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.

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

Mission Statement

#1 Creative Statement - Typewriter

If we want to accomplish more, we must do the remarkable. We cannot settle for a lukewarm approach, our desire for excellence must be like wildfire. We hold in our minds, hearts, souls the creativity to institute change at a cosmic level, but we cannot defer our work. The world needs out production in the present moment. We are not allowed to be placid and let time to rush by us without our contribution to its meaning.

Every word, thought, image, line, page, all we do, are, create, is integral to the shaping of the next minute. We may sometimes feel we have nothing to express, share, but this is mistaken, our gifts, talents, abilities were conferred upon us to light lives now. Ours is the foundation that will cement these days in history.

We create alone
But the work reaches further
Than we imagine;
We are each a world changing
Force with power to excel.

As a prompt: Devote a few minutes, or more, to mapping out a plan for this week. Find a resource that inspires you and dedicate yourself to exploring it. You have so much that needs sharing with others. You can inspire and encourage greatness. Realize your creativity was given to bless those who encounter your art.

Thoughts with photographs

I will fly into the storm, pelleted by the driving rain, buffeted by the raging wind, but I will conquer, I will fly out victorious in the end.

1 The Winding Road

I have only this;
I am willing to love each
One, with my whole heart.

Sometimes we avoid what we should be doing. We say we are too busy or we do not have the time. We can always find an excuse to avoid creative work. The investment of ourselves it requires is tremendous, and it is almost all-consuming. If we wish to grow our talents, abilities, and gifts, we must dedicate ourselves to expending what we now possess in the hope of becoming more competent and skilled.

What we love, what compels us, will draw us even when we are excusing ourselves away from our real purpose. Creativity is not a sometime occupation, it is the drive that makes us alive. Love and creation are inexorably entwined, we send goodness into the world through our endeavors.

I have been away from Haphazard Creative because working here requires an intensity of me that I do not always feel I can create. I fiddle-faddle on Facebook and avoid dedicating the time I need to put in to make a post worthy of this space. Maybe I will come here more often, I shall hope so.

If you wish a prompt, explore what keeps you from the creative work you desire to do. See if you can devise a plan that will convince you to put in the effort. We cannot accomplish great things without we decide they are more critical than our leisure.

Thank you so much for visiting Haphazard Creative. I hope you enjoyed your time here and that you will click the follow button, or come again as you are able.

Be blessed, and share your love with the world. Many need your light in times of darkness.