(My A to Z Blog Challenge theme this year is Bittersweetness & Light, my new collection of hope-filled, joy-inducing fantasy and sci fi short stories, poems, and art. Join me for excerpts of art, stories, and poetry, plus some of the background on why we urgently need joyful stories. Also, be sure to check out my fellow A to Z bloggers at the Master List.)
They say “Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas”… But lie down with the octopus of love, and you just might get a mug of hot tea, a good book, and a purring cat! The idea for the original rubber block print came from a prompt to respond to another piece of art. That piece included warm colors, tea, and a fish… To see the whole chain of artwork of which this octopus was a link (along with the artists’ explanations), check out Translations: Chains of Positive Energy.
As for why I made notecards for my Kickstarter rewards, that’s because reaching out to people with a message of connection is always a good thing! And pretty notecards can help inspire us to send those messages. (That’s why the notecards I made for the backers, as well as lots of other designs, are also now available on my web site.)
Marketing Moral: Send me a note! The messages I’ve received from readers telling me how a poem moved them or a story inspired them or one of my block prints cheered them up during a bad time… That’s what makes it all worthwhile. I’m really enjoying the comments right here on this very blog, too, of course! These chains of connection are always powerful, but especially so for authors and artists who put their hearts out into the world and don’t always know whether it’s making any difference at all.
Proper Moral: (This one comes from Walt Kelly.) Forewarned is forearmed — and four-armed is half an octopus.
When was the last time you sent an actual, handwritten, paper letter to someone? And also, what’s your favorite marine creature?
[Ocean of Love, rubber block print by AEGNydam, 2020 (originals sold out, but you can buy love-themed notecards at NydamPrints.com).]
14 comments:
A seahorse - and I try in vain to draw them!
A crab, since I was born in July. I once wrote a blog about an octopus because there's a claim (no kidding) that they might have come from outer space. Their DNA is curious. Chasing stuff like that down is what makes research fun. Also, I do write hand-written notes on things I send to people. The occasional card. I must be old school (or just old).
Favorite marine animal: that's a tough choice. I'm torn between the Beluga whale and the bottlenose dolphin. Last time I hand-wrote a letter? So far back, I can't really remember. I word-process my letters these days, because osteoarthritis has rendered my handwriting illegible. I love your octopus image, and I could believe it's true, as intelligent as octopi actually are! They are amazing creatures!
My favourite marine creature is whale, all types of whales actually. I love listening to humpback whale songs, they are so sad yet calming to listen to. I really like your octopus illustration, it's so good at multitasking 😃
I am sooo here for the Octopus of Love! :)
I am trying to figure out how to budget for getting this book. I'd rather not get it from Amazon... can I email you about it?
The Multicolored Diary
I make birthday cards for all family members with a hand written happy birthday message inside. That's about 20 cards a year.
I LOVE your octopus print! I think that's about what I'd be doing if I had that many arms, too.
- Allison
https://lightningflashwriting.blogspot.com/
Such a lovely color of orange. I'm glad octopus was put to use after not being used in the book. I send out postcards on a fairly regular basis to others and am always delighted to find one from somebody in my mailbox. My favorite sea critters are whales and otters. Have seen fresh water river otter before but never a sea otter. Hope to see a whale someday.
Keep trying! =D
Ha! I think I'm very bad at multitasking - but I also think nobody's very good at multitasking, but I'm the only one who actually realizes it and acknowledges it. But you're right, octopuses would be good at it.
Yes, definitely email me. anne(at)nydamprints(dot)com. We'll see what we can figure out.
That's great, Kristin. I know family connections are huge for you, and this is such a great way to keep fostering these connections.
I love postcards! (And otters.)
That was exactly my thought process - what would I be doing with all those arms.
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