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.

The Economy of Creativity

I have always dreamed I would one day have a substantial income from my creative work, but I am well aware of the reasons that creatives have been called starving artists throughout history.

A creative, whether working in music, film, photography, paint, poetry, other written forms must spend an enormous amount to acquire education, materials to ply the craft, tools, and books that enable self-teaching which are often more expensive than average books.

Once the skill is honed, one finds there is an immense amount of competition for a limited number of positions. Generally, only those who exhibit extraordinary genius achieve successful careers and commissions.

If a creative overcomes these obstacles, a monumental one remains; the consumer problem. In music, film, theater, art, beading, pottery, photography, periodicals, journalism, fiction, poetry, non-fiction, sculpture, anything creative, many consumers have the mindset that these works should be free. The time, practice, education, material investment, tools, and effort that go into something beautiful and desirable are discounted to no worth by a vast majority.

Some of this attitude is because a creative is seen as having a more enjoyable occupation, so we do not really work. Many people have little idea how much effort goes into what they have before them. The finished product is magic to them. As liberal arts are cut out of public education, this will only worsen. Creative production can so effect society that its promotion should be encouraged.

Sometimes creatives can be blind to the worth of other’s work as well. Respect is something we should all cultivate. It is needed everywhere.

When something is shared without permission or credit; when pirated work is viewed, read, listened to; when licenses are shared these things make it harder to make a survivable living creatively. When the free views are repeatedly used, but the subscription is never purchased; when one is willing to profit handsomely from another’s work but unwilling to pay fair compensation; all these and more foster attitudes that cheapen creative work, so the economy tends to reward creatives less as time goes by.

I have abided in
Shadowlands tried by neglect,
Fear, lack, shame, trouble,
Far too long, and I will now,
With God’s help, be He willing,
Step out of this thick darkness
And be wrapped in love, light,
That all may know the Lord works
To the good of His children.

Today, I am grateful:

I can listen to great music as I work.
I have technology that allows me to work magic.
I was able to get the overcooked pot clean.
I went to the fellowship meal and prayer meeting last night.
Libraries have interesting books.
I am able to think clearly and express myself coherently.
I am still alive and mostly well.

If you need a prompt, look at the picture above and create something. Also, you could explore what you feel compromises those of us who work creatively.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. I hope you found something interesting or inspiring here. Never forget you have something significant and unique to share with a world that needs your perspective. I hope you will click the follow button, if not, please visit again. God be with you in all you endeavor to do and in every place you go.

Memory and creativity

Here is a memory, exemplary of how the mind turns things over the years.

It is summer because Six Flags Over Georgia is a summer place when you are young. The great rides of later years are not in evidence, but the Great American Scream Machine is there and gives a startled thrill as it descends on what even now seems a rickety track. I have come here every year since the park’s opening, usually with parents, but now am old enough to have a Season Pass and come alone.

The draw today is not the rides, it is a concert, in the evening, one I have been anticipating for weeks. I wear a short nylon set of pale sky blue I put together from different stores, or maybe the same store at different times. I have a tank top with a circular collar and shorts that border on too short with a vinyl and material belt that came together. Mom lets me out of the house, so I must be decent. My hair is still blonde, but I could have already begun coloring it.

I get to the pavilion early, while the show is being set up, I want to be in a place where I can see. The star is a teenager like me, I follow him in Tiger Beat, with its bright arresting covers that I cannot pass up in the grocery store check out line. He comes out on stage to do a sound check, and I am enthralled seeing him alive. Our eyes meet across the distance, which is not far.

Somehow I move away from the stage, and then I feel a tap on my shoulder. He followed me, and I turn to face him. He asks if I would like to go for an ice cream after the show, and oh yes, I would. My father would be furious though because he says all rock stars are ruffians. He does not look bad, he seems like someone who could be my friend. My heart breaks a little, and I tell him no, my parents would not allow me to stay late.

Years pass that short set stays in a drawer long after I have outgrown that slim frame. I always wonder what might have been had I stepped out of my fear, my inhibition, that evening. If I had gone with that gorgeous blonde boy, who wanted to spend time with me. Maybe somehow, somewhere it happened, and both our paths were changed for the better. Could be.

When working with memories creatively, all the pieces do not have to be there. A little space where the color fades, fog descends, leaves room for imagination to fill in the spaces and make what is vague, transcend and come into focus with a clarity that to a reader, viewer, listener, seems more than real, even magic. Always play the magic, because that is where the story happens and the story is everything.

As a prompt, use a memory creatively to tell a story in whatever way you like. If it leads you off somewhere, chase it. Chasing the tale is magic.

Thank you for visiting, please come again and be safe out there.

Reading of Emigre

What about music?

After finishing writing yesterday, it occurred to me that I left out an important form of creative expression, music. I render my sincere apologies to any musicians. I no longer practice this art, though in the past I sang and played harmonica, guitar, and organ. Occasionally, I consider renewing my acquaintance with all of those. Impatience with practice is probably why I abstain.

As a musician, much that applies to other creative types may be carried over into your discipline. Performers must develop a daily practice to become an expert in the use of their talent. Training can be difficult and painstaking, but the results can take you everywhere. Learning to read sheet music is sometimes akin to learning another language. To write music, there must be an intimate knowledge of every nuance one wants to transmit.

Music is still relevant in my creative life because I often listen while working. I like ambient, atmospheric electronic, and classical best. I find lyrics disrupt my concentration as I am primarily a creature of words.

If you are a listener, like me, it may be advantageous to experiment to discover what most appeals to you. If you have streaming capabilities, both Amazon Music and Google Play Music offer a wide variety commercial free. There is also a program called Focus@Will which has music of various upbeat tempos to help facilitate concentration.

You may find music channels on television that are included in your service. I recommend whatever you listen to, be commercial free because those breaks are designed to disrupt attention and encourage product purchase.

Rarely is silence my preferred choice. Music seems to help the mind transition smoothly thought to thought, idea to idea. That is the goal when working creatively, to bring a masterpiece, or piece, to life.

I hope you found something you could integrate into your life here. I appreciate your visit. The top button on the right allows you to follow Haphazard Creative. Please leave a comment should you like and come back soon. Take care.