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Monsters in the mind. Modern psychology would have them exorcized with a pill, artists exercise them into works of art.

#art #RandomThoughts

This nightmare banishing dream pillow was pretty much built “on the run” while chatting with a friend of mine who had been suffering from terrible nightmares for a few nights, leading up to her waking up screaming and feeling like she couldn't breath. After listening her needs, this is what I wrote for her:

Materials

• Black cloth. (Here, black is used to denote strength, protection, calmness, darkness). Natural fibres are best, not only because the pillow will be rather close to your head. Cotton is a good choice.
• Sewing equipment, either plain old thread and needle or machine
• Embroidery threads or fabric pain
  • Herbs

Starting Out

The dream pillow has “two layers”. The inner one will be the pillow itself, with the herbs. The outer one is the “pillow case” for this inner pillow.

To begin with, you'll need to choose symbols that will be embroidered or painted on the outer pillow, the pillow case, as well as colours for the symbols. The symbols should denote Strength and Protection, the symbols used and their colours should arise from your own personal symbology and correspondences – they should speak to you. You can add other symbols according to your own needs and insights.

The pillow's final size should be 11” x 11cm. This strange mixture of measurement units is because the idea is to use the number 11. Here, 11 denotes both the pentagram and the hexagram, it's the number of the Goddess and also refers to one's Great Work. The purpose is to banish disturbing nightmares and these nightmares can indeed interfere with one's Great Work, especially when they're making you too tired to Live.

Cut four pieces of the fabric, large enough for you to be able to get that 11” x 11cm pillow from. Put two of the pieces aside for a while and start working with the other two – the pillow case.

Embroider or paint the symbols you chose with your chosen colours on both of the pieces (right side of the fabric). If you painted the symbols, let the paint dry out completely before starting to sew and if you're using fabric paints, iron the paint as per instructions. Then, sew the pieces together with the right sides in. Leave the other 'short end' unsewed. This is where you will slip the the inner pillow inside the pillowcase. Turn the allowances on this short end in and sew in place. You can attach ribbons to the sides of the opening in order to tie it and keep the inner pillow in place. You can also sew the opening close when the pillow is ready, but ribbons make it much easier to change the inner pillow if needed.

The next step is sewing the inner pillow. Make it a little bit smaller than the pillow case. Sew the sides, right sides of the fabric in, leaving a couple of inches on one side for turning the pillow seams in and then stuffing it. Turn the seams in.

The Herbs

For this nightmare banishing pillow, I chose the following herbs for choosing from: Lavendar, mugwort, hyacinth flowers, anise, cedar, rosemary, valerian, hops, marjoram, dittany of Greece, garlic, thyme ... Do take your allergies into consideration and don't use anything that might trigger your allergies!

Use approximately 50% lavender, with a dash of rosemary and anise. With others, make a nice and even blend. Remember, you should be able to sleep on that pillow! Mix the herbs gently, without using iron / metal bowls or servers.

It is better not to use: Sage, as it may cause haunting feelings in your dream. Tansy, as it can cause nightmares. Other species of Artemisia than the above-mentioned mugwort, or laurel, as they can cause dreams with fears. You might want to remove these from your sleeping quarters as well. Use the herbs as herbs, not as oils. While some instructions do mention oils in dream pillows, oils can have too strong a scent and they may stain.

Fill the inner pillow. It is supposed to be rather flat, not round. Sew the hole you left for filling and put the inner pillow inside the pillowcase you made earlier. Tie the ribbons or sew the pillowcase shut.

Other Notes

While preparing the pillow, concentrate your thoughts on what the pillow is meant to do. That is, the whole preparing process is good old fashioned Witchcraft and the pillow itself a kind of spell wrapped in cloth :–)

Then to Banish the Nightmares

You're not supposed to just lay your head to sleep after making the pillow. You should be preparing yourself for the forthcoming night, sleeping and dreaming. Before falling asleep, perform a banishing ritual of the type you are most familiar with. The purpose of this is to sleep inside a 'circle', within cleansed space.

If you can, perform the ritual in your mind instead of going around or on your bed. That is, your mind is doing all the necessary work, while your body is resting on the bed.

Include the whole of your bed and a little bit of its surroundings to the area you are cleansing. If your bed is next to a wall, pull it out a little bit so that there's some space between the wall and the bed. Otherwise you might be taking a little bit of your next door neighbour's apartment inside your circle.

After the banishing, relax your whole body and – sweet dreams!

