Thursday, October 3, 2013

Day 270 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

THE POINT IS THE INSPIRATION

OR

MORE NOTEBOOKS? ARE YOU KIDDING?

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As a matter of fact, I'm not. Just as a frame of reference, I carry two black and white composition books, an un-ruled moleskin notebook, a sketchbook, and, occasionally, a yellow legal pad. This is accompanied by a pen, and two pencils. One good old gray, the other red. I also drag around an assortment of sketching pens, pencils, and other implements. Top all this off with a cell phone or digital camera for picture taking.
 
Why all this paraphernalia? Because I never know when I'm going to see, hear, or feel something that could very well become part of, or a complete, story and I don't want to lose the moment. If you think I'm going to entrust an entire day's worth of stimulus to an already over-taxed and aging memory, you are a bit more senile than I am.
 
Take today, for instance. There was a homeless person. Not just any homeless person, but the type who, when you saw him, you couldn't help but think, "Oh my dear lord!" On his own he was remarkable, but he could be morphed into any other number of characters or bit players. (This is not taking advantage, just observation.) Then there was a beater of a compact car. The make and model got right past me as I admired the Roy Lichtenstein style POP ART paint job it bore. Or how about the twenty minutes I spent locked in a storage room of a middle school cafeteria with six lunch ladies?
 
You cannot make this stuff up on the fly. Hell, the car alone was already becoming a poem as I stared at it. Lucky I had a notebook to jot down those nascent ideas. Right? The old saying is that art is five percent inspiration and ninety-five percent perspiration. Well, if I'm going to have to sweat my way through most of it, I'm not going to lose the gifts when they come along.
 
More helpful hints from your Uncle Dane.
 
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Meanwhile...live, love, and write it down before you forget it!
 
 
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page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.
 
Tomorrow,
 
Dane F. Baylis
Author.

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