The Secret Project: An Observation

My writing has always gotten me into trouble.  Love notes intercepted in middle school, petty girl fights, party promises and late night ranting.  I just loved my pen and paper so much that I overcame the feared school counselor or the inevitable parent-teacher call.  Blah blah blabbity blah, I was in hot water...again. But despite the content, no one ever told me my ramblings were poorly written.  Guess there's something to be said for that small victory.

 Through my teen years I honed my talent to code meaning and avoid those embarrassing confrontations with authority.  I never wanted to be without my voice- or to curtail what I was saying because no one wanted to bear witness to the ugliness of adolescence.  I bought pretty books in which to put my thoughts, as if one would balance the other.  Ugly versus pretty. Truth be told my journals held all the unpleasantries of my formative years but they were contained inside pretty wrappers that looked lovely on a shelf.  Perhaps more symbolic of the real me than any vulgarity spelled out on a page.  We all have trials, things that happen to us, good and bad.  It's how we react to events that shape who we become.

I always knew I had a quirky dark side.  Most artists and writers do.  It is the give and take for talent.  I find it odd that darkness in the mature artist is celebrated, contemplated and theorized over, yet darkness in a child is not a welcome sign of a creative soul. Or is it the suffering in silence that turns a young soul into the artistic kind? As a child, I masked my trials and experiences. I coded them into all those pages with pretty covers.  Though I tried to voice them to the adults in my life, no one really wanted to hear it. But for years my codes have wanted to be revealed for what they really are: A triumphant will for survival.  No longer a secret but a story. A way to give tragedy an opportunity to heal. Not just for my own healing, but for so many others as well, artists or not. 

My writing has always gotten me into trouble.  Why should I stop now? 

LOVE  &  SECRET PROJECTS

FOLK Spring 2013 Issue Review

****WIN a FREE subscription to FOLK! Read my review here and post a comment letting me know what interests you most about FOLK Spring 2013!  One lucky winner will be announced Tuesday, March 4th at 8 pm Central time!

Every now and then something comes along when you need it most.  In today's market of same old- same old country magazines with content disappearing under loads of medical advertising and non-country themes retold in color palettes that induce more yawns than inspiration, a new star is on the rise.  FOLK magazine is challenging the old publishing standards, creating a fast following, and giving the readers what they want: connection and authenticity.

 

 

The Spring 2013 Issue is a prime example of why Ben Ashby and Hillary Lewis are becoming household names.  From the sweetest lambs on a Cape Cod farm to a Nebraska man whose antiquing passion spans more than three decades to fresh takes on ice-pops that would make an Alaskan resident crave a cold treat, the Spring Issue of Folk is a page turner that does not disappoint!  Vivid photography highlights the lives of people whose work employs age old traditions, drool-worthy recipes, and storytellers who bring to life vignettes of country spirit. 

 

Articles in this issue seem to interact with one another- an organic mushroom farmer in New York,  a ladies' retreat luncheon in Napa Valley, a young fashion designer in South Africa, and an Florida artist who turned her love of vintage clothing into a fulfilling career.  The characters could easily be assembled into a cast of a day in a more simple life.  But as we all know simple does not always mean easy. The people featured share their honest truths. Folk's Spring Issue illustrates that not all authentic living has to happen in rural settings.  Interviews with Leann Rimes, Sara Hertell, and Greg Sczebel, allow the reader to see how successful artists stay true to an authentic life in the midst of high profile careers. 

 

 

This is by far my favorite issue of FOLK to date! There is something for every artist, every dreamer, every person seeking a deeper connection to an authentic life.  If the Spring 2013 Issue is a sampling of the future of FOLK, then there is nothing short of greatness yet to come.  Get your FOLK subscription today and become part of the modern wave of country living!