#magick #spell #pagan

Those of us in the northern hemisphere are rolling right into spring, and in this particular part of that hemisphere we are bracing ourselves for taxes & tariffs & indulging in a bit of stress spring cleaning. This week I am making zokin, a cleaning supply I only recently heard about but am now completely obsessed with. This is a very easy sewing project. You don't need fancy supplies. You don't need skill. You could pick up a needle for the first time in your life & end up with a functional zokin.

... Zokin?

'Zokin' is Japanese for 'cleaning cloth'. Zokin are amazing! Before I made these I never would have imagined that putting a few stitches into the the cut-up rags I was already using to clean would make them better cleaning rags, but they absolutely do. This is part of my goal to use fewer paper towels. It is working! The same paper towel roll has been in my kitchen for almost 2 months now. Making zokin has become my recurring “sick day” project. I can make them when I'm trapped in an exhausted brain fog & even if they come out a bit wonky they still work great!

Don't make fun of my stitches, I was sick!

Supplies

• Needles & Pins
• Scissors
• Something to mark the fabric, if you want things to be nice & neat.
• Thread:I use both regular thread & embroidery thread in the example pictures, but I have made zokin in the past using entirely one type of thread. This project began as a way to use up my old, cheapest threads & even my oldest zokin hold up well, so use whatever you have.
• Fabric: anything you would make a cleaning cloth out of. I use old t-shirts. Since the fabric will be layered and reinforced, it is OK to use cloth that is worn thin- but avoid cloth with holes in it. Again, these are cleaning cloths. You can get as fancy as you want & make them very pretty, but you certainly don't have to! I tend to keep things basic & utilitarian. This project can be whatever you want! You can even make zokin by hand or using a sewing machine. If you use a machine or know how to hand sew, you can skip the next sections & go right to 'Instructions'.

If You Have Never Sewn Before, Read This Section!

To Knot Or Not To Knot

How do you start & end each thread? You can't just leave the ends free & hope for the best. Sometimes you can just anchor the ends with knots, for that it is fastest to tie a quilting knot at the beginning & a finishing knot at the end. Sometimes you don't want a big ugly knot stuck in the middle of your sewing & that is when you use a backstitch.

Running With Stitches

The Running Stitich is the only one you need to know for this project. I use a very simple stitch pattern for my zokin. In my experiments I have found that a more complicated pattern does not make zokin work better or more efficiently, but it does make them look much nicer. If you want to make yours prettier, find a sashiko pattern you like! There are tons of them for free all over the internet & they are all made with a simple running stitch!

Whether Or Not You Have Sewn Before, Read This Section!

1. Cut Your Fabric Cut rectangles out of 2 layers of thick fabric, or 4 layers of thin fabric. Since I make these out of old shirts I usually use 4 layers, and sometimes as I cut I have to swerve my scissors around holes. Some of my zokin are more blobby than rectangular! Just make sure they are larger than your hand is with your fingers splayed out, as shown here.

2. Sew You Layers Together, Flip Right Side Out This is where you start with a quilting knot, sew almost all the way around, and end with a finishing knot. Leave a 2 inch gap in your sewing. Trim the edges & corners of your zokin, but do not cut into your stitches . Use the gap you left in your sewing to turn the zokin inside out, hiding the seam you just sewed inside.

3. Draw/Stitch Your Embroidery Pattern As you can see, I drew a line from each corner to form an X, then a series of concentric rectangles. Sewing this part gives the zokin a little more body & texture so it cleans better. Make sure you sew along the outer edge to close the gap you used to turn the fabric right sides out. Since you will be able to see both sides of your stitching for this part, use a backstitch to anchor your thread. Then get stitching!

4. Revel In The Joy of Creating Something New

5. Put on your favorite music & get to cleaning!

Are you gearing up for spring/autumn cleaning? How do you get ready? Let me know on Mastodon or Ko-Fi! Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

I've been saying, “I'm not doing well enough to get better,” all year. I've said it to my sister & I've said it to my boyfriend. They're not doing well enough to help me.

I want to address the way I talk. Someone in the Scribes&Makers group on Mastodon said not too long ago that I had a positive energy that inspires others. And another stranger who found my twitch stream said they thought I was a great person. I am willing to accept compliments if others are willing to tolerate honesty. Yesterday was my sister's birthday and I did not contact her. I knew it was her birthday but at some point it fell out of my mind. My attention is almost entirely distracted by chronic pain & the things I do to avoid chronic pain. I don't have good days, I get some scattered good half hours. I don't like complaining but I do like honesty. I'm also annoyed at how long it takes to say anything. I've already raised so many topics.

