We are all storytellers.
We all have experiences to share. And we all tell our stories in different ways.
For my daughter, her stories are best told through movement. She did some fine storytelling a few weeks ago with her movements in the special performance of "Family Tree."
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| {Tiny Dancer performing at a local assisted living facility - telling stories through movement} |
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| {last summer, dancing on the docks with her best friend - Thank Al of Sunflower Studio!} |
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| {Can you imagine what the story is happening here? I am so excited that baseball has started! the best season of the year!} |
For me, my stories are told through wearable works of art. Each piece of jewelry that I make is a little bit of my heart. The story of my life played out in beads and colors and patterns and textures and yes, words. But my particular favorite is to tell someone else's story to make it a personal statement of who they are, where they have come from and hopes about where they are going.
I have been so honored to be the featured Art Bead Partner for Vintaj this past month. Jess and the girls have really become great friends of mine over the years and I am so delighted to be working with them! If you ever have the chance to go to Galena, IL and take a class directly from the Vintaj ladies, you really should!
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| {September 2011 - Jess is a 'character' that figures into so many of my creative stories! ;-} |
I created nine new 'simple truths' designs to go with the storybook/fairy tale theme and took you on a journey of where my creative story lives... in my basement... late, late, late at night... with chaos all around (which I understand is not that dissimilar from where all of you create ;-) Today, you can go over to the Vintaj blog and see the creations of people inspired by the storybook theme. Vote for you favorite... because I just cannot choose one!
Vintaj has been important to me in telling my own creative story and this month has been such a delight for me!
To wrap up this fairy-tale-come-true for me, and to keep to the theme of this month with the Challenge of Literature (reveal May 31st!), I thought we should have a little fun.
Here is the start to a story. I want you, my readers, to add to it.
I would like to gift a 3-month subscription to my Simple Truths Sampler Club (June-August 2012) randomly selected from all the comments on this post.
So you have unlimited chances to play along and possibly win! Of course, if you would like to share this idea with anyone that is great (Facebook, blog, twitter, carrier pigeon, billboard...feel free!), the more the merrier! But please only leave comments here that add to the story... (those that don't further the story will not be counted.) Keep the story going and I will try to wrap it up with a happy ending!
My story starter was taken from Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo and Nancy Wang, members of Eth-Noh-Tec, an Asian storytelling troupe. I thought it was a fitting beginning!
Long ago, in a faraway place, there was a land filled with wonder. In this fantastic place there was a little girl. She was very special, for she had a magic ...
Your turn....
P.S. Be sure to REFRESH your page to be sure that you are adding a comment that adds to the story!
98 comments:
She had a magic hat that allowed her to travel anywhere in the world while she slept. She had found the hat in the forest.
She found the hat in the forest one day when she was out picking blackberries for a pie. The hat is a beautiful shade of emerald green felt with a red silk sash. She picked it up and placed it on her head...
Angelina brought the hat home and kept it hidden under her mattress. Each night she would put the hat on, and once she nodded off she was wisked away on an adventure. The only trouble was that she could not control where the hat took her. Once she woke up only to find she was plopped right in the middle of.....
Wisconsin! What I am doing here, she wondered. And then she saw it . . .
A castle in the middle of a cornfield! Odd place for a castle she thought...
She walked toward the castle and was surprised as the drawbridge swung down to allow her approach. She could see a figure in the doorway waiting for her.
Could it be the one she was waiting for so long?
His hand reached for hers. She hesitated but the look in his eyes told her he would not bring her harm. the crossed the threshold....
...but suddenly the sky turned dark and she got this feeling that...
He said, "Princess, you've arrived at last!" He led her into the castle and she was amazed at all there was to see...
And then something caught her attention....it was a magical key, bright and sparkling. As she looked closer, she saw her name engraved on the key....
She reached out to grasp the key. It was tied to a long, beautiful silk ribbon. As her hand touched it, the figure vanished.
She grasped the key tightly and ran to find him.....
She began to investigate the castle, moving from room to room. She happened upon a large golden door, but it was locked.
But just then an owl swooped in with a large key in its talon. The only problem was....
...the motley owl flew out of her sight. She took her key, unlocked the door only to find......
The most gorgeous quilt she'd ever seen. It was purples, pinks, greens, browns and more. It was done in the Log Cabin style. Whe wondered if it had magical qualities.
She took the quilt and wrapped it tightly around her and was immediately turned into a...
