Creative Restart

I had turned the computer off an hour ago. I try to break my big screen time off early because I tend to be very obsessed with computers. They are my favorite creative tool. There was a time I begged for a machine when they first began to be prevalent. I was told I was too stupid to have a computer. So, in 1991, I bought my own. My creative life, as I expected, has never been the same.

I had always made books, now I could typeset a magazine, which I did. I blogged from very early in the craze. I max machines out with my demands. I am trying to ease my use.

Today, I have written a few things. Facebook has ignored them. I find social media can be the enemy of creativity. When there are no reactions, often I feel my work cheapened.

Hole in Reality’s Pocket

You did not ask me
To be your forever, nor
Did I urge you to
Be my yesterday, sometimes
Things fall to pieces while we
Try to hold the whole world in
The tattered ruins of pockets
Made fragile by grubby hands.
Days run away, and we let
Them go, never noticing
We lose a little romance
With every passing minute.
Then one day we wake up
To find our bed empty of
One who set our heart afire
And we pray God brings our joy
Back to us, knowing it is gone
Like a choice meal once enjoyed
But never savored again.

There are holes, a sieve,
Where everything washes out,
I am left, empty.

When life is too hard
Take paper, a pen, write it
Back to rights again.

You know you are procrastinating when you are trancing from thing to thing without satisfaction and the nudge keeps biting you.

The last is my novel. I need to finish it. I find other things to occupy me. The book is emotionally taxing because it deals with things that are hard to verbalize. I avoid it, but I cannot ignore it. It nudges me, takes up mental space like nothing else. I will read to fill the void, but it still screams that I am ignoring what is important.

As a prompt, think of something creative you are avoiding by filling your time with other things which are not as valuable or precious. Write about the creation, then write about ways you can steer yourself to this important project. You may have to give up something less, but if you do not, you will never accomplish your more. I know it is hard, the novel started in November 2013 during NaNoWriMo. I failed at that. I wrote a few pages in 2017, after finding my way around my lost spot. I know what is next, I just hate to sit long enough to capture the words.

I am grateful:

I now know what is wrong with the outflow of water in the house.
My copyediting went well and paid a little.
I have some magnificent tech.
The power did not go out due to the ice.
I still enjoy writing with fine pens.
Hope is still here, the dogs get groomed Monday.
My contacts are working reasonably well.

It is funny, I feel as if I could write forever tonight, but I need to get to bed if I am to go to church in the morning, which I would like to do.

I want to remind you that you are an extraordinary creative entity. You have the power to move the world and foster change that will reverberate throughout the ages. Trust in your creativity, use your talents, gifts, and abilities, be an inspiration. Life is sometimes hard and what you create could give someone hope to stay the course when they are near abandoning something that could edify humankind.

I appreciate your visit to Haphazard Creative. I hope I have not run anyone away with my faith posts. Faith and creativity go together for me. I see what we create as an outpouring of spirit. If you would like to follow, please click the button, if not, please come back often.

You are dear to me, and I hope you remain in safety and prosperity at all times.

We live in interesting times

My times are in your hands. – Psalm 31:15

We live in difficult times. All around us the world seems to have gone insane. This is the time for us, as the people of God, to step out of our complacency and the shadows concealing our faith. We must let the light of Jesus Christ shine through us. We are challenged by our Lord to speak and work against injustice and hate. Our mission is to reach out bringing change, not with anger and strife, but with generosity, consideration, kindness, meekness, and agape love.

Ours is not to fight and cause a scene, ours is to bring stability and peace to situations and moments where our actions and words must be Christlike to be effective.

We are ambassadors of Jesus empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring renewal to a lost and dying world through the Gospel’s revelation of the Lord. We are to be the living Gospel through words and deeds that cause the lost to turn from error and find the love of God. To foster a resurrection of the people who are in need, we must be wise through the study of the Word and attune our hearts to tenderness and love with the help of the Father. This is a time in which we can make an impact through Christ’s love.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Prayer of Acknowledgement

Dear Lord, remind us
Even in our trials, troubles,
We live in a dream,
Compared to others whose loss
We can scarcely comprehend;
A child taken too early,
A home completely destroyed,
An accident with high cost,
Let our hearts fill with such love
That we find strength to comfort
A world in need of Your touch
Let us be Your hands to soothe
And give us Your words of life
That all may know You, Jesus.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Clinging to The ONE