The theme is my sunny pessimism. The theme is people who find inspiration in me while I'm painfully aware of my negative outlook. Take what I just put on Instagram:

It's easy for me to imagine my words provoking disapproval. Of the things I've shared so far the following could be fairly seen as unacceptable negativity: assessing my capabilities as lacking; assessing my sister's & my boyfriend's capabilities as lacking (how do I even know?! & it's an improper thing to say!); pessimism & passive aggression in the Instagram posts. Negativity isn't tolerated, especially negativity from a creative wishing for recognition & income, especially especially on corpo social media! Sigh. Look, I've already admitted this post isn't what I want to be writing. I want to say all these things much quicker, for my sake & yours (if there are any you). Ok. It's things like that! I know it's “bad form” to question the existence of an audience. One, someone has to read it to read it! Two, I'm not owed an audience, I'm not owed art sales. When I say these things, about trashing paintings or no one reading, I know I sound bitter & there's no way that I'm not — but also I'm not. Or at least I'm not angry. I see myself as fortunate in many ways.

Break from writing during which I slept and lived a day I did not enjoy much. I also texted my sister.

The honesty is that I feel it's important to flatly describe how I am doing. I am not doing well. Saying so bluntly causes reactions from others. The reactions usually do not help, usually make me feel that it would be better if I were not honesty about feeling bad. What I've just described may be the disabled person's dilemma. I do not expect anyone to solve my problems. Yes they are debilitating. Pretending that things are great is an additional burden I do not wish to bear. So I barely socialize, barely talk to anyone.

When I say that no one can solve my problems, when I say that my sister and boyfriend are not doing well enough to help me, what I mean is that managing my current difficulties would require a full-time commitment. No one I know, even those who might care deeply about me, is in a position to manage my life and theirs too. It would require someone “doing so well” that their own lives are running smoothly nearly on auto-pilot, such that they could drop everything to help me out. I have some big tasks. I do not expect to be able to do them well. I have to accept that.

I do sometimes receive offers of financial sponsorship of medical procedures. I do not have the energy tonight to explain why that is not as appealing as it sounds. Well, yes I do! I don't want to put it off. As I just indicated, my current abilities / energy level is such that I can barely think and make decisions, and I'm only motivated and functioning for a half hour or so here & there. Selecting a new doctor, initiating any new treatment is beyond me. And it seems like it would be the beginning of a multi-month or multi-year process & that is definitely beyond my current capacity. I have a hard financial deadline for moving out of my current home that is fast approaching. I feel like that is where my limited focus must be. I know in theory that medical treatment should help increase my functioning — but that just has not been my experience ever. Every medical relationship I've ever attempted has been long, complicated, expensive, disappointing, psychologically draining. What I think for now is that I need to receive some minimum maintenance medical care (a prescription I know works ok, in the dosage I require) while I work to start a new phase of my life.

Perhaps I'll feel differently if I felt a little bit better. But as for now, I am not doing well enough to get better.

I can’t function one of the reasons i want to move, the reason i want to move is that I can’t function as things are. but i have to function in order to move. no one is available to help at the level that I really need. i came home motivated to move with the idea of doing the minimum things to get out: specifically putting aside the things I want to keep. even this attitude {minimum gathering of things i want} seems to be more than i can accomplish. there’s so much stuff and i am alone. others have their own motivations. no one is available to help me transition to new phase of life. not the practical stuff i have to do. i feel that i have to accept doing a poor job just to focus on escape from current situation. i have to accept that things won’t go to the friends & family that I would like. i have to accept that i will not enter my next phase with most of the things i will want. i feel that i have to accept losing most paintings.

---

Previously: January 7 I'm not doing well enough to get better

#ScribesAndMakers 8 April: Share a song lyric that resonates with you.

Like a lot of these prompts, a simple question can be a tough question. Lately I'm not listening to music very often. I go through phases it seems. And when I do I often don't even know the lyrics; I'm drawn to the sound of it. Like I love to sing along to the following in French to stretch my mouth: Eartha Kitt singing Je Cherche Un Homme & Françoise Hardy roaring Je N'Attends Plus Personne. Even though I like the words in those I can't really say that the lyrics resonate. If I were going to select a favorite Eartha Kitt song with lyrics I embrace it would be Lazy Afternoon, a short (2:22) song about appreciating nature languorously with a lover. Does that resonate? Yeah I love being able to do nothing in nature. But it's another love song & I don't want to imply that someone else is required to enjoy a lazy afternoon.

