Day 3391: The creative process

Here and now, I’m trying to overcome some self-consciousness about moving forward with the creative process regarding my original songs.

Before the pandemic, I unexpectedly and joyfully experienced months where my creative process produced many original songs, which I performed at Open Mics and featured in this daily blog.

My manager — a fabulous human being whom I helped create 24 years ago — thinks I should create recordings of my best songs with excellent sound quality and feature them prominently on my YouTube channel.

For some reason, which I can’t quite process, I’ve been avoiding following my son Aaron’s wise advice, focusing instead on the creative process in my therapy groups and on social media.

Part of the creative process, for me, is naming and (sometimes) sharing the obstacles, so I’m hoping that creating this blog post will help me move forward with my original songs. Today, I plan to record a great version of “I Left the House Before I Felt Ready.”

Do you see the creative process in my images for today?

I did NOT create National Pigs in a Blanket Day nor National Pet Parents Day, but I am a proud pet parent to Joan …

… and Harley.

Here’s a video I created at the Sheep Shearing Festival yesterday, which my son Aaron is going to send to his girlfriend overseas:

I hope to create a video of “I Left the House Before I Felt Ready” with better sound quality than that, today.

What are your thoughts and feelings about the creative process?

Gratitude for what I have is part of my creative process, so thanks to all who help me create this blog every day, including YOU.

Day 3347: What people say

What people say can be

• confusing,
• clear,
• reassuring,
• scary,
• familiar,
• unfamiliar,
• groan-inducing,
• loving,
• hateful,
• funny,
• sad,
• repetitive,
• original,
• hopeless,
• hopeful,
• enraging,
• soothing,
• thoughtless,
• thoughtful,
• emotional,
• unemotional,
• mysterious,
• profane,
• direct,
• indirect,
• honest,
• dishonest,
• obfuscating,
• authentic,
• misleading,
• helpful,
• unhelpful,
• important,
• unimportant, and
• too many other things to say.

Because I’m very interested in what people say, I asked this question last night on Twitter:

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What do you say we look at my other images for today, which include what people say.

I’m just imagining what people are going to say about National Worship of Tools Day.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “what people say”:

I also find this:

I look forward to seeing what people say in the comments section, below.

No matter what people say, at the end of every post I say “thank you” to all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU.

Day 3315: Promises

Just now, I noticed that the Bidens have fulfilled one of their campaign promises from last year.

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The New York Times, which promises “all the news that’s fit to print,” is all over that story, too.

This promises more uplifting news stories ahead for all us cat lovers.

I promise more uplifting images in today’s blog.

I promise that the label “weird” often comes up in my therapy groups, and it’s promising that people usually embrace the label “weird” in a promisingly positive and productive way.

I promise to check YouTube for a good song for this “Promises” blog.

I promise you that “Promises, Promises” has been running through my head since I started creating this post.

If you leave a comment below, I promise to respond very soon.

A promise I make and keep is to express gratitude to those who help me fulfill the promise of each new precious day, including YOU!

Day 3115: Microadventures

Yesterday, between microadventures, I read about microadventures in the New York Times:

…

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I’ve been on microadventures since I was a microperson, and I believe this blog is a document of the awe I feel every day, home and away.

Yesterday’s microadventures included going to a local casino for the first time and shopping at Whole Foods with my son and my husband. Even if these photos don’t fill you with a sense of awe, I hope this post is a salve for you today.

I very much enjoyed my microwinnings during yesterday’s microadventures.

Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “microadventures.”

What microadventures have you been on?

I am very grateful for all the microadventures I’ve been on with others, including YOU!

Day 3075: Hope over fear

I woke up to this email this morning:

I’m always looking for hope over fear. Do you see that in my other images for today?

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I’m hoping for hope over fear as we navigate the future.

I hope you enjoy these songs that appeared in today’s post (here, here, and here on YouTube):

Hope over fear that there will be comments on this post.

Gratitude over everything, so thanks to all who help me put hope over fear every day, including YOU!

Day 3038: The Oscars

I never miss the Oscars, which I’ve been watching through all my aspirations and careers, including film school student.

Last night, I watched the Oscars without our late cat Oscar, who always deserved an Oscar for best supporting cat. For many reasons, watching last night’s Oscars just wasn’t the same.

How many Oscars do you see in today’s images?

Here’s the best all-round acceptance speech from last night’s Oscars:

Yuh-Jung Youn definitely deserves an Oscar and much more.

