Day 112
It has been a long time since I took a run at working with scratch board – I didn’t like it the last time, so I have avoided it. Of course, last time, I was working on a kind of scratch paper (ha!) and I couldn’t make it do what I wanted it to do. I have, apparently, a heavy hand, and paper gives out under that kind of pressure.
This time around, I used a wonderful product from Ampersand that I picked up at some show or another as a sample. It is quite wonderful, causing me to rethink the whole scratch board thing entirely. With limited time, I was able to produce this guitar, but I see now where I want to play with it, and tweak it, and perhaps do it all again. Over time I have seen some truly amazing work done in this manner, so I am looking forward to playing with it more.
365 Guitars 
At first glance it looked like a pic from an airplane or UFO. Awesome. Scratch board? That sounds like a good material for my level of (non-)talent, with a what-the-heck attitude.
Do you think that if I put this out in the yard that whoever did the Cerne Giant would consider it as a template for the hills of Britain? That would be awesome!
Yes! Except yours might have to become a little more ‘anatomical’.
First of all I would like to say excellent blog! I had a quick question that I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing. I have had difficulty clearing my mind in getting my ideas out. I do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually wasted simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or tips? Many thanks!
Centering yourself is never time wasted. We are given to believe that everything should happen instantly. Sometimes, taking time to just think is the best possible path. My recommendation? Get a notebook and journal every day. Write with a pencil or a pen and try to write three pages – it absolutely doesn’t matter if you are writing ideas or a shopping list. It engages your mind in the habit and the practice of writing. Without a doubt it is the best tool any writer will use. When you sit later to actually write, you will find the clutter is gone and you can think clearly. Good writing!