Am I overthinking? What some call a hashtag game I call an opportunity for reflection. I re-listened to my Frank Ocean favorites. “Why see the world when you've got the beach?” (Sweet Life) I listen to Frank for the melodies more than lyrics. Or tbh I am always conscious of his role as a closeted-then-out gay hip hop star when I listen to Frank Ocean. What lyrics resonate with my life experience? In music I'm often drawn to mixing meaning and nonsense, in songs by Bowie, Prince, REM, Talking Heads, Negativland, & They Might Be Giants.

Then I remembered a snip from a They Might Be Giants' song I don't even love. Towards the end of XTC vs Adam Ant is a repeating line that has resonated with me for years, “There is no right or wrong.” I'm simple, I guess, to take a single line from a song here & there to build my philosophy around. As an atheistic humanist I've not had hymns to buoy me. I take inspiration wherever. There's a Scissor Sister's song, Everybody Wants The Same Thing & I used to sing those words when I was frustrated in traffic—like if there's six lanes & all the cars are backed up in one, because the majority are taking the same general path. That five word title—no matter any other lyrics in the song—helps me accept the frustrations of large group dynamics. Deep down it even hits me in the same way as the obvious message of Sting's Cold War ditty Russians. We all want the same things, to love & be loved—to drive home safely after work. Singing, “Everybody Wants The Same Thing,” helps me love others whom I do not know personally. And that helps me let go of frustrations.

There is no right or wrong is a guiding principle for me, somehow, despite me having strong ethics and values. Explaining my philosophy is a long term goal, possible writing project, more than I can make clear today. I'm attaching notes below.

While rediscovering music that resonates I found an old note in which I was brainstorming what I might say in abstract art classes. I had an idea—when I thought that Covid would end with near-universal vaccinations and continued attention to public health—that I would lead “abstract art experience” classes in my home for small groups. These would be opportunities for “normies” to express their creativity in a space of encouragement, where I would discuss the spiritual aspects of my art practice. The song XTC vs Adam Ant was to be a musical cue. Below are those notes. Apologies that they are not edited to be clear!



XTC vs Adam Ant would cue me to end of a free painting session. Add song twice so that we can listen to lyrics on second play. “Please continue to work, but I’m going to pause. I use this song as my cue to start talking again, about right and wrong decisions. This song is XTC vs. Adam Ant by They Might Be Giants. I have no idea why they would want to sing this about these two bands, but they themselves are musicians and I’m sure have a lot of weird thoughts about success in the music industry. Ultimately the song is absurd, if you listen to it, as many They Might Be Giants songs are. I’ve always really liked them somehow. They can inspire me to think deep thoughts while they sing what seems like nonsense. What I most appreciate about this song is when they repeat, There is no right or wrong…
Not every decision will have a right or wrong answer, and I for one need that reminder. So I’m so very glad to have this catchy refrain that I can turn to whenever I want. What about—feeling tense, tension in the body JUST DUE TO or JUST FROM or JUST WHILE typing into the phone and not getting it to work? This happened now while I'm typing but it's an opportunity to talk about how small tech frustrations can feel debilitating. OR OPENING PLASTIC PACKAGING! The Stress—what stress!—over such a small act. That’s why I so value my abstract practice of actions large and small none of which are subject to right / wrong judgments. Only instead of right/wrong I ask myself, do I like this, do I want to keep it or change it? How do I feel? For now in this moment that’s all that matters. I just dripped some separated whey that fell off the spoon as I was serving myself yogurt No that’s not what happened lol I stirred the whey back into the yogurt first in order to not deal with separated liquid whey AND the act of my stirring pushed some amount of the liquid whey against the side of the container causing a drop to fly out onto the counter. And it feels wrong. I messed up. I “made a mess” , gave myself more work to do, etc. And so what?! On the good news side today I discovered a new favorite spoon to use to eat yogurt because I accidentally used the “wrong” one.

These examples from my life show the harm and stress I might eperience thousands of times a day worrying about doing things right or wrong. I think I store it in my body pains, honestly. Repetition of so many little choices per day impairs efficient functioning and my health, physically and mentally, small and large. To go from little things to big ones, just trying to make it through life I’ve probably wondered thousands if not millions of times: Am I a good person? 
We feel we want to or need to think of ourselves that way. 
And I think that’s a harmful trap. 
I now believe FEELING GOOD is my goal in life NOT BEING GOOD. What’s the difference? It’s tied to the difference between doing and being. As self-referential as it is, I think feeling is more an action verb than being. Feeling is perceiving; being is just… being. We are not ever really going to know, to be able to judge ourselves once and for all as either good or bad. We just aren’t. Life is ongoing. So I cannot ever stop and say, I did it. I /AM/ good. I made it, I’m a good person now! (Or, always have been; or always will be, no matter what.) That label is useless to me, and as I’m saying I think worrying about it causes harm. Switch from being fo feeling. I /FEEL/ GOOD when I’m productive, when I’m creative, when I contribute to others. While BEING seems to be an equals sign between me and good, for me to eternally question in a binary way, am I or not? FEELING has degrees. Feeling is an action more than a state. It leads me to think about what I can do, what I will do to feel as good as I can. This realization has been transformative for me. I still have to fight not to fall into the old ways of thinking that have been so ingrained in me and can be so prevalent. But I feel empowered knowing that I can change my point of view by changing the questions I ask myself, from Am I Good? to Am I Feeling Good—and if not, what can I do to help me feel better? I experience a strong link between feeling good and doing good; and I think that if there is any real measure of being good it comes out of doing good. I just don’t think it’s ever possible to have enough perspective to say I AM GOOD. So I work to push that question aside and try to do good and feel good. There’s so much more here but this is intended to be an art experience with forays into philosophy. Just know that all of this thinking is very linked to why I make abstract expressionist paintings. 

THIS COULD BE THE END.

This year we're arting the alphabet from A-Z. Letters like æ, ñ, or anything with a diacritical mark can go anywhere you like.

Congrats on making it this far into the year! We've reached the letter H Any art subject starting with that letter is fair game, no matter how abstract.

H is for Heart. All of these animals have multiple hearts.

Let's make terrific art!

Each challenge lasts 2 weeks from the day this post was made. You can submit a new picture every day, work on one picture for 2 weeks, or post pics randomly. This is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet, & that means you have plenty of time to make your art however you want.

Use #ArtABCs & tag me @KarinWanderer so I see it!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky Cara

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed. Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

As of today I will post a weekly update.

Options to follow the weekly update:

• this URL: https://dotart.blog/humanissome/
• within the fediverse: @humanissome@dotart.blog
• RSS: https://dotart.blog/humanissome/feed
• email newsletter: send email to me at big.changes.in2025🥰icloud.com [replace 🥰 emoji with @] & ask for weekly email

I will also offer monthly & seasonal options for keeping up with me. It is unrealistic to expect corporations to keep us connected. Whenever possible I choose nonprofit spaces with no ads, no tracking, and where I have control. I recently purchased 2 new URLs: Rartsy.com is now showing available paintings & Humanissome.org embeds my video streams & social media activity.

The embedded post below is the topic for this week's update:

“I'm getting my affairs in order,” sounds like what someone in a movie says before they die. That's not how I feel; but that's how I felt at the time of my Winter Seasonal Update. I'm inspired by how I felt then. I wanted to have an estate sale while I'm still living. I am tired of my life as it is. At the time I was also looking for someone to take over my decisions for me, or to be an uplifting constant companion. Those roles are too much for anyone to take on, I know. What I've managed to do, since then, is up my painkiller dosage so that I can function every day. I have done this by giving up on my prior doctor's office. Getting my affairs in order has included/will include government, medical, financial, personal, family, business, internet, and more. Every day I do a little. I have a lot to do.

Speaking of corporations not keeping humans connected, Patreon is not loved by the creators who depend on it for income. If you are willing to pledge a monthly amount I encourage you to try Liberapay, a nonprofit alternative.

Ways To Show Financial Support

One-time	Recurring
Zelle no fees, lean, instant	Liberapay lean, no additional fees, credit card processing fee
Venmo no fee, slow	Patreon bloated, fees
Ko-fi bloated, no additional fees, credit card processing fee	Ko-fi see entry at left
Cash App no fees, slow (? I think, no one has used it in years)
PayPal credit card processing fee

I do not wish to discourage you from giving using your preferred method. I'm happy when I receive a payment notification from any of them! In a discussion once as to whether I had a default method of getting paid, I replied with one of the truest things I've ever said:

 

Hi Friends! I wrote about some of the human artists behind Ghibli’s beloved movies, just in time for Ghibli to become a popular target for AI. So that this article does not become a giant rant, let's be clear & concise: AI “art” is bullshit. It couldn't exist without theft & it also destroys the environment. Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki famously hates AI, considering it “an insult to life itself”. I agree. 💚 KW

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio whose name has become synonymous with the enchanting anime style that they have perfected over the years. Studio Ghibli has made dozens of movies, four of which are in the top ten highest grossing Japanese movies of all time! The sheer amount of films, books, clothing, home decor, toys, games, & all other official Ghibli merchandise is mind-boggling. They have an official museum. They have an official theme park. I was genuinely surprised to find out they don't have an official holiday dedicated to them. If we can have an International Pillow Fight Day (and we do, it's this Saturday), I think we should have a Ghibli Day!

