Posted on by LA · 37 Comments

Counting

You may not remember, because I barely remember, I have been working..slooooooowly…through the book the Art of Noticing. Here’s the funny thing, I actually love this book which lets you notice things differently, yet for some reason I am hit or miss about using it lately. I’m going to blame my writing classes, because I’ve been using time to write and do homework assignments, so I’ve been lax.

But anyway…

The chapter I’m talking about today is Count with the Numbers you Find. Basically, it was to walk around and look for numbers in consecutive order- 1, 2, 3 etc…

Here’s the problem with doing that in New York City…it’s too easy. My area of Manhattan is basically a grid. North/south streets are numbered streets, east/west are numbered avenues. And guess what? They go in numerical order…

OK…I admit that in my particular neck of the woods there is no Fourth Ave. We go from third to Lex to Park to Madison to Fifth…but really…do you think it was hard to find a four? especially as I know there is an old sign on a building that says Fourth Avenue from before Park South existed?

I admit I like the orderliness of the grid. To be completely honest, I have lived/worked in the city for over thirty years and I still get lost in the village, where streets loop and cross at odd angles and it’s really easy to think you’re going west to find you are actually going south…

Perhaps I should have gone to the West Village to try the number thing. I fear that I probably would have gotten lost where West Fourth meets West Fourth…

But anyway…

Still recommend the book for anyone who seems a little creatively stuck…The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker

Posted on by LA · 54 Comments

I Want it, I want it not

Blog friend Claudette wrote an interesting post last week regarding things we want vs things we don’t want.https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/107079447 I was having trouble getting the post link for some reason, but hopefully this is Claudette’s link and you can read all her posts…

But anyway…

What are things that you want? What are things that you don’t want? I’ll go first:

WANTS

  1. WordPress to work consistently even after an “upgrade”
  2. People to disagree with me
  3. loose leaf hot tea to drink
  4. books to read
  5. a warm bath
  6. well directed and written movies in theaters
  7. enthralling live music and shows
  8. art that makes me think
  9. to think out the next five steps
  10. to figure out the days Wordle
  11. to figure out the crossword puzzle
  12. pets
  13. eggs and milk in the fridge when I am about to make breakfast
  14. to be accepted for who I am

DON’T WANT

  1. drama unless I’m paying to watch it
  2. excuses
  3. hypocrisy
  4. judgement
  5. books with bad endings
  6. anything that makes me feel bad about aging
  7. COVID to rule my life
  8. censorship
  9. yellow or orange clothing
  10. zoom meetings or gatherings
  11. obligations
Posted on by LA · 73 Comments

I Took a Walk

The past few days you’ve read about things that happened when I took a walk.

A walk.

To the Farmer’s Market.

Down the streets of my neighborhood, streets that I walk along all the time.

When you stop to actually look at your surroundings, when you pause and look up or look down, you never know what you are actually going to find…or see…or experience…

You probably aren’t going to see someone get hit by a van…but who knows what you will see when you open your eyes?

Inspiration is all around you…sights, sounds, colors, experiences…

How do these things make you feel? Sad? Happy? Intrigued?

Can you see the makings of a story? Poem? Novel? Play?

Or did it just make you think about things in a different way?

Here’s your assignment:

Take a walk. You can choose the destination. Really use all your senses as you walk: What does the sky look like? What does the air smell like? Pause and look down at the ground- look left, look right. How does what you are experiencing make you feel?

Write it down.

Think about it.

Then do something creative with it.

Inspiration is all around us if we are open to the possibilities. I know how easy it is to be in a rut. I was in one a few weeks ago. I looked at the page and I didn’t care that it was blank. I was perfectly content leaving it that way.

So I took a day. I had a pity party. All the teeny tiny violins were there. Then I shook it off like raindrops that you are unprepared for and got on with it.

