My Passion

I remember sitting in school and listening to the teacher talk on and on. Loading us up on facts. I would mindlessly take dictation, do0dle in my notebook, or contemplate my own interpretation of a fact. I have never been too interested in facts. I always enjoyed using facts or objects to create an idea, story, or design.

Writing my school papers was always more enjoyable, than memorizing the dates of wars, the map of the United States, or the Latin word for love. Although I probably would have been more fluent in Latin if I had used the words to write a story in Latin. Instead, I went through stacks of flashcards.

I like to create. Forty years later I am still that way. I get joy from thinking out and developing an article or story. I also like to draw and paint or take a photo.

As a child, I had a journal. It was full of poems, short stories, and sketches. Now as an adult, a retired adult, I have shifted from a journal to a computer. I now look to the internet for my inspiration. Vocal Media has writing challenges and pays the author whenever their published story is read. I post mine on Facebook and send copies to friends. The reader can also give the author a financial tip. So far nobody has given me a tip. The writing topics spur my mind in directions that I might not have otherwise explored. Writing is also a great psychological balancer. It calms me down and relaxes me. After working on a composition I feel motivated to do more mundane things. It is often when I wash the dishes or do the laundry. It just puts me in a better piece of mind. And believe it or not, while researching these articles I learn the importance of many of those random facts. I now realize the significance of them. They are no longer random facts.

And then of course there were creative writing and art classes. These classes gave me the opportunity to both create and play. My art teachers allowed us to play with colors, and slowly evolve our own style. The goal in both subjects was to develop an artist's eye or ear. My elementary school writing class left us room to experiment. My mind could roam. The goal was not to produce cookie-cutter products but to bring your inner personality to your piece.

There are many internet sights. Some sell products designed by the artist and produced and shipped by internet sites. The artist earns royalties, and the rest of the money goes to the site. These are called Print on Demand companies. When I was in college I took a history of fashion class. We went to art museums and looked at the history of the outfits in the paintings. We also made a portfolio of our fashion design drawings. If I could have sewn I might have been the next great female designer

On Print on Demand sights, the product template is made by the company. The freelance artist creates the surface design. Some of these sights sell notebooks, greeting cards, furniture, bags, socks, etc. I like to buy my designs, so I can update my apartment and wardrobe with original pieces. I hope other people will buy my pieces for the same reason. Some of these sites are, Redbubble, Society6, Vida design studio, Spoonflower fabric

One day I was discussing how all men are created equal. The homeless man on the street playing guitar is just as important and has as much to give as a millionaire. The man I was talking to said that I was contributing to others when they read my short stories on Facebook. Hopefully, that is right and the stories make the reader think and contemplate some aspect of their life or other's lives. A friend reading my pieces would probably find an inner me which I don't usually reveal. Hopefully, the reader will feel entertained like I am while I write the piece. I want my writing to be more than just random facts. I want the story to mean something to the reader and touch them. Not just words thrown on a page.