Butterfly with the most amazing wings. The patterns were exactly like the quilt. "I feel so special" she thought. What could this magical tranformation mean????
So she continued to explore the room, using her new wings to get to the farthest reaches of the large room. It was a room full of interesting treasures, dusty cabinets of curiousities, clusters of creations.
So she continued to explore the room, using her new wings to get to the farthest reaches of the large room. It was a room full of interesting treasures, dusty cabinets of curiousities, clusters of creations.
While exploring all the nooks and crannies of the magical room, she came across a bottle that glowed. When she uncorked the bottle...
A purple smoke came out and in the smoke a man appeared! I am a....
guardian of the castle. The man explained, "someone invaded the castle and imprisoned me here. Please help me free the castle and its inhabitants. There is something that can help you. It is a magic ..."
horn. Take the horn to the edge of the woods and face towards the sunset. At the moment the sun reaches the horizon you must blow the horn. This will summon the....
..the white unicorn and the wise witch. Both of them will help you out how to rescue me and others too. Seek the magical wise spelling from the wise witch.
And the sad part is ... you have to use the white unicorn horn as your wand when you cast the wise spell.
Angelina was stumped. 'Fiddlesticks how am I going to do that?' And suddenly it came to her, she would just have to ride that unicorn....
back to the edge of the woods where she would...............
Place the magic quilt over the unicorn. She hoped it might turn the unicorn into a magic wand. When she arrived at the edge of the woods and placed the quilt on the unicorn, he instead turned into a ...
jeweled box with a golden lock. She took the key with her name engraved on it and opened the box and found a map explaining the simple truths of this mysterious castle, but.....
...part of the map was missing. Angelina looked at the map in her hand and noted a large X on the map that looked to be behind the castle. She ventured to the back of the castle and found a garden of sparking flowers. In the center was two rows of pink daisies criss-crossing into an X...
Looking closely at the daisies, she noticed a spot at the center of the X where she could place the jeweled box. Within moments, a burst of glittering light shown from the place she had set the jeweled box and from that light came...
A thousand tiny sparkling fairy wings. The fairies flew up around her and
Placed a sparkling wreath of flowers on her head. The then spoke to her, in soft high pitched voices, and told her to follow the map to the river of wisdom. There she would find…
Placed a sparkling wreath of flowers on her head. The then spoke to her, in soft high pitched voices, and told her to follow the map to the river of wisdom. There she would find…
A group of elves waiting to greet her. They would sing in a sonorous voice to celebrate her arrival, and in the most enchanting procession, gently lead her towards ...
another group of fairies around a tree who then sprinkled fairy dust all over her head. When she looked down she now was wearing a beautiful gown, and the shoes - Oh my - the wonderful shoes! "These shoes will carry me to the ..."
"Land of Simple Truths" - where I will learn the secret of LIVING HAPPY...the truth everyone has been struggling to find since eons...
She says to herself: "Aaah..I will learn the "simple truths" of life share with the world! I must find the right medium and express it in the most creative way..."
Then a fairy nudged her and disrupted her thoughts, and hurried her to...
to the little cottage up yonder to seek shelter from the gray
clouds now looming overhead. She grabbed her jewel box; her shoes wisked her across the field to the little door covered with lush velvety vines and delicate purple flowers. Her soft hand gently turned the ornate brass door handle encased with sparkly gemstones. As the door opened she found....
a treasure trove of jewels and brass waiting to be assembled. Ideas and imagination flowed as she began to make ...
little mockettes of how she might share with the world, these "simple truths" she was so close to discovering ! And while she was engrossed in trying different techniques, the fairies and elves whispered to her about the blissful moment when she would get to the "simple truths"...the messages to live a happy life.
She busily worked for about two-three hours amongst the sing-song whispers, when suddenly she heard a screeching shout...urging her to look at the map again. The missing links on the map were now visible, and shining a route - to her final destination.
She quickly packed all her findings, and the map guided her to ..
a memento to remind her of all she had seen and heard and felt on her journey. She began by working with some clay....
Erina liked the way the clay felt in her hands and she sang with delight when she saw all of the beautiful colors of inks and paints sourrounding her. She wasn't sure what she was doing at first but the creations were so perfect that she thought the fairies MUST be guiding her hands...
to form squares, circles, cylinders, all manner of shapes. She than began to play with color..........
enjoying the spring pantones taking cues from the "garden of sparkling flowers" she had visited earlier in her journey, and began toying with words drawing inspiration from...