There is so much to celebrate about Studio Ghibli. I could talk all day about Hayao Miyazaki, who directed most of the studio’s biggest hits. I would give a TED talk on Ghibli’s extensive use of Yokai. I will probably write an article someday about the various movies' amazing casts of characters. However, there is one major aspect of every Ghibli movie that often gets overlooked.

The backgrounds in Studio Ghibli movies are practically an extra character in each scene. The landscapes, in particular, are so good! Some of the landscapes & backgrounds are almost as popular as their characters are. These iconic backgrounds are largely the work of one person: Kazuo Oga. You might think such an accomplished & talented artist is using top-of-the-line materials to make backgrounds for award-winning movies. Nope! He paints them using relatively inexpensive Nicker Poster Colors, which work like gouache. This gives him bold & opaque, yet still water-soluble, paint colors to play with.

Kazuo Oga is an inspiration & a reminder that we don’t need to splash out on every expensive artistic accessory being marketed to us- the basics can be enough if you have the dedication & patience to develop the skills. You can make art with limited supplies, or with cheap ones, what matters is that you make it.

Another great form of art found in Studio Ghibli movies is the music! The soundtracks to Ghibli movies are amazing. Joe Hisaishi is a prolific musician who has, among other things, scored many Ghibli movies. I encourage you to look him up wherever you get your music! While you’re there, check out the overwhelming amount of fan-made musical Ghibli tributes. Most of my favorite covers can be found on Cat Trumpet’s album Relaxing Piano: Studio Ghibli Complete Collection.

Many Studio Ghibli movies started as children's books written by English authors. Mary Norton wrote The Borrowers & Diana Wynne Jones wrote Howl’s Moving Castle & Earwig & the Witch. And because I am never able to resist suggesting books, Diana Wynne Jones is an amazing author. Most of her books are speculative fiction for children. They are also a lot of fun! When I was little I read every one of her books my library had. One that didn’t end up as a Ghibli movie is called Fire & Hemlock, which I liked a lot. I recommend it both for being a fun story & also for name-dropping dozens of other really good books over the course of the narrative.

Which is your favorite Ghibli movie? If you haven't seen any before, where do you think you will start? Let me know on Mastodon or Ko-Fi! Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

@rob@mastodon.art post:

I just had a realization! I think it warrants an exclamation. I will use frequency to differentiate my various web offerings. Continued on blog...

Skip To Recipe

I have TONS of web presences. Sometimes I try out new places based on the ownership structure so then I end up with people following me on Patreon, Ko-fi, Instagram (all of which I hate for their corpo-ness) while I post mostly on Fedi, where I have an entirely new community (my favorite place to be). I have blogs & websites. I used to do newsletters. No matter what they're named they all end up being hodgepodge collections of me. The spaces I create especially for humanissome have Rartsy material, and vice versa. Even the space I made for my fiction project has overlap with my video diaries & daily posts. That's how I am. [1]

I struggle with organization of thoughts & projects. I share my journey. My art is me sharing my life. I have friends, fans, and followers. Even patrons. But... how to strengthen connections and community?

Hear me out but I think frequency is a good way to organize content.

When I start a new whatever the site setup kinda wants me to know what my project is and that effects the structure of how I share it. But I'm figuring things out as I go. There may be some who want to know everything that I'm sharing... but if I take it away from ME for a moment... there is nothing that I follow 100%. How or why would I expect others to sign up for Rob-Firehose? And it's not that I expect anyone to do that. But that's all I'm offering. I am putting myself in eleventy spaces (but not using eleventy; my laptop is too outdated) and hoping that some of what I put out reaches some of the people who want to see it sometimes. It's just me living my life so I'm not gonna criticize that, but as a content sharing method it's inefficient. Now I've figured out how to do it a little more orderly that still feels ok, I think.

I learn as I go. I struggled for years (decades?) with file organization on my computers. Eventually I figured out that I can't always make myself fit into a structure. That's not how I am, it's a constant struggle producing turbulence that burns up energy. I learned how to make an organization that fits me, rather than trying to fit me into what seemed like good organization. I do have a few file categories but the vast majority of my saved files are organized into folders by year and month. Within the designated categories the files are by the same date structure. That order is the closest to the truth of my mind. Whatever I read, bookmarked, saved at a certain time is related & interacting. My projects might contain audio, video, and text files, as well as downloads, in a variety of formats. Organization by date makes the most sense to my work style.

 

Organization by date makes the most sense to my work style. Now I plan to bring frequency control to those who choose to follow what I share.

