NaNoWriMo Wha...?

Happy Halloween, Samhain, and All Hollow's Eve!

This past month has been incredibly busy busy busy.  A major freelance project finally done, a number of articles for the Suburban Trends, trips into the city to see Brian and Wendy Froud and a visit from a very good friend left little time for myself.  I did get to post some of the wonderful stories from people who visited Belcastel, France to study with Brian and Wendy during the summer of 2012, but did not get to post the blogs on faeries that I had planned for this last week of October when the veils between our worlds are so thin.  Well, maybe next week.

During my new moon meditation last week I visioned …. Well, nothing.  This tells me something very important - that right now my focus is to be on… nothing.  By doing so I was assured clarity for my next step.  Knowing that creative writing, something I've done so little of over the past few years, is so important to me, I  have decided to spend this time of "nothing" exploring the mystery of my imagination on paper.

Perhaps giving myself another project is the last thing I need… however, to begin writing creatively again maybe what I do need is a kick in the butt.  So I will be attempting National Novel Writing Month - which for all you non-NaNoWriMos out there is simply a self-imposed challenge to write a 50,000 novel in 30 days.  I won’t be writing a novel, but I will be working on Mind Key by writing various short stories, essays and blogs on the theme of fairy tales and reality - many of which I hope to post here.

 Check out the website to learn more and to discover me, DanielleRