because we are off, folks.
No one ever looks at the first blog post. Maybe someone will work through the back catalog of posts one day (hi, mom!), but until then, this is just for me.
We all miss precedented times, and I’m no exception. Through a large chunk of this year, my mental wellness tanked and got the better of me. As a result, my creativity suffered.
My performance in Blithe Spirit was originally scheduled for March, right around That Time Stuff Started To Go Down. It was postponed, of course, to a later month: June. We’d be done by June, right? Nah. So we moved it to August, only to postpone it again to November. If I’m honest, a November premiere doesn’t look likely, so we’ll be moving it again to February. Maybe.
And then there’s my novel. I’ve been piecing it together over the better part of five years. I’ve scrapped plot after failed, not-quite-sticky-enough plot. I’ve adjusted circumstances, rewritten opening scenes. But through it all, I’ve kept my characters—at least four of them— and I’ve gotten to know each of them. Maybe I can’t plot a proper story arc to save my life, but I’ll be doggoned if I can’t paint you a beautiful portrait of a slice of life and the person in it.
Even though my serotonin production has improved lately, I’m not in a constant state of inspiration. When I feel things become stagnant, I resort to other ways to bolster the ol’ creative juices. Specifically, I get visual. I look for things that remind me of my characters, my story, my feeling that I so badly want to be conveyed to the reader. You’d be surprised at how many amazing photos you can find when you tack the word “aesthetic” onto the end of anything you’re putting into your Google Images search.
Here’s what I have built so far. Each collage represents a different character. May they pique your interest as much as they’ve piqued mine.
