work and play Archives - Page 6 of 8

December 22, 2011 In appreciation, art, books, business, drawing, illustration, work and play, writing By Patricia Saxton

Thank you

There are 68,250 fairy books listed on Amazon. Whew! But if you scroll down just a little bit on the first page of your book search for “fairies”, you’ll see that the #8 ranking on that list is my very own, A Book of Fairies. This makes me happy. And what makes my smile get really big, is when searching for “fairy books for children”, A Book of Fairies has the sweet spot of #1. Wow!!!

I’m not telling you this to toot my horn, I’m here to say thank you to everyone who’s helped push my books up the charts. (The Book of Mermaids also sits at #1 for “mermaids”! – okay, so that was a bit of a toot…)

It means that because of you, the books are being enjoyed. It means my labors are appreciated, and might this very moment be brightening someone’s day. What a great feeling. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!

I also want to thank you for reading, following, or just showing interest in my blog postings over the past couple of years.

It’s an incredible thing, this blogosphere. A fresh page available every day for expressing yourself, sharing what you know or what you wish you knew, bringing thoughts & ideas to a whole big world filled with kindred souls you’ve never met.

To put yourself “out there” takes a small but somewhat brazen step into “vulnerability”. So you brace yourself for a variety of disappointments, hope for the best and forge ahead.

And you guys have been the best.

Thank you for allowing me into your world a few times a week. Thanks for listening to my eternal optimism and supporting my work by buying my books, hiring me for design, and for your positive feedback towards this ongoing blog. Not to get all sappy here, but you make it all worthwhile.

I wish you all the brightest of blessings this holiday season. Cheers to you!

November 29, 2011 In art, books, creativity, drawing, illustration, imagination, work and play By Patricia Saxton

When Characters Talk to You

Have any of you seen the movie about Beatrix Potter, “Miss Potter”, starring Renee Zellweger? It’s a sweet, undemanding movie that wants to be more than that, but is charmingly well-crafted just the same. And it offers a glimpse into one of the world’s most celebrated author/illustrators. Perhaps THE most celebrated female illustrator. That alone made it a must-see for me.

In any event, I was reminded of the movie this afternoon, as my mind attempted to fight off months of deadlines and too many plates in the air and pressures of all varieties, big and small, memorable and not, and I fell into this kind of playful mode with characters from a book I’ve not yet published. Sitting, alone, I had the sudden inspiration for a couple of my characters to make a cameo appearance with one of my 52 Weeks of Peace bags.

We had a fun time with that, the characters and myself. And I thought, is this strange? Probably. (And worse yet, should I be admitting this?)

So I found myself very relieved to have seen the movie, because in the film, Miss Potter’s characters talk to her. And of course, she talks back. So it’s okay. And even if it’s not, in lieu of a 3-week junket to Tuscany, it offered a refreshing moment of simple fancy in a sometimes overly serious world. (Not to mention it was good for my little friends to get out and make some mischief ….)

October 31, 2011 In appreciation, work and play By Patricia Saxton

Halloween is Cancelled.

Who cancels Halloween? How do you do that? Two words: Mother Nature.

Power gone, wires down, great big trees crashed to the ground. No spooky goblins at your door, no candy treats, no inside heat.

At first it was “cozy”. Second day …”acceptance”, more firewood, more candles.

Third day …. how did the pilgrims do it?

Edison was the genius of genius-i, whose praises I sing. Power back on will be the next best thing. How conditioned we become…

Of course, another big question is whether we will eat the mini Baby-Ruth chocolates that are waiting inside our special Spells & Potions candy book…

(Regular posts, and important things like work, will continue when power comes back and our hands and feet have been duly warmed…)

October 28, 2011 In creativity, imagination, work and play By Patricia Saxton

Crazy for Pumpkins!

I love these pumpkins! Every October, the illustrious California-based design firm Duarte Design holds a Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest. The results are pretty incredible. Check out these testaments to creativity…

You can see them all here and cast your vote for a favorite. The deadline for voting is October 30; the results are posted on Halloween Day. And while you’re there, don’t miss their pumpkin Hall-o-fame. It’s big fun. : )

Have fun carving, and Happy Halloween!

September 13, 2011 In art, books & stuff, communication, creativity, inspiration, networking, work and play By Patricia Saxton

Frank, Marie, Jason & Nancy: A Postcard Story

Nancy was expected. Frank, Jason and Marie were not.

On the spur-of-the-moment, my friend Nancy and I planned a belated birthday dinner at a posh-ish restaurant that’s got a great bar with an upscale “Cheers” kind of feel. Now Nancy is one of the absolutely sweetest souls around ~ but of her own admission, perpetually late, and so it went that I arrived first.

I noticed one empty seat at the busy-Saturday-night-filled bar. I should grab it, I thought, but it was cold inside (I hate to be cold), so I went back out to wait in the late summer air. After a while I remembered I’d brought my book along “just in case”, so went back in hoping to find a spot with some light. And there, as if invisible to all but me, was the same vacant seat. “Kismet”, I thought!

Plunking myself down, I ordered a drink and stealthily opened my book. (I know, who goes to a bar to read a novel? But I was close to the end, and you know how that is … )

Almost immediately the folks on the bar stools to my right started making fun. “You’re not really going to read a book, are you?” said the younger. “I didn’t know the library served alcohol!” said the elder.

And so opened the way to a night of raucous laughs and fun synchronicities.