Sometimes, and then again,
There is Jesus. He is
My HOPE when all is working
Against me. When my despair
Is deep, He is my LIGHT.
When I am bright atomic anger,
He is there, a refreshing STREAM.
Jesus is the MUSIC leading
My heart to sing new songs.
When I am rejected, resented,
Shunned, He is my dearest FRIEND.
When the world falls apart
Jesus is the FORCE holding
My life, body, soul, spirit, together.
There is no other who can bring
COMFORT when I am at wit’s end.
He is the GOOD SHEPARD,
Almighty God, He anoints me.
Though I am shattered,
I will praise Him still.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

I hope your week has gone well. I encourage you to nurture your creativity and use it to share love with a world so badly in need of encouragement, assistance, understanding, and belief. You are a channel of goodness flowing into needy places if you so choose, and you should make that choice because love is what we are all here to share. The interesting in our times should not consist of the difficulties, crimes, anger, abuse, torment, instead, the love, discoveries, creations, remedies, constructions, technologies, and benefits of such a prosperous age should be the interest.

The creativity that each person possesses should be put to use in improving life for themselves and all others. This gift of God can be harnessed for positive change. No matter your medium, cooking, knitting, beading, music, photography, lettering, art, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, memoir, prose, clothing design, home decorating, jewelry making, oh, man, this could go all night, you are responsible for using your gifts, talents, and abilities for humanity’s good. Be about it, I say.

I am grateful:

Every day is not as awful as this one was.
I have food, clothes, shoes, books, dogs, computers, and I know how to use them.
Possibilities are plentiful.
I have a few people who will talk me down when I am ready to break.
I love my new church.
I was given the opportunity to take photos at church Sunday.
I still have my dog, Hope.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. There is a follow button if you wish to use it, if not come back soon. I hope your week lightens your heart and nourishes your creative mind. Please be careful out there. The world can be treacherous.

I am a fan

I am a fan of the human race, the pinnacle of God’s creation, or evolution, whichever you prefer. Until a successor arrives, ours is the preeminent position.

I am a fan of men, that includes all the variations that suit each individual. I love how men grow into dynamos able to subdue whatever obstacles and problems present for them to conquer. They make things happen, and though they may quiver with fear inside, they do what must be done. Men lead, inspire, encourage, and act. They move forward, they explore, they make decisions that drive the world into the future.

Sure, they make mistakes, some of which shatter societies and destroy peoples. Given volatile tempers and unstable mentalities that sometimes occur, it is a blessing that things have not been worse. Usually when the disaster occurs too much power is centered in the hands of too few with little accountability to those affected by actionaries.

Men are loving husbands and excellent fathers when they choose to be, and in that capacity, they can foster great goodness in the world. Not all men are so endowed, and that can be a pity, for often lives are ruined when love and responsibility are shirked.

Men are a gift deserving of respect; though some may abuse positions of leadership and authority, most are a blessing. They make great partners, friends, lovers, husbands, fathers, leaders, teachers, encouragers, pastors, bosses, and indeed there is nothing they cannot do. Men are fantastic, and I am a fan.

I am a fan of women, including every type that can be imagined. I love how women raise up families of young men and women who are equipped with love for others. I love how some women can take a few ingredients and turn them into a meal that nourishes body and soul. Women make strong leaders who put heart into the positions and occupations they make their own. A woman who stands with a man of integrity can have a wide-reaching influence.

Women can accomplish most things which men can, and often do. Our physicalities do not allow quite the strength of males, but we make up for that in our ability to be mothers. We bring newborns into the world, and that is a blessing, never to be ignored. Humans would not remain dominant without women willing to be the mothers of new lives.

I am a fan of women because we care. We love, often we give up significant portions of lives where we could have achieved worldly and monetary greatness because we are the tenders of the home. We raise children, we support husband’s ambitions, and when the time comes, we provide care for the ailing and elderly who can no longer fend for themselves. We are stronger than Hercules.

Women are a blessing. We bring compassion, beauty, love, and excellence in our endeavors. We make great partners, friends, lovers, wives, mothers, leaders, teachers, encouragers, bosses, and indeed there is nothing we cannot do. Some have broken places, missing pieces, but we have strong constitutions, and we continue our efforts to create a better world for these and future generations.

