I was thrilled when Joanne DeMaio of the blog, Whole Latte Life, agreed to do a guest post; she's like the Mother Muse of the blogging world to me. Enjoy!
A CREATIVE FRAMEWORK
Similar to a camera, writing is a lens that lets me focus on life through the unique perspective of my characters. Actually, writing and photography go hand-in-hand for me. As much as I enjoy creating an image with words, I also enjoy interpreting life through photographic images. For the past few years, I’ve done this with my blog. Each post is inspired by a photograph I’ve taken in my daily travels. Seeing everyday, normal life through the lens reveals a different perspective that gives me greater understanding.
In my novel Whole Latte Life, I’ve given a similar trait to my main character Sara Beth. Her Art History background gives her a tool to process different situations she encounters. Soon after Sara Beth walks clean out of her life, she is wracked with doubt over her decision. And so, in steps her passion for art to help her understand …
Did she do the right thing? They say that in an oil painting, colors can be painted over each other, changing the nuance of light. So maybe this is what she’ll do. Change just the nuance of Sara Beth.
Or in a later scene when she looks up at the night sky over the sea, heavy with twinkling stars, she thinks with longing not only of the mother she lost, but of a quote by one of the art world masters. In this scene, she’s talking with her best friend …
“ … Twenty-five years of wishing on stars. They must hold some celestial answer for us.”
“We take death to reach a star. That’s what van Gogh said.”
Always, always, Sara Beth can draw on her passion for art to help her through days of longing, sadness, and contentment, too. Her doing so is a way of showing the reader the wonder of living a life with passion.
Which is what I’m wishing you and your readers … A special passion in each of your lives to enrich your every day, always.
Thanks for hosting me today, Catherine!
Joanne DeMaio is an author, exploring through her writing the journey to living a fulfilling life. Her debut novel, WHOLE LATTE LIFE, was published in March 2012. In addition, her music essays have appeared in literary journals, celebrating her passion for song, in print. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut, where the coffee is always brewing, either in her country kitchen or a favorite coffee shop, and the talk is ever flowing over a fresh cup of java.
I'm so happy to be here today, Catherine. Living our passions enriches our days in so many ways, and I'd love it if your readers mentioned here what passions and creativity they have in their own lives ...
ReplyDeleteI have a passion for fashion, and I tend to look at different experiences and memories through the outfits I wear (a bit like your Red Dress expt!). Whether your thing's art or cooking or just having a passion for summer, you can appreciate life's moments as Sara Beth does.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting the "Mother Muse of the blogging world" aka my mom (who I couldn't be prouder of!)
Fun to see Joanne here. Raising my coffee cup to you. *Clink*
ReplyDeleteThank you, Catherine, for asking Joanne to be here! Though I haven't had much time for keeping up lately, I always appreciate Joanne's ~ and YOUR ~ optimism over my morning smoothie. *g*
ReplyDeleteJoanne ~ LOVE “ … Twenty-five years of wishing on stars. They must hold some celestial answer for us.”
My MC struggles with some of these same questions, I suspect, while trying to make sense of the loss of her mother. I'll have to stop in over at your place to order my copy! I didn't realize it had already been released. So Awesome!
~My passions? My creative outlets?~
Outside of my writing, which permeates my very existence and helps me to see the world through a fresh set of eyes... My passions run deep in helping *things* grow, whether it's through my family, our small farm, or simply through friends and strangers who cross my path.
I am a creature of habit. I find myself incapable of accepting the elaborate facades we, as humans, design for ourselves. My focus often gravitates toward those who simply need someone to listen.
Funny, I suppose, that I see this as a *passion* in my life, but it is what seems to drive me.
Catherine - I appreciate your thoughtful comment. As a writer, you must often take things you hear, and bring it to the page to explore and understand further. I know that I take questions I have, and that other women have, and I explore them through my writing. Writing definitely does a lot of "seeing."
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