Hello, my name is Lisa. I live in Northern California in a small cottage-like home a drive away from the ocean and a few hours from the mountains. I am a wife to my amazing husband I call BohoHandyman and a mother to 2 cats and a dog. I am not young and I am not old. I was going to say I am an Artist but really, for me, I prefer Artimanginarian with a Writtenworditarian rising. How's that for a mouthful? I am a blogger. I love and am loved.....laughter is a must.....hugging a necessity. Loving friends essential. I adore seeking old treasures from furniture to an amazing textile to a fine old book - mainly it is whatever zings the heartstrings. Everything has a story, even a sea shell. I am an oceandreamer, a thinker, a sensitive soul, a whimsical bohemian.
“To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.” -Dr. Suess
My very being is fed by all things artful, the written word and photography.....ever evolving, ever growing, ever discovering, ever learning, ever rotating around the orb of my own personal uniqueness. Art and writing have been with me since I could hold a crayon and read/write. Photography is an art form I have always loved and although I have not mastered it personally yet, I am content to be an ongoing student of learning. It is not about the pressure of expectation for me, it's about the delicious element of letting the flow come naturally. And then having that euphoric feeling standing back to view or reread the words and feeling ultimately satisifed I stayed true to my own aesthetic.
“The more you know,the more things you will know.The more that you learn,the more places you'll go." -Dr.Seuss”
Some of my inspiration comes from music, a particular feeling or emotion, a weekend drive to new places, a line in a book, a persons face...a period of time....any number of things.... and sometimes it is my inner child wanting full control. I have a strong pull towards faces .....eyes closed or eyes wide open. Dreadlocks to bald heads. Goddess to whimsical character. Dancing. Manning a circus tent to dreaming on a cloud. Gypsy fortune teller to tea cups and lace. Sometimes it is paint on a canvas or a sketch on cardstock or watery colors on paper or a personality made of clay or something sewn with fabric. I am not guided by form and function, or what is popular or trendy.... I am guided by my own imagination and what comes from within.
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” - Dr. Suess
To quantify ALL that inspires me is next to impossible in a few sentences.....art, writing, taking a photograph...whatever the creative process, whatever the medium I choose... happens when I keep my eyes open, my heart open, my mind open and then I am fully receptive to it.
“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.” - Dr. Suess
There are times when the muse will rest in quiet contemplation, waiting like a butterfly to open its wings and fly. And when the flight begins it takes me on a path of pure fantasy and many times changes its course along the way as the muse sees fit. I let it guide me where it wants to go with the end result being a soft landing in a place that perhaps I least expect. That is the beauty of creative abandon in all its glory, there are no rules governing my imagination except that it must eventually be released. I cannot force the flight. Ever.
“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.” -Dr. Suess
My greatest hope is to write a childrens book (or I should say it is my plan)....not a chapter book.....a book in rhyme that when read with the cadence of the rhyme will entertain and maybe even have a lesson to learn. I chose many of the Dr. Suess quotes here because after I wrote this page there were those that perfectly fit, he is the master. I have always been captivated by the rhyming word for children AND for adults who let that inner child free. In fact I would write stories that way when I was a child. It is not to emulate the great Dr. Suess.....it is to release my own inner workings.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
I hosted a global blogwide event that ran for 5 years, beginning in 2013 I will begin hosting a new event celebrating art and artisans. Bringing together bloggers who have a passion for creativeness is my goal - regardless of medium and geographic location - well known or brand new to opening themselves up - everyone has a story to tell as well as the resulting work that comes from their own individual passion in the creative world. I am very proud of giving global attention to all of us in this way.
Thank you for stopping by ........it's always lovely to meet new people....and sometimes, sometimes we find we have a kindred connection that may never have been realized until we took the time to stop, look and listen to one another.
“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” - Dr. Suess
contact: oceandreamer1(at)comcast(dot)net
My Shoppe: www.awhimsicalbohemian.etsy.com