I have to think a little more before I implement it, but I'm thinking something like:

Rob Seasonally

Updates 2 to 4 times per year

Rob Monthly

Updates once each month

Rob Weekly

Updates once each week

Every post

Each type would have a URL that you can bookmark, an RSS for those noble few using the best internet interface, and the option to receive an email newsletter (I am working on this idea; not for firehose).

Instead of creating new sites, new things for each of the above I will use some of my existing addresses. Their descriptions will change to “monthly” or whatever, and explain about the RSS & email options.

I'm liking this idea.       ※     [1] ^[2] soundtrack for post, I'm a funny dame performed by Eartha Kitt:

[2] even my notes require notes. putting a number in brackets is the format for within the text, above. down here the norm would be to start simply “1. Note text...” but if I do that markdown will format it as a list, indented. there's a way around it but i just like how it looks better in brackets :D

 

For every occasion you got a nice costume To shine and bloom and all attention is with you

But I don't care whatever you wear We met behind the scene every first time we see

We know all our being Alright from every start In a glimpse of the eye One from our heart

There's no witchcraft There's no shrine All is ours and nothing 'mine'

Now and Never Is all the time The joke is on us let it be a first smile every time

We play around out of count and listen to the sound

of night and day curious all along the way

We find our tunes out of the blue boundless feeling and we know

without a doubt free in joy wherever we go

all our striving that we share out of compassion we dare birds bear witness to the sun oh the sun

whispering dawn whispering

Moving on new horizons ahead by intuition and intent

we realize with ease intangible dreams every time again

In stillness we cease and crest there are no words to be left all within a joyful heart

within our shining eye morning arise

all our exploring we share with all our attention we care the golden light is shining on within through out you

whispering dawn whispering

let us be strangers curious to see respectful and wondering no assumptions nor deed

let us remain strangers with a gleam in our eye learning and inspiring open what will be

let us become strangers not pretend that we know keep our dreams and visions let the unknown unfold

let us leave as strangers grateful happenings at all nothing as expected no names to call

let us be strangers complementing one another free and united once and for all

This year we're arting the alphabet from A-Z. Letters like æ, ñ, or anything with a diacritical mark can go anywhere you like.

Congrats on making it this far into the year! We've reached the letter G Any art subject starting with that letter is fair game, no matter how abstract.

G is for Ghost

Let's make terrific art!

Each challenge lasts 2 weeks from the day this post was made. You can submit a new picture every day, work on one picture for 2 weeks, or post pics randomly. This is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet, & that means you have plenty of time to make your art however you want.

Use #ArtABCs & tag me @KarinWanderer so I see it!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky Cara

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed. Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

I have always been a total bookworm. I started reading early & never stopped! Last month I wrote about 'comfort books' – the books you reach for when you want a laugh or need a hug. All the ones on my list were Discworld books. Let's branch out a little. Here are some books Terry Pratchett didn't write:

(Reminder that I am #NotSponsored by anyone, I just love books!)

Some Great Books I Read Recently

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor or anything by Science Fiction Queen Nnedi Okorafor, really. 'Noor' is my favorite so far, but I have only discovered this author this year. A woman ostracized for her prosthetics goes on an adventure & saves the day! Kabu Kabu is a book of her short stories that is also fantastic. If you like Cory Doctorow, you desperately need to check out Nnedi Okorafor!

Dead Water by C. A. Fletcher This is a horror thriller that takes place on a Scottish island. The writing is excellent, & the cast of characters sticks with you. It's not my preferred horror genre (that's zombies) but it does feature a very well-crafted monster. If that isn't enough to get you to check it out, you should know that the audio book is beautifully read.

Piranha to Scurfy by Ruth Rendell This is another book of short stories. I am not usually all that into mysteries, but these were fun to read! I'm afraid to actually say anything about it & risk spoiling the mysteries.

Some Great Books I Re-Read Frequently

The Rampart Trilogy by M. R. Carey You might have seen me ranting about M. R. Carey before now. I love so many of his books! I am shocked this trilogy hasn't been turned into tv/movies yet. It's absolutely brilliant science fiction. If it had been around when I was in middle/high school I would have been absolutely obsessed with it. People who liked 'The Giver' but weren't impressed by its sequels will like this trilogy. The audio books are read exceptionally well! The voices I came up with in my head when I first read the physical books have been completely supplanted by the ones in the audio books, which never happens.