We are all allowed to have bad days. And if you believe the Friends theme song, it can be a month or even a year…but eventually we do need to snap out of it…

We are too important to have bad days every day ad infinitum…

We are too important to leave the page, or the canvas, or whatever blank…

We are surrounded by inspiration. We just have to allow ourselves to see it: allow ourselves the latitude to explore it.

Put your phone in your pocket.

Take a walk.

Consider this your prescription: put one foot in front of the other.

Posted on by LA · 27 Comments

What Inspired Me July 4

  • Stonewall Monument
  • As seen at Christopher St. Subway station
  • New exhibit at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
  • Union Square
  • Gramercy Tavern
  • L’Express
  • Fotografiska- Time Out Vogue: The Arab Issue Hassan Hajjaj
  • Fotografiska- Your Gaze Belongs to Me- Pixy Liao
  • Fotografiska- A Precious Glam #2 Miles Aldridge
  • Fotografiska- Tom of Finland
  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden
  • Citi Field- Mets
  • Rita Moreno Doc
  • Yankee Stadium
  • Ootoya
  • betty needed a tissue
  • Pride Parade
  • Met Museum
  • Met Museum
  • Met Museum
  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden

If I had to name this week it would be that some things can’t be described: I have neither the photo skills or writing ability to adequately talk about my week

  1. In my search for best burger, I think I may have found a contender. Gramercy Tavern makes a mean (and pricey) cheeseburger. It was pretty close to perfection
  2. Went to Fotografiska. The exhibits were not merely photographs- they were explorations of themes and tropes. The Miles Aldridge exhibit was mind blowing. I’d never heard of him before, but I was really impressed with the body of his work. But everything I saw at this museum was incredible.
  3. Discovered rooms at the Met that I’ve never seen- love when I find things that are new and amazing
  4. I went to the Botanic Garden when it was drizzling. It’s always interesting to see flowers and plants when it’s overcast- the oral history that accompanies some of the plants is really interesting
  5. You notice that my picture of Yankee Stadium is through the window at the Subway station- that’s because we got off the subway to find out the game was cancelled because of incoming storms
  6. I did see my beloved Mets fall to the Phillies- insert sad face
  7. Went for Japanese food- they serve what is known as a “Set”- ridiculous amount of food- had Katsu Ju which is a fried pork cutlet served in an egg custard over dashi simmered rice. So. Good.
  8. Rita Moreno doc was very average considering it was about the incredible Rita Moreno
  9. Love is love
Posted on by LA · 71 Comments

Inspiration Begins Here…

I have a thing for upbeat self help books.

Sometimes they’re about organizing, sometimes about making my life cozier, or sometimes just how to see the good in every situation. I realize that not everyone likes or appreciates these sorts of books, but in a world where you can accidentally drop a piece of your dog’s poop into your purse (true story), I need a cheerleader. My personal cheer section comes in the form of these books.

One such book that I read in “The Lemonade Life” by Zack Friedman. And one section of the book that I found interesting/helpful focused on the Seven Wonders. Now, while the author did talk about the Seven Wonders of the World, what the author refers to in the book is YOUR personal seven wonders…

What are the things that inspire you?

I recently changed the name of my Sunday posts to “What Inspired me This Week”. I began to think about the things in my world that make me get out of bed in the morning, the things that make my heart race, the things that make my life worth living. It’s another form of gratitude to acknowledge that there are things in your life that make you happy…

I present you my Seven Wonders- the things that inspire me:

  1. Art- street art, old masters, my daughters school work framed on my wall- doesn’t matter. I love to look at sculptures, paintings, installations…whatever. If it falls under the category of art I’m in
  2. Music-All music inspires me- just depends on my mood. My playlist is eclectic….classical, jazz, hip hop, ROCK…if it has a beat of some sort, I’ll listen to it
  3. Food– I love to try food that is different and new to me. If I go out to eat I try to find food that I’ve never eaten or can’t/won’t try at home
  4. Flowers– can’t grow them but love to look at them. I could sit at the Botanic Garden and just look at the blooms
  5. The Written Word– come on- you know I love to read. As evidenced from this post, I get inspired by what I read in books- all books. I have rarely found a book that doesn’t move me
  6. Walking– I love to take walks- I love to stumble upon things I’ve never seen. I love to just move my legs, no real destination in mind. It’s about the journey
  7. Planner– when I look at my planner I feel hopeful. I can look at yesterday and appreciate the memories of what I did. I can look at today and see the things that I did to move my life along, and I can look at tomorrow and tomorrow and see what life has in store for me. And also, that a blank page is a page filled with possibility…

What are the things that inspire you?

What makes you, YOU?

Posted on by LA · 44 Comments

What Inspired Me: May 9

Picnic at Carl Schurz Park Upper East Side of Manhattan overlooking Queens, Roosevelt Island and the East River. Sandwich by Milano Market (delicious Italian meats and cheeses!!)
Tacos and mango margaritas for Cinco de Mayo
Went to Jersey for my Dad’s birthday and Mother’s day- brunch at Feast- fried rainbow cookie and chicken Milanese….
What I saw in theaters
My daughter was watching Selena and Chef on HBOMAX. Curtis Stone was the guest chef and he made this awesome steak sandwich. I am happy to say that I was able to recreate it awesomely at home. It was really delicious
Betty in the car going to New Jersey
Penny – probably annoyed by the dog
Betty had a problem with the toilet paper roll
Posted on by LA · 26 Comments

What Inspired Me This Week April 25

Sorry- I went to Brooklyn Botanic Garden twice this week- two times the flower pics!
As seen as I walked about
Taiwanese Mango fruit Tea- I discovered this place by accident- tea soooo good! Spiedini Alla Siciliana at Paul and Jimmys…Some snacks from Milk with a strawberry shortcake theme…caramel donut from Donut Pub
Saw Together Together on the big screen- charming story of friendship
Posted on by LA · 137 Comments

How Do I Write? Let Me Count the Words…

What inspires you?

Recently we talked about how my family always being underfoot has made it difficult for me to be creative, how I need solitude in order to tap into my muse. My muse is an introverted thing, and she needs to be alone in the house with music softly in the background and the scent of lemon wafting from the diffuser, and a cup of black tea with milk and sugar sitting on the side.

My muse took up residence somewhere else during COVID…

But anyway…

Turns out I need to be alone to actually put words on the paper…

But…

In order to be inspired…

in order to find things to write about…

I need to be out and about. I need people, places and things from which to get ideas. I am never going to get ideas from sitting in a room with my diffuser and a cup of tea. I mean, those things might make it into a work, but for the most part, how much can I write about them?

ok- expect a post about my desk sometime in July

I am a sensual person. I am inspired by the things that I can touch, taste, see, hear and smell. When you are a sensual person, you need to be interrupted. You need to be amongst the people. When you are a sensual person who is looking for those ideas, you need to be disrupted. You need some sort of controlled chaos.

Quiet to write.

Distraction to be inspired.

Look at the things that I choose to blog about. I do not get these ideas while sitting in my desk chair, smelling the lemon and drinking my tea. I might read a great comment, or be treated poorly by someone. Run out of toilet paper or talk to my sister. All these things get my brain working…makes me reach for my planner and pink pen and jot down the idea…At the time I write the note I may not know what my post will look like, but I know that I’ve hit on an idea that I can expand…

The toilet paper post of this week- do you know what my note was for that day?

things I did for my family that they didn’t realize

I wrote that note months ago because I knew that somewhere in those words was a blog post. As I sat down to write and thought about that note, the incident from the previous week popped into my mind…

Inspired by chaos and distraction…

Enough about me:

What inspires you?

Where do you get your ideas from?

How do you keep track of the things that you want to write about, paint, photograph, whatever your chosen medium is?

Do you just think of things, or do you need some sort of distraction to inspire you?

What activates your muse?

Discuss