Jason, the younger, and Frank, the elder, were father and son. Marie was Frank’s wife and Jason’s mom ~ and by the time Nancy arrived, we were fast friends. In no time flat, all 5 of us were bugs in a rug. I don’t remember sustained laughing-out-loud so hard in a long time (recall the “no lollygagging” post…). What great medicine that is!

When talk came around to “what do you do?”, I had a little something to show & tell, as it just so happened I had a copy of my new “52 Weeks of Peace” postcard book in my sack … which comes in handy if you’re someone prone to forget your business cards. (eh-hem) So they got the whole elevator schpeel, with visuals.

And all this happened to lead to talk of business collaborations as well as another cool kismet-like morsel ~ learning that Jason’s work was an uncannily similar, kind of modern-day version of what I was reading about in the historical novel that I’d so socially-incorrectly brought along. The odds of that were rare indeed!

The postcard book also just so happened to lead to The Postcard Story.

The story goes that Frank and Marie first met at a dance (I think) of some kind. Frank was smitten with Marie and asked if he could call on her again.

Marie, meanwhile, wasn’t the slightest bit interested in Frank. She dismissed him with “oh sure, send me a postcard sometime”. She figured that was the end of that, and she’d never have to see him again.

Apparently Frank didn’t get the message, because soon afterwards Frank sent Marie a postcard. And the rest, as they say, is history. Fifty-five years of marriage later, on a random night with strangers, here was another golden nugget of proof for the power of the written word. I just love that.

More stories followed. Good-natured, hysterical stories. Nancy and I were in stitches. I’m pretty sure the five us of were too loud, our laughter causing a scene and making us look like incredibly fun people.

So much for unobtrusively catching up on a little reading while waiting for a friend, eh?

And so much, yes, for the power of a postcard. (Thank you, Frank, Marie and Jason.)

And, call me crazy, but it was the kind of night where I had to wonder if the stage had not already been set, beginning with the empty seat at a busy bar. Hmmm…. Kismet?

September 5, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, inspiration, work and play By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #36: Productivity

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

– ♥ –

Today we celebrate Labor Day in the U.S.. A tribute to all those whose hard work has helped build the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country, it’s a day to “kick back” and relax, and appreciate the efforts and accomplishments of so many. A day to give ourselves the proverbial pat-on-the-back for productivity.

I’m a big believer in being productive. I guess it was instilled in my growing up years… but I don’t mean the kind that’s measured by the boss or a particular number of somethings you have to reach to fill someone else’s pre-determined goal. What I learned was that a job done well feels good, that doing your best matters, that there’s both personal and social value in making something better or brighter or more useful or more worthwhile.

Not every minute, not every single day, nor does productivity have to “change the world”. Being productive can be as simple as taking a walk instead of watching mindless blather on the tv, or as involved as developing cures for cancer. Maybe it’s laying bricks or writing stories or growing corn or teaching math. Maybe it’s lending a helping hand. Maybe it’s doing the laundry. Maybe it’s play.

There are no hard and fast rules; productivity is more about time used well and a penchant for positive purpose. Being productive is good stuff; it elevates the day.

August 13, 2011 In appreciation, communication, work and play By Patricia Saxton

Nose To The Grindstone

clearly, i need to pay more attention to P #32, because i’ve heard myself use the phrase “nose to the grindstone” on a daily basis for quite awhile.

Nose to the grindstone in and of itself is not “bad” (one must make hay), it’s the whole notion of “moderation in all things” that’s buzzing around my consciousness, suggesting that when one’s nose is always poised at the grinding stone, one isn’t necessarily experiencing balance, moderation or fun.

To be fair and honest, yes, I did “unplug” for nearly a week in order to rejuvenate, and there were moments of fun. Yet, while a temporary respite can have great restorative value, it really was just a hiccup of time. So that my nose, well accustomed to the grindstone, fell easily back into position upon my return.

What then, I wondered, is a grindstone and what does my nose have to do with it?

I understand the phrase to mean staying intently focused on work at hand. In other words, all work and no play. But curiosity got the better of me and I had to know know (you know?) what the phrase originally meant.

This old-timey photo was the best I could find ~ and though it looks like a prank (since they seem to be having a laugh), the meaning is not lost. According to varying sources, “nose to the grindstone” literally means one of two things:

1. A European millers’ guild expression to remind the miller that he must maintain a flow a grain between the mill stones, which were traditionally set one above the other. Without any grain between them, the weight of the top stone would strike sparks on the bed stone, and the smell, know as “brimstone” was a warning, that if not heeded, would likely result in an explosion that would kill the miller. Thus, to keep your nose to the grindstone meant to pay close attention, not to work hard, but diligently, and had nothing to do with sharpening tools on the other type of grindstone. (Although some folks agree with this explanation, doubters claim it’s untrue because millers used millstones not grindstones.)

2. 5000 years back (traced by the etymological research department of UCLA), carpenters had made a startling finding about the sedimentary stones and stone, and began using it solely to make the grindstones that sharpened their tools and other items. The nose-to-grindstone term then originates from knife grinders bent over the stone or laid flat on their fronts, with their faces near the stone. (Those in favor of the tool sharpening derivation say that early notes also refer to holding someone’s nose to the grindstone as a form of punishment, which is more in keeping with continuous labor and “being strapped to one’s bench” than it is to the sniffing of ground flour by a miller.)

So there you have it. Your choice. (And just so you know, when I use the phrase, my nose is not coming in close contact with knives, stones or ground flour. In case you were wondering. Which your probably weren’t, but thorough as I am, gotta cover all the bases.)