I have no Oscars to award today but just gratitude to all who help me create this daily blog, including YOU!

Day 2936: High alert

You’d have to be high (as we used to say back in the 60’s) not to be on high alert if you live in the USA.

I captured the following images when I was on high alert.

Some of those images put me on high alert to invite you to sign up for my Open Mic tomorrow, January 15, before the end of today.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040b4eadaa23a2f49-jamn18

I’ll be singing my new lyrics to the Doors’ “People Are Strange” which I wrote when I was on high alert.

Here’s what immediately comes up on “You Tube” when I search for “high alert.”

It’s exhausting to be on high alert, isn’t it? Please be on alert for signs of support and gratitude.

Finally, thanks to all who’ve helped me stay alert through eight years of blogging, including YOU.

Day 2929: When the bottom drops out

Yesterday morning, before the bottom dropped out at the USA Capitol Building in Washington, people in my Coping and Healing group discussed experiences of when the bottom drops out, including how that feels and how to cope. By sharing those experiences of when the bottom drops out and realizing they were not alone, the group members lifted each other up. I suggested that when the bottom drops out again they look down, feel their feet securely on the floor, and realize that the bottom is still there, even if it feels like it has dropped out.

According to an online definition, the bottom drops out “alludes to collapsing deeper than the very lowest point, or bottom.”

Yesterday afternoon, the current inhabitant of the White House collapsed deeper than his previous lowest point/bottom, inciting his followers to violently disrupt the transfer of power in the country I love.

As the whole world watched in horror, the bottom dropped out in the USA yesterday. Those of us who are familiar with malignant narcissists like Trump know that the bottom will drop out even LOWER if he remains in office.

When the bottom drops out, I’m too upset to take many photos, so here are all my recent images from top to bottom:

What do you do when the bottom drops out? When the bottom drops out for me, I reach out for people I love and trust, I anchor myself in the present moment, and I tell myself, “It’s safer than it feels.”

Therefore, I’m going to post, again, the video I shared on this blog yesterday, before the bottom dropped out, of audience members at the Stephen Colbert Show lifting up the late, great U.S. congressman from Georgia, John Lewis, as he crowd-surfed above them.

It makes me cry, here and now, to see how far the bottom has dropped out of my country.

Here is Senator Amy Klobuchar speaking to Stephen Colbert last night about her experience of when the bottom dropped out yesterday:

Here‘s Stephen Colbert showing a lot of feeling in his live monologue last night after the bottom dropped out and before his interview with Senator Klobuchar:

And here‘s his interview with Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger about his experience of when the bottom dropped out.

If you have any thoughts or feelings about when the bottom drops out, please drop a comment, below.

Now that you’ve reached the bottom here, thanks — from the bottom of my heart — to all who help me drop a blog post every day, including you.

Day 2887: Thankful

I am thankful for so much on this Thanksgiving Day.

I am thankful to be alive and in love with life and with so many living creatures.

I am thankful for my eyes and for what they see.

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I am thankful for my ears. I’m thankful for what they hear.

What are you thankful for, in six words, less, or more?

On Thanksgiving and every other day, I am thankful for YOU!

Day 2865: The Impossible Wait

While we’re waiting the impossible wait for election returns in the USA, here’s my rewrite of “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha:

THE IMPOSSIBLE WAIT

by Ann Koplow (with thanks to lyricist Joe Darion)

To wait the impossible wait,

To fight the unprincipled foe,

To bear with unbearable feelings,

To wait for returns that are slow.

To right all the right-leaning wrongs,

To love when there’s hate all around.

To try when your heart is too weary,

To keep your feet firm on the ground.

This is my plan

To wait for the vote

Through all of these hours

And keep hope afloat.

To fight the alt-right,

Without question or pause.

To be wiling to march into hell

If Trump breaks voting laws.

And I know if I stay calm and true

In this difficult quest,

The votes might turn more states to blue,

And I might get some rest.

And the world would be better for this

That each vote scorned and covered with scars,

Amid all the anger was counted,

To wait the impossible wait!

© Ann Koplow, 2020

While we’re waiting the impossible wait, feel free to sing those lyrics here.

And here‘s Luther Vandross singing the original lyrics for “The Impossible Dream.”

You can also check out my latest photos and captured images during the impossible wait.

Wait for it ….

… it’s not myself I’m loathing right now.

Feel free to join me during the impossible wait in the comments section, below.

Gratitude makes even impossible waits bearable, so thanks to all who are waiting this out with me, including YOU.