sketching, but my next true love in the artist's world is photography. I live in an area rife with natural beauty so there's always something to catch my eye, whether it's a mama bear and her cubs or a rock formation. I also have artistic urges that don't necessarily pan out, as much as I might want them to. For instance, I tried to teach myself to crochet, having been taught by my grandmother when I was in kindergarten, but not having practiced it over the years. I actually did just fine, but it is something that takes patience, which I didn't have in relation to crocheting. Thus, I have a half finished blanket in the closet in my office. I frequently have the desire to do all number of other things that could be considered artistic or creative in nature, but they just don't work. I love seeing people doing crafty things, but they are often something that takes patience, much like crocheting, or I have a great idea in my head that simply doesn't come to fruition when I make a go of it. I do scrapbook, but not to the extent I've seen other people do it, and I briefly attempted to do digital scrapbooking, which I just wasn't as fond of. I like pictures as they are, not digitally modified. I've also flirted with music and acting, which were fun, but not something I was able to get very serious about, though I did enjoy it.

I imagine this tendency to look at all things artistic/creative has to do with the dominant side of one's brain or something along those lines. If you're creative, you're using the right side of your brain more. In fact, your dominant brain hemisphere controls how you see the world, not just whether you like art versus math or logic versus imagination. Still, many people work a day job that might be considered very left brained, yet they come home to write, draw, compose, etc. I wonder if, now more than ever, people are more duel-minded, using both sides equally or near equally, than in the past. I remember having to take a test in high school, and I tested almost straight down the middle as concrete random and abstract sequential. I forget which one scored slightly higher, as it isn't anything I've had to use in life, but I find that sometimes I get stuck on one side and have to work to get back to the other. If I've been doing a bunch of accounting, taking care of matters and other logical processes, it is sometimes a challenge to switch around to more creative pursuits. In fact, I think I completely shut down that part of my brain for several years when there was just too much going on that I needed to deal with. All I can say is that I'm glad that half of me is back!

Lastly, Charmalot at And Then my Heart Smiled awarded me the Stylish Blog Award. Thanks a lot for thinking of me! Charmalot blogs about reading and writing, and is hoping to start up an online book club starting July 1, so check it out.

Do you live more in your right or left brain? If you're an artist, what other artistic pursuits do you enjoy?

Happy Writing!