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My Muses: Dark Shadows – RIP Jonathan Frid

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Jonathan Frid: Dark Shadows

Jonathan Frid: Dark Shadows

I was raised on Dark Shadows. Literally.

My mom loved this show. She watched it religiously, and I sat right beside her watching it, too. I remember the excitement both of us displayed as the eerie music rose at the top of the show. I’d look at her, she’d look at me and then we’d turn to stare at the dark stories unfolding before our eyes.

Real mom-daughter bonding.

The anticipation was the highest during the opening:

It was truly an event.

The funny thing is I cannot tell you anything about the plot. Yeah, I know it was about a weird family, that witches were involved and that the main guy Barnabas Collins was an ancient vampire. But I can’t remember the plot lines or even one episode. I was too young to even understand it much less absorb the story lines.

Nonetheless, Dark Shadows became, and will forever remain, part of the foundation of my creative subconscious. I grew up loving gothic mansions, strange unusual families and of course anything related to vampires.

The show was even an inspiration for Blood To Blood.

So now that Jonathan Frid, the actor who portrayed Barnabas (at the time of this posting his website, www.jonathanfrid.com, was “unavailable”), has passed on, and Hollywood has decided to revisit the show with a major film starring Johnny Depp, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to delve into one of the deepest parts of my subconscious. Thanks to the magic of YouTube and the miracle of Netflix streaming on my laptop, I can explore scenes from the original Dark Shadows and even watch an episode or two.

Maybe, this exploratory activity will uncover something about my writing that I was unable to figure out. Like why it’s always easier for me to write after the sun goes down. Or it might shed light on my personality. Like why images of brooding gothic mansions near cliffs pounded by waves give me the warm fuzzies.

 

 

Weekly Word: Inspiration and Work

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“The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who’ll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.” ~ Chuck Close

Part of the writer’s dilemma is writing, and finding the time to write in a busy schedule. Writing on a daily basis is ideal, but making the time to write, for many of us, is an art.

saraswati I like this particular quote because it reminds me that the work of writing is the most important thing. When I’m writing my creativity flows and I feel the need to write more. There’s a connection with the practical doing of writing and actually getting it done. This doing can be applied to anything, not just writing.

So yes, inspiration is great, but without the doing the inspiration is wasted. Even if you don’t feel inspired, do what you need to do anyway. Whether it’s writing or any other creative endeavor, just do it.

Make it a habit, break it down into manageable steps, tackle the biggest job first, and before you know it you’re not stuck waiting for inspiration. You’ll be actually taking action to make your ideas a reality.

Weekly Word: Your Habits = Your Life

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. ~Aristotle

This is one of so true it stays posted on my wall. When things are not working smoothly in my life I usually take a look at how that connects to my personal habits. Then, adjusting my personal habits accordingly fixes the issue, or at least improves the situation, the majority of the time.

Angel Heart

For example, when I for whatever reason start putting off doing little chores at home, that procrastination builds and spreads, like a disease, to all the other parts of my life. Soon I am putting off big things and not staying on top of important things. Once I reverse this and address even the smallest of matters in a timely fashion (like finally washing those dishes, or replacing the batteries in the chirping smoke alarm) that energy also reverberates to the other sections of my life (staying on top of my work schedule, paying bills on time, etc.). Effective planning  is a habit I am currently in the process of building (emphasis on effective).

So the message here is to make sure that what you do repeatedly, your habits, are serving you and facilitating the type of life you want to live. If they aren’t let them go, replace them with actions that do serve you, and watch how your life changes for the better. As Zig Ziglar says, self discipline is the key to excellence!

 

Hello world!

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I’m a writer, a mom and an avid music lover. Not necessarily in that order, depending on what day and/or mood you catch me in. But I am always a mom. And always will be a writer. And will always love music.

And I will forever *know* that life is magic. Know that it is a spell weaved by us and those around us. I will always know that we can have and be whatever it is we believe we can be.

I know this for myself and I know it for you.

So something here on this blog will always relate to something above. One of those passions listed just now. These passions comprise who I have chosen to be. And who we have chosen to be is all any of us really are.

So here are some quick and dirty facts about me:

  • I’m obsessed with angels.
  • I’m obsessed with some of my characters. Some are angels.
  • I like almost any genre of music.
  • I’m a strict but fun-loving parent.
  • I like to save money but I like quality.
  • I believe that our thoughts create our reality.
  • I am a die-hard romantic loner.
  • I want to share my ideas with as many people as possible, and hope they will gain something from it.
  • I have to force myself to go to sleep 89% of the time.
  • I  can’t remember a time when I didn’t write Fantasy or Science Fiction.
  • I am starting work on a novel based on an idea I had when I was 6 years old. Can’t say much about it now, but when you read it you’ll see what a strange childhood I had.
  • I sometimes fall asleep with my face in my laptop.
  • I would like to meet Adam Levine and am trying to figure out a way to put him (or someone really like him) in one of my books.
  • I am 5’2 3/4″.
  • I could care less about my weight. It’s how I feel that’s important.
  • I drink at least 3 cups of green tea everyday.
  • My mom was a medium.
  • Coffee gives me the runs.
  • I really really want to read much more than I do now.
  • I am jealous of writers who effortlessly spout new, bleeding edge names when asked “Who is your favorite writer?”
  • I like bullet points.
  • My favorite book of all time is still The Hobbit.
  • I was raised on the following: Dark Shadows, Lost In Space, 80s music, Creature Double Feature (Saturday back-to-back B-movies aired in Boston and usually starring Godzilla), and endless daydreaming.
  • My current workplace will be the setting of future writings.

At any given time I might start talking about something that has absolutely nothing to do with writing. Please bear with me as I continue to work out the details of my mind. Thanks for visiting.

Ifè Oshun