The Wolves Chronicles by Joan Aiken This is the first book series I remember becoming completely obsessed with, reading it over and over until I had my favorites (“The Wolves of Willoughby Chase” & “Is Underground”) memorized.I've loved these books since I was so very little, & I realize leaves me with a hopeless bias. Nevertheless, I think this is a good book series for everyone from the age they learn to read at a chapter book level on up. It takes place in an alternate history of the UK, it's a bit steampunk, & the main character changes from book to book so you can never be sure what will happen next! Aiken reminds me a lot of Dianna Wynn Jones, who wrote 'Howl's Moving Castle' among other things.

Which is your favorite comfort read? If you haven't read any before, where do you think you will start? Let me know on Mastodon or Ko-Fi! Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

I struggle with character limits. I struggle with feeling connected. This post began on Mastodon.

One of the prompts that keeps me going on Mastodon is a hashtag #ScribesAndMakers. I like the style of questions. Keeping up with a daily prompt is difficult for me. I might miss a day or two, sometimes without even realizing. I guess that's ok, right? I do not live only online. Right? (He asks himself, uncertainly.) Instead of skipping questions I go back and answer them, because as I said I like this prompt. I am finding it helpful in organizing my thoughts. Many people respond thoughtfully, yet I'm uncertain whether I feel belonging in this group. Sharing and relating in art and online is the subject of this post. I know that I'm on a journey but I am unsure if I (a) am alone, (b) have companions, (c) accept companions, (d) am accepted by companions. Phew I “think too much”—definitely it's too much for social media character limits so I fired up the blog.

Today I noticed that I had missed yesterday's prompt, How's your goal going? Is there anything you would like help with?

That is a heavy question for me. Here is my answer:

I mentioned in the above answer that my current focus is survival.

Specific questions are easy. Big goal questions are hard for me to process. I have to trust in living day by day while making small improvements.

Help I Dream Of (seems too much to ask): Friends/family in Mexico; Collaborators {cowriters, podcast cohosts, or for brainstorm sessions}; Patrons.

This community helps a lot for now.

Irresponsible is the word that I think to describe including the “help I dream of” in that post! I can't ask people for things they can't do! But the question asked, Is there anything you would like help with? I could answer dishonestly. I could skip it. Or I could be myself & answer. So I did. (I've been writing for so long since I posted that, I already have replies. Maybe they're even helpful! I won't check them until later. One post at a time, sweet Internet.) I described the help I'd actually hope to have. But I'm also suspicious of social media replies. I put thought into the list of what I want. I don't want short, easy answers. I intentionally chose to ask for help that's cumbersome.

Big goals, seeking help, and whether social media offers community is what I had on my mind as I moved to the next prompt, today's. The following began on Mastodon. I've edited slightly and added more.

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#ScribesAndMakers for 16 March is a fun idea to foster conversation: Talk to a featured creator... Feeling belonging in a group informs my question: How has today been? Is it overwhelming to get so many questions? Has it felt like conversation or interrogation?

[Behind a content label, “Follow up,” I replied to the above in a new post.]

Question applies to all who share online: Do you feel part of a community?

I struggle with belonging, even wanting to belong. It's not limited to the internet, but specific aspects to being online interfere with me feeling connection. I'm posting a follow up before waiting to hear your response above! Because I may not be here later. Something in me doesn't believe conversations are taking place here, rather overlapping monologues.

I'm sorry. Fedi is helping.

[I exceeded the character limit & began another reply. I quickly exceeded the limit again & imported all to here.]

Character limits are part of the issue! On the one hand they might inspire me to say less, and wait for a reply before saying more. But this interface isn't “live,” isn't ideal for conversation. Posts here feel somewhere between texts & emails.

The good aspect of this format, like letters—O! how I miss letters!—is that the responses don't depend on immediacy. They will be waiting. We can take our time. Except the format rushes us. If I were featured creator today & receiving dozens of questions I would feel torn between answering promptly & concisely OR giving due consideration to the ideas raised. I feel it might take me a month to satisfactorily answer the questions I received in one day, if I was featured. Probably best not to feature me! Anyone else relate? I have a similar struggle with holiday cards — so much contact in a short span of time.

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These are good questions for me to ask about social media, creativity, and relationships online & offline.

That's really all I have to say for now. I was close to fitting these thoughts on Mastodon but it felt good to move it here. To sum up, what's on my mind is: creativity, self expression, openness to input; community building; limitations of media, formats, time/space, in-person and distant. I am critical of my inability to feel greater community, whether online or with those I know IRL. I feel distant from many friends whose values I perceive negatively. I find some camaraderie online while being aware that I do not know anyone well. And just as offline there's a lot of online expression that causes me to roll my eyes and feel distant. This paragraph is a mess LOL. Goodbye for now. (See, character limits can be a good thing too!)