Hey, all! Long time, no see (er…write? Talk?)! It is currently a rather dreary day in Nebraska; we keep alternating between blazing sun and ominous cloud cover out here. The mental switch makes it kinda hard to find motivation for anything, so the past week has been an odd one, jumping from having so much to do to having (technically) nothing to do. I’ve taken a bit of a rest, but the sudden lack of schedule makes me feel a bit jumpy and want to do everything at once. More on that later: I think it’d make a good post. :)
Anyway, it has been a crazy few weeks for me, hence no new postings! I just finished up my sophomore year of college. With that, I had two memory-heavy finals to study for, one series of poems to write for another, and two demos (performance finals) to rehearse for and finesse. Fortunately, all of those went quite well, and have left me so excited to continue growing in my craft over the summer and next year. :) However, on top of all this, I had to pack up my dorm room—separating what needed to go to storage and what could come back with me—figure out how to fit everything into a small suitcase and two duffels, get out of the dorms, organize how to get to the airport to fly back home, and see a mandatory (albeit wonderful!) show. All-in-all, it was a mess of time management that needed to happen. Luckily, again, everything got where it needed to be in a timely fashion, leaving me able to enjoy myself at our juniors’ production of On the Town (much applause: it was a great show!). My to-do list was just very stressful and time-consuming for a week or two there.
After all that, I’m back home now, getting used to the change of daily pace. I’ve already gotten more sleep, and have had more of a chance to read, watch movies, and the like. I’m determined to watch all the Marvel films in chronological order this summer, in addition to my usual period drama binging; I want to read a lot more plays, and I have a long list of novels to get to. Just two days ago, my grandma found me three beautiful editions of the Sherlock Holmes stories: I’ve been trying to collect and read all of them for quite some time, so I’m excited to have and be able to read them! Currently, I’m being very indecisive on what to read first, book-wise. On the play front, I’ve just finished Albee’s Three Tall Women, and am wishing I could have seen the revival before I left school. Novel-wise, I’m going to try Kim Fay’s The Map of Lost Memories, a recommendation from my mom. In addition, I’m aiming to write more this summer, and to continue honing my craft by working new songs and monologues. If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them below!
Besides all of this (and going to interview for job offerings), I’ve been hanging out with my family. In the week I’ve been here, I’ve already been to two of my brother’s baseball games; my sister’s soccer team may have a game this weekend and, if so, I’m definitely going. I’ve missed watching the two of them play. It’s great to be back with them, and to be reading with my mom, exploring new bookstores and indie shops with my grandparents, and watching magicians with my dad. Being home is always a welcome, necessary reprieve, I think.
Really, as for right now, that’s it for me! But, in case you’re bored at this point, I wanted to share two interesting things I’ve read/learned in the time I’ve been away from this blog. They were originally concepts aimed towards artists, but I think everyone can benefit.
1) Keep a list of everything that is interesting to you. Marina Keegan, before she died, kept a list of everything she found fascinating in her life. It was anything from the sparkle of a taxi driver’s eye to the shade of a falling leaf to the sounds of student life on campus. She used these in her life and in her work. I used to do this a lot, but it’s fallen by the wayside. I want to pick it back up. For an artist, noticing these little things helps us create; for a human being, it helps us appreciate the beauty that is the world we are in. I believe that that is incredibly important.
2) Fall in love three times every day. My creative writing professor showed us an article before we left our final class, introducing this concept to us. It may sound weird, but it originally comes from a book by Georgia Heard. Let yourself consciously fall in love with three different things every day. This could be the taste of a perfectly made cup of tea, or the sound of water dripping off your windowsill, or the way the football fit perfectly into your hand, or the way a line was phrased in a piece of writing. It can be absolutely anything; let yourself be engrossed in it, fall in love with it, for a moment. It will not only create a happier atmosphere for you, but it will open up creative possibilities and get you to really notice things. What could be cooler than that? :)
As always, thank you for reading, and I hope something caught your fancy! Have a great day!
~Rhiannon~