Saturday, June 21, 2008

Of Words and Pictures

My first post is already up at 50-somethingmomsblog! Check it out here. Now aren't you glad that I learned how to download digital photos to my computer? Have you ever seen such a display? Each post needs a graphic, so you will be seeing more of my [non]artistic ability.

I was wondering this week why I am not particularly artistic. My mother and sister are artists. My husband used to draw cartoons and does beautiful work with stained glass. Each of my children is an artist in their own way. The most memorable piece of artwork I created was in second grade, when I did a sponge painting of evergreens in the snow. Soon after that I learned to do embroidery, and sewing became my outlet for artistic expression.

In high school I discovered I preferred to express myself with words. I remember when it clicked - in eleventh grade my creative writing teacher read aloud in class an essay I wrote. I had named the title character "Mrs. Bitch," which described her personality. Kids didn't swear in school in those days, and I rarely used such language anywhere. The essay was my first venture into the world of wordplay, and I pulled it off.

I value the art of language, how words can give snapshots of scenes and situations. I understand how meaning and emotion can be conveyed with carefully chosen words. I know how words can heal or hurt, and I know that even words taken back can linger long afterward. So I choose my words carefully, hoping to create a short story about a life situation. And I have lots of help ~ my dictionary and thesaurus are always close at hand, and my self-editor has no off button.

This medium has provided me with an outlet for my words. I am grateful for that and for those of you who have read this far. Let the journey continue....

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