I am in need of nostalgia.
I like these quizzy things. I stole this one from Kevin. I was always going to do an art quiz. I think the fact that I've got a fine art degree (and have therefore been trained in looking at art) has skewn the personality results a bit: I really don't see myself as a visionary although I agree that I'm a bit of a non-conformist.
Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which exists independently of what may appear to others as visual realities. Western had been underpinned by the logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality. It allowed the progressive thinking artists to show a different side to the world around them. By the end of the 19th century many artists felt a need to create a 'new kind of art' which would encompass the fundamental changes taking place in technology, science and philosophy. Abstract artists created art that was diverse and reflected the social and intellectual turmoil in all areas of Western culture.
People that chose abstract art as their preferred artform tend to be visionsaries. They see things in the world around them and in people that others may miss because they look beyond what is visual only with the eye. They rely on their inner thoughts and feelings in dealing with the world around them instead of on what they are told they should think and feel. They feel freed from the tendancy to be bound by traditional thought and experiences. They look more toward their own ideas and experiences than what they are told by their religious upbringing or from scientific evidence. They tend to like to prove theories themselves instead of relying on the insight or ideas of others. They are not bound by common and mundane, but like to travel and have new experiences. They value intelligence, but they also enjoy a challenge. They can be rather argumentative when they are being forced or feel as if they are being forced to conform.
Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy
The aliens have landed just outside Daughter's bedroom door. Or is it a disco light? I couldn't capture the oscillations in the photo.Anyway, the lovely people at Simplicity International have sorted out our wifi problems and I'm giving them a plug because they were very good. When we changed Daughter's bedroom for the office we moved the modem to the new office and my writing place ... which is really a dressing room area, was the only one to suffer.
Husband has tried twice to get some sort of booster in to work with the existing modem but they resolutely refused to speak to each other. He was delighted that Simplicity's engineer had to make several trips because it wasn't straight forward so I have zippy internet service, and Husband has saved face.
Simplicity cover Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket. They came the same day we called. They were very reasonably priced and although the engineers English was basic, they rang their office and someone with excellent English explained the problem to me.
Now, I haven't written today. I'm feeling bad (for not writing and bad tempered - for several reasons). I really should write even if my mood makes me resistant.
I’ve been tagged for this meme. Leigh didn’t stipulate ‘one word answers only’, but KatW did, so they’re the rules I’m using (more or less).
I didn’t have a very good writing day yesterday. I wrote about 300 words – which given that I had all day, isn’t so brilliant. (Alright, it’s 300 more than I had…) On Sunday I rewrote the 700 words that my editing had removed from my total of 12,000.
So I have now more than enough words to send my mentor … who has accepted me as her mentee (Hurrah. Having spoken to me, TLC select from their list suitable mentors and my words are sent to her – in this case - to see if she feels she can help me. This is because the mentor must both feel empathy for the work she is mentoring.) I’ve put aside those words – currently 2 ½ chapters and I’m categorically not going to look at them again until they come back from the mentor. NO MORE FIDDLING, I PROMISE, SCARY EMAIL WOMAN.
I’ve been in to school for a meeting (on the obscenely early 6.40am school bus which, OMG, I make my children do every single Mon-Fri) – and while there I had the brilliant idea that if I registered for the library I could get a couple of research books for my wip – except there were no books on Greek Drama. Now excuse me for being pompous for a minute, but how can you teach Drama without telling kids about Classical Drama? How? On my way back from school I stopped at the secondhand bookshop Dasa Books and picked up a couple of Greek plays … I will reread these to immerse myself in the subject and they had a great big book on Greeks and Greek homosexuality! I bought this because it’s roughly (not really at all) in the right area. Really, I thought it might be fun to read, but I’m a bit like that I’m afraid. It might make me a bit of a nerd.
Today, I am full of anxiety for … just about everything. Here’s my list. I’m hoping that writing it down will be cathartic:
Anyway, there are only four things on my list of worries which isn’t so bad, is it? But my nail is now stumpy. See, I’m a reformed nail biter… which means I can never relax: relapse is just around the corner. The worse thing for me is if I have a jaggedy bit of nail and I don’t file or cut it, I just slip it in my mouth ‘to neaten it up’ and the next thing I know it’s gone!
On Friday afternoon I went of to Kinokuniya Bookshop at Siam Paragon for the ‘Meg Cabot Greeting and Book Signing party.’
I am feeling all relaxed and light of problems. This is my last day on Koh Chang and the rainy season has gone away for the day … but still I’m at my laptop. (I ♥ my laptop.)
Calistro left a comment yesterday that made me laugh; she said: ‘…that’s utterly astonishing… Have I missed something? How did you go from writing 100 words a day on Helen’s blog to well over a 1000? I want some of that fairy dust please!’ and then after chuckling again at her tone of total incredulity, it made me think. These are my tips:
In truth, it’s not just those points, and it’s funny that it was Calistro that made me think about it, because it sort of started with her.
It’s hard work, this writing lark. I know that – if you came here telling me it was just sitting on my lardy arse and typing, well, I’d say ‘it’s not, it’s hard work.’ I knew that. I’d read it in multiple ‘how to’ books, I’d heard it from writers, I’d read it on the internet. I knew.
It started a few weeks ago when Calistro got her agent. I was so pleased for her – she really has worked hard for it … and she works full time. I felt utter delight; I knew I wasn’t near that situation so my reaction didn’t involve an iota of envy. I was 4,000 words in and I could see that I had a long way to go before justifiably feeling ‘why not me?’
It spurred me on. It made me think ‘I want that to be me…’ So I began to think about it: about how to do it, about how to get to that situation so that even if there are no guarantees, at least to get to a place where your manuscript goes out.
My TLC writing holiday got cancelled and I felt sad but I recognised my need for feedback. I’d got no real idea if what I was doing was right. So fast forward to the idea of mentoring with TLC: my excerpt came back with some good things on it. It was better than I hoped for and it had suggested to my reader that, albeit assessed only from one chapter, I might possibly be in possession of the skills required to do this.
‘I did that chapter,’ I thought. ‘It was hard but I shaped it and put the things into that she thought demonstrated that potentially I might possess the ability to do this. So right … (can you hear those cogs turning?) if I can do it with one chapter, I can do it with the next.’
Slowly – because clearly I’m not very bright – it began to dawn on me. The writing is really tough. It’s HARD. Am I the only one who hadn’t comprehended this? Am I the only total twit who hadn’t grasped the fact that, not only is it not easy, it’s actually, really bloody difficult?
So, if you’ve read this far, you’re going to say ‘Yes? And your point, JJ, is what?’
And, well, I suppose my point is – I suppose I have a couple of points: that ability or talent is irrelevant if you don’t do the hard graft … there really isn’t any ‘fairy dust’? And while I knew all along that it was tough, I guess I didn’t really quite believe it; until now.