Together, we, men and women, nurture and build a future for those who follow. We must be careful, wise, tenacious, bold, and unwilling to allow anything but the best to be implemented affecting lives. We must hold power accountable to love. We can never give up.

I am a fan of the human race; men and women, boys, and girls, all the world, as people under God’s blessing.

In Faith

To me, faith plays a vibrant role in creativity because I feel the gifts with which I am endowed, and the inspiration given me are bestowed by the Lord. I am in no way ashamed of my belief in Jesus as my Savior, but I try to be mindful that others may not be of the same disposition.

I want to share something I wrote on Christmas Eve. If you are of another system of belief, do with it what you will.

When I survey my life, I am in awe of the blessings my Lord has accounted to me. He has given multitudes beyond my deserving. He has been generous in goodness and faithful in mercy. My God sees me like a precious treasure whom He purchased at a price so high as to be incomprehensible.

He is my solace in the depth of despair. He is my rock when I need a sure foundation. He is the beloved of my soul, and He cherishes me as priceless. He is a wall that surrounds me protecting me from harm of which I am blissfully unaware. He is the path that takes me to secure places. He is the Lion who fights my battles with principalities and powers beyond my reckoning. It is He who will gather me to Himself when my earthly days are over.

Who is like my God? Only He, Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, stands in triumphant glory over all that exists. I will praise Him, with all my heart and soul and mind. It is He, only, who saves me.

Today, January 7, 2018, I became a member of a church where I feel more belonging than I have in a long time. It is home. I will probably share more of my journey in coming days.

When we create, we should endeavor to enhance the lives of those who witness our work. There is such a need for positive influence in so many lives, we are vessels of love given the power to bless others.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. If you desire, click the follow button and email will inform you of posts, or just come back as you will. May peace, love, and comfort be with you.

Short Poems Before Dawn

Often I write haiku and tanka because I can. I also do variations on the forms. I explained both of them in earlier posts here. Haiku are counted syllable poems with three lines of 5-7-5 syllables respectively. Tanka are also counted syllable poems with five lines of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables. The variations I do are the addition of more syllabic lines.

In my view, forms are guidelines. They are not chiseled in stone never to be bent to the creative will, so I play. Creativity is the play that makes an art of living in a world that needs more beauty and grace.

I.
Church is given us
A safety, love, gathering
To make us stronger
In body, spirit, belief,
So we may navigate life
Surrounded by such great grace
Our lives prove the Gospel truth.

II.
Failing along our
Way to the success for which
We live, are destined,
Lessons of immense value
Are bestowed with each heartbreak.

III.
So, you have come here
Prepared to plunder what is
Left after collapse;
Instead, sit you down just here,
Tell the story of the wounds
You carry hidden within
Depths of your half-mended soul;
Perhaps together we can
Align our lives with wholeness.

IV.
The wings, those feathers,
Cover the heart, the creature,
Flying to heaven,
For mere flesh could not ever
Go near the bright face of God.

When we create we have no obligation to be the best, our job is to show up, make an effort, and produce the best work we are capable of making in the moment. This does not mean we should not strive for near-perfection, but it allows us the freedom to make mistakes, make progress without the goal of perfection keeping us boxed in so we do not generate any art at all.

Every time we exercise our creativity we grow. We become more ourselves and more capable of illuminating our soul’s message for the world. If we are writing, each line, each page, helps us clarify our message. If taking pictures, each shot teaches and refines our technique. In art, each drawing, painting hones our skills. We were not born with all the knowledge and expertise we need, but continual practice equips us to accomplish more challenging tasks that lead to the possibility of widely successful work.

I am grateful:

Some issues I was having are being resolved.
Despite the cold weather we have retained power.
I found some great library books on Tuesday.
I am getting new contacts.
Hope is still here despite the growth on her flank which is getting larger.
Living, although a challenge, is worth the effort.
It is not over until it is over.

For a prompt, think of something that vexes you and explore the issue through an artwork or writing exercise. Be as precise or vague as you wish, but capture your audience’s attention.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. I hope you found something to inspire or encourage you here. Please feel free to press the follow button, or if you rather not, do come back as you can. If you have thoughts or suggestions, those are always welcome and may be written in the comment area. Thank you for coming. See you soon.

Always,
Jo Ann