Anna Patrick's Blog, page 199
January 19, 2016
Life via the Camera RollHey there beautiful souls! Thought...
Life via the Camera Roll
Hey there beautiful souls! Thought I’d give a quick update for those who have asked.
Been feeling more in touch with my element lately - the creative and darker sides of myself. Writing and making art. Reading a little bit of everything. Basically when I get a wild hair to follow a creative impulse I’ve taken it. More impulses have manifested themselves than ever, and I take that as a sign of many good things. I’ve been spending time with family a lot, especially with my cousin’s wedding coming up (the photo in the middle is me doing the bride’s makeup for her shower!)
A few things that have been inspiring me lately:
Nirvana, Kurt Cobain (this has been a long-term inspiration)Frances Bean Cobain and more specifically her artwork as Fiddle Tim and her recent visual art (another long-term inspiration, but the latter is a bit newer)The moon and its esoteric interpretations, and how various of my favorite authors have written about it. The latter aspect has been a fun independent study for me lately.Observing the way my dog connects with nature.Vintage band t-shirts and black lace.Fringe grunge music.Also on my mind:
My first grad school class starts next week! The nerd inside me awakens.Alfalfa just turned four months old. It all happens so fast. Seeing him grow has been so rewarding in ways I couldn’t even fathom before. He’s currently losing his baby teeth and getting his big boy chompers in fast.This weekend I’m shopping for my 25k follower giveaway! Get pumped.I also wanted to say thanks to everyone who has read my book and given me feedback so far! I don’t think it’ll ever get old, hearing when one of you found it in Barnes & Noble and bought it, or hearing that it gave you weird dreams, or hearing what stood out for you.
I’m still up for signing your copies! Just mail your copy with your name, address and return postage to my PO box and I’ll get it back to you as quickly as I can:
Anna Patrick
PO Box 27
Herndon VA, 20172
Snow drifts and lazy January nights,
Anna
Have you read the Tao Te Ching? If so, what are your thoughts on it?
I’ve read and revisited it a few times! I always keep a copy in an easy to reach place on my book shelf.
What I think I like the most about it is how moldable it is - depending on where you are on your path when you read it there will always be wisdom in it for you, a new gem to find. You will always re-interpret and learn from each parable. It keeps giving and giving. It’s that Mirror of Erised that will show you exactly what you want and need to know at any given time.
There’s a reason why this ancient script is so widely-read and circulated today. Every time I open it I see something new. Because every day we grow, and so each time we read it with new eyes.
Anna
Once you get this, you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly, then send this to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable) (positivity is cool) ❤
Aww shucks, positivity is always cool.
I like that I’m learning, every moment of every day.I like that I’ve never let anything defeat me.I like that I’m tall, long and thin like some of my favorite trees.I like that I’m a giver, not a taker.I like that I have black hair and green eyes, like a black cat.Now I’m tagging all of you, no need to pick favorites!
Anna
“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible...
“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.”
Happy birthday, Edgar Allan Poe. You muse you.
How can I practice forgiveness
I urge you to find the method that works the best for you, but here is my two cents, as this is something I’ve been focusing on a lot myself lately, given recent heartbreak I’ve experienced.
For me it’s all about finding understanding and common ground. When you can understand the exact feelings, motivations, and potential lessons that culminated in a certain event happening or in someone’s actions, it becomes a lot easier to forgive them (and yourself) and move on. Never be the victim, we’re all here to learn.
Put that person or event that you need to sort out in your head for a moment. What place did it all stem from? A place of fear? Insecurity? Can you think of the last time you were scared, or insecure? What did that feeling or motivation bring up for you? And, finally, what did you learn, both in the big picture and the little picture?
Replace “fear” or “security” with whatever you find more applicable to you. The point is in the exploration.
All of this can be done via writing, meditation, talking it out with a therapist or someone close to you, or any vehicle of self-expression you prefer. Just don’t be afraid to go there, and always remember that it is likely you had to experience whatever happened to bring you to the place you now find yourself, and to present you with an opportunity to forgive and grow.
Sending you lots of light and hugs on your journey,
Anna
"Thinking was torment; why not give up thinking, and drift and dream?"
- Virginia Woolf, from The Years
January 18, 2016
"A man’s bookcase will tell you everything you’ll ever need to know about him."
- Walter Mosley. Couldn’t agree more.
