Sunday’s Thoughts

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

I wrote these with a fountain pen, which is not my best instrument. These are my journal pages. If you read them, you will get insight into where and what my state of mind is.

I would have scanned them into the computer, but my equipment and the program did not cooperate with me. Therefore, I did the phone as I have for the past months.

Showing journal pages is a level of openness I can do, but it is a bit uncomfortable. I have no idea how this audience will react, so it is a gamble.

How revealing can you be? Consider that a prompt.

Blessings, I hope, always find you. Jesus, lend you peace. Live, alive, and Love cause that is why we are here on Earth.

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

2022 Creativity Project – April 1

Enough To Do

Completion of tasks
Long undone provides a sense
Of accomplishment
That borders on mystical
A release, approbation.
Overcoming blocks
And procrastination is
Difficult to do
But when the dam is broken
Blessings flow straight into view.
Life is a constant
Fight against forces that curb
Enthusiasm,
Restraining creativity
Leeching imagination.
Breaking through to
Rewards and employing faith
In God’s continual
Love, grace, mercy bestows strength
With positive energy
To live productively and endure.

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

2022 Creativity Project – Day 6

Open the door on a new-fangled year. Somehow it seems unclear who is going on. Will a pose be stuck to endear, or are all acts sheared away.

Maybe everything is unformed as the void was before the Word gave life. Words are the tools to sculpt the way, whatever means each day.

© Jo Ann J.A. Jordan

1
I
Light the
Chalice
With a
Headstrong
Libation
From
Somewhere
Distinct
In memory
And moment,
Motion
To see
You
Again.

2
The work
Never stops,
The war to
Keep together
What battles
Left me;
Meaning confused
By voices,
Whether his or
Mine,
Unknown.

3
I sing
Like,
Maybe,
Someone
Would
Take
Interest,
Still,
As usual
I am plagued
By fear
And doubt –
The both
Block
My
Music
Out.

4
Sleep,
Soft ones,
So dear –
Life is
A balmy
Evening,
Where ravens
Appear.

One through three are tanka; four is a haiku. I gave them unconventional line breaks to add emphasis.

PROMPT
Consider something you have created; take it to another medium or form. Please do not presume to know what you make until you take directions you did not first use.

Appreciation
1. Even when I fall, I find the way.
2. What no one knows.
3. Still learning.

Thank you for your time. Follow or come back if you want to do so. Your likes and recommendations are appreciated.

All here appearing is © Jo Ann J. A. Jordan.

Now and Then

When looking over your year, be sure to give yourself credit for any accomplishment. 2021 may have been much more fraught with difficulty than the average year.

Going into 2022, if you set goals, be gentle with yourself. Have a baseline with a fallback plan. You may want to set ambitious goals, but only with alternates.

If your schedule increases with less free time, do not overfill your leisure with personal projects. Rest and recreation are crucial to well-being.

Do you have research to do? Try to include this requirement within your reading goal. Take notes to leverage in creative work. Wherever you are, take pictures that may lead to innovative developments. Try to make your life a multi-use platform.

Find ways to share your endeavors with a broader audience. The world is a smaller place than in the past, but sometimes there seems to be distance between us. Any way you can find for real-world personal exchange, do it. We still need face-to-face contact. Of course, take necessary health precautions, and if video conferencing seems better, you call the shots.

Be open to new things and new methods and tools to do familiar tasks. There are so many ways to bridge the problem gaps. If need be, ask others online how they solved a similar conundrum.

Share your expertise when you can. Learning from one another is still an excellent way to overcome the fear of failure and unwillingness to jump into taxing possibilities.

If it appeals to you, keep a gratitude journal. This tends to make you more aware of your blessings. You may especially find it suitable to trace the hopes and dreams coming true for you.

Ah, I hope your new year brings you closer to your cherished position, currently only a dream.

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

I have not fully decided, but a new Creativity Project seems to appeal to me. Stay informed, check back for updates and planned details.

Ready, Go Create

Sometimes creating is hard. Life intervenes, or feelings get in the way. When you find yourself unable to practice your art, here is some encouragement:

  1. Pick up a book, turn to a random page, read the first entire paragraph, create a work inspired by the whole, or just a word. You do not have to relate your creation to the meaning of the paragraph at all.
  2. Think of a place you would like to go, Google it or use Wikipedia. Do some searching; when you find something that intrigues you, create whatever you are inspired to do.
  3. Go somewhere nearby and see it with new eyes, like a stranger. Take your impressions and create from that starter.
  4. Create an ad for an item, band, show, or movie you love. Probably change the names involved.
  5. Give your pet, or one you had, an adventure backstory. If you are a visual artist, create from there.

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

I hope those give you some ideas. All the best to you always.