WTJ Wrap Up

Well, yesterday was the close of this Summer's The Next Chapter - Wreck This Journal and I can't help feeling like the end of Summer Camp and like there should be quiet singing of taps, hands crossed in front of our bodies and held in a circle 'round the fire. I can hear the music in my head but would you believe I CAN'T REMEMBER THE WORDS to that old Girl Scout rendition??? Can't get beyond "Day is done, gone the sun." ...la, la, la....la, la, la... Oh, well - you get the idea.

I'd love to summer camp with this Wrecking Crew anytime! Can you IMAGINE the art supplies stash? The 'mess' hall with Suzie as overseeing Camp Cook ???? And First Aid with Kavindra as Camp Nurse???? Come and go 'WRECK'-reation all day???? All the journals laying out to dry in the sun or dangling by clothes pins from the line after swim time or outside the showers? The overheard giggles and whispers from atop a cabin roof as you pass and dodge the plummeting of journals dropping from someplace high or the visions of journals tossed wildly flying like birds through the air? Nine and 18 hole journal golf courses springing up everywhere in the camp? Or, my personal favorite vision - seeing Wreck Stars twirling journals on strings through the air like cowgirls practicing with lariats. And then there would be the encounters on the hiking trails with Wreck Stars 'walking' leashed/strung journals through the dirt and bumping along on the rocks behind them or carrying them as they write in them/draw lines while hiking.

Maybe I'll open a 'Camp WTJ' here in the foothills with side trips to Yosemite. That's the ticket! And for the non-camper types, inside I have 3 bathrooms, 3 unused bedrooms, 3 tables that would seat 8-12 comfortably, (make that 2 tables and 2 bedrooms - the third(s) are for studio use - more on that later) and there are sleeper sofas in the family room and front rooms...hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Nah! I don't think so...but the benefit I'm seeing in myself from the WTJ experience has been significant - to me anyway. I'm taking more chances, trying new things, being surprised and delighted and inspired when things aren't perfectly prepared for and done and something I wouldn't have thought was practical or sane or smart or comfortable turns out to be fun, funny, entertaining, interesting, and sometimes even pretty. 'Why not?' more often doesn't have a good reason not to so...just go on and give it a shot. I'm almost finished with my first page of a new 'art journal', I'm starting a 2nd blog for my creative writing, quilting and dabbling in photography & mixed media, 'Studio Lakeside' - http://studiolakeside.blogspot.com/ and I hope to post my first 'art journal' attempt later today and will be exosing my rejuvenation/rebirth/reclamation of me as a practicing creative there.

Aside from that - three things I've learned from the WTJ participation are:

1) I need (well, okay, need may be an overly strong word), I want more art supplies - paint that isn't latex semi-gloss would be great and I keep hearing about some gel medium stuff I want to play with (looks like spackle but spackle doesn't work very well anyplace but dry wall, that I've found - yet)

2) I can now download pics to Windows Vista as well as Windows 98 from the digital camera my daughter passed on to me when she got a 'better' one. (there's 'better'? Wonder when she's gonna replace THAT????)

3) Dial-up internet services SUX for accessing videos shared by WRECK STARS!

Thanks to Jamie Ridler for hostessing an amazingly fun summer's journey! I'm going now to listen to the Wrecking Ball Call I missed - I did call and the 'greeter' said I was the 1st caller and I'm NEVER 1st for anything so I panicked and hung up thinking I hadn't translated EST correctly to daylight time and then on to Pacific time and I'd be waiting maybe another hour for Jamie and others to get on the line. So sorry to have missed it LIVE and in person!