The joy in her everyday life. Everyday may not be good but there is something good in everyday. She beleived this with all of her heart, it was her greatest truth...
And yet, she must use her unique magical skills to discover the "simple truths" to SHARE with the world. She had to continue her journey to the "river of wisdom". And while she sat pondering over shapes,colors and words, a hot air balloon lightly landed at the door of the "little cottage". She happily boarded with the wonderment of a little girl, and...
and she was lifted high above the magnificent landscape all around her. Little birds took flight next to the balloon and their wonderful songs filled the air. The scenery was breathtaking. As the sun began to set she realized she was heading for the mountains.
"I wonder where the balloon will stop?" she thought to herself. Just then, hovering in the air before her balloon appeared...
a griffin. He had a great wide wing span and his wings were of giant rustling feathers. He had a wise and knowing look about him. He wore a simple golden crown and he spoke in a voice deep and clear, "we have been awaiting your arrival Lady Erina".
And with a swift swoop of his giant feathers, he lifted her off the balloon, cradled her with his paws, and whispered in a low husky voice - the first clue to finding the "simple truths"....
He handed her a magic compass with a parchment of clues, and she clung to him wondering...
How to return to her world to share the truths she had learned. As she glanced down at the compass she realized it was the Vintaj sparrows compass. Vintaj, she thought, maybe Lady Jess has the answers I have been searching for.
Just maybe she can help me find my way back to Wisconsin, the land of cows and cheese! All of a sudden the skies opened up and a loud clap of thunder shook her to her core. "Whatever am I going to do now?" she thought.
but the Griffin's wings carried her safely down to a silver pavilion in a beautiful clearing in the woods. There she found
A woman, wonderful and wise, who told her that she had an loving heart. As she learned to see with her heart and her mind together, the simple truths of life would become increasingly clear to her.
And to achieve that harmony between the mind and the heart, a dip in the "river of wisdom" was a key starting point.
The kindly woman held her hand, and guided her through the woods amongst hedgehogs, squirrels, owls, dragonflies, exotic birds, and all the springtime flora fauna, until they arrived at an unusual willow tree.
To the little girl's astonishment the tree....
Opened and inside appeared a land of many colors. She stepped inside to find
a world distorted by fantastic dancing , swirling colored light. Voices whispered in her ears, each one quiet, but roaring in their numbers. Overwhelmed, Angelina jerked backward and felt herself falling and landing at once into the familiar warmth of her own bed. The chatter in her mind hushed, and she opened her eyes to see...
...she was in a forest glade, lying on the magic quilt, and right beside her there was a half-heart locket, that matched exactly the half-heart she was wearing, the one that they had found her wearing as a baby, the only thing she had from her parents
and on from the half-heart locket lying on the quilt, stuck out a little slip of stained paper.
Angelina quickly grabbed the end, and as she tugged at it,realized there was more !
She kept pulling the end with her tiny fingers, and more and more paper glided out - almost like a scroll.
As much as she was excited, it was tiring her out, and she stopped to take a quick breath.
Just when she stopped, an antiquated bluish ink came to life on the scroll....
She closed her eyes for a minute, eoverwhelmed with what she saw unfolding. And then with the clarity of youth she opened them again and read ...
She closed her eyes for a minute, eoverwhelmed with what she saw unfolding. And then with the clarity of youth she opened them again and read ...
You hold the power, you hold the key, to...
...You hold the key to your own simple truths. You have always known, but you needed this journey to awaken your inner enlightenment.
As she read these words, she felt...
She felt a sudden surge of happiness and empowerment - happiness much deeper than the joys of a little girl who has been gifted a new toy, or smelling a freshly baked cake, and empowerment far beyond that of closing an argument with her girlfriends.
Delicate fairies appeared and danced around her almost forming a halo around her head, and the elves followed with their sing-song voices rejoicing her enlightenment.
But little did Angelina know...
That her journey had not yet ended. Each night as she wrapped herself in the quilt she would be whisked away. She slipped in and out of dreams, drifted along the rim of real and make beleive as she skimmed above magnificent realms. In the mornings when she awoke, she began to sketch and record all the things she had experienced.
And little did she know, one day she would draw inspiration from these sketches with her "treasure trove of jewels and brass" and the half-worked clay mockettes to share the "simple truths" with the world.
Blades of grass rustled by her side, and she was awakened from her thoughts.
The kindly woman was gone. The animals were strolling back to their homes, the flora fauna had wilted for the day, and she realized she had to find a shelter for night.
So she..
So she snuggled up under a large tree, her beautiful quilt around her. As she drifted off, she wondered about the Guardian of the castle and all those held imprisoned there. Did the white unicorn and the wise witch help them escape, or were they still held prisoner in the castle? Little did she know......
Little did she know, that the prisoners had been freed by the white unicorn and the wise witch. They had been transformed into fairies and elves to guide her from time to time, the griffin to carry her to the woods, animals to entertain her in the forest.
It was the same witch that had transformed into the kindly woman to walk with her.
Now here she was all by herself, or not!
She was always guarded, and as she was consumed by sweet slumber she was being lovingly watched by..
the Goddess of the cloud kingdom.
and a field of Sunflowers who had turned to face her as she slept.
The sunflowers swayed in the mild nocturnal breeze, and effervesced sweet smelling pollen to bless little Angelina in her sleep.
Amidst the calmness of the night...
she heard a strange cry whispered on the breeze. She perked up and listened closely, straining to hear. The cry was a call for help!!!
Woodsie and Motley the owls were wide awake and sitting by her side with frightened faces, instead of being calmly perched on a tree branch,and....
resting between hunts. There had been a great disturbance in the forest... dragons were on the move.
Did someone disturb a dragon egg? or was it another forest fire? Or...
were they headed for the valley? Had something driven them from the mountain tops? What could have done this,she must find out right away...
And she quickly gathered her sling bag full of the treasure trove and her creative clay mockettes, and frantically around to see which direction she should head in...
Just then, there was a squeaky sound from her bag.
She looked inside, and to her amazement, the map was highlighting a new path heading towards...
towards a city called Barmetheous. Angelina had never heard of this town before, nevertheless, she was accustomed to strange things taking place. But why was she being called to Barmetheous? Was she to help someone in need? No matter. The map was guiding her and so she would follow. To her amazement one of the dragons swooped down and, with its great wings, placed her on his back. As they flew away the other dragons provided an escort.
the sea of hopes and wishes and Mermaid Cove.
The dragons were a lot more fun than all the eerie happenings in the past. They flung her in the air, passed her around from one to another, puffed out smoky bubbles, and performed tricks during the flight.
Angelina rolled with laughter and forgot about the task at hand until another uncanny reminder announced itself...
The compass she had been given began to glow and spin wildly...
And then she found herself in a strange room with a strange man leering at her...
The compass she had been given began to glow and spin wildly...and the procession heard a loud gushing sound as they witnessed a river emerge below them.
The sparkling blue waters were blinding the dragons and Angelina, and they slowed down in their flight preparing to land.
While they skillfully descended towards the ground, the river looked in full control of itself, as if it had been there for ages. And along the banks flora fauna came into life to complete a scenic landscape.
Angelina felt a sudden surge of happiness and...
burst out in song! The notes carried across the land and it seemed as if time paused to listen. However while in the midst of singing something.....
aura for everyone and every thing she touched
while in the midst of singing, something caught her eye. There, just beyond a small waterfall stood a man and a woman. Instantly Angelina realized they were her mother and father, whom Angelina was told were killed while traveling to Asia when Angelina was but four months old.
And amidst this scenic city of Barmetheous, Angelina reunited with her long lost mother and father.
They laughed with tears of joy and hugged each other while the dragons puffed out smoke bubbles and danced around them to express their joy.
Now it all made sense...
She was just about to say to her parents how much she had missed them when the dragons froze and turned their heads to the sky.
drifting through the clouds a large hot air balloon was coming towards them and it looked like it was going to land right where they were standing...
As the balloon descended closer to them, they noticed a festive banner hung to its side saying "Welcome to Barmetheous" and there were pastel colored balloons bearing names of Angelina, her parents and each of the dragons.
The dragons looked more relaxed and slowly got back to the rejoicing mode...
Angelina hugged again her parents, all three of them laughed, and cried, and laughed some more. Suddenly, among the small crowd of people that gathered happily around them , she saw him...
...she saw him and in his face she saw herself. He is my reflection she thought. Is he my twin??
the most handsome young man. She looked at him and he smiled and waved.
Her heart leapt and she ran towards him. "Are you...
my long lost brother? Or are you
...my other half. The one I dreamed of every night but never got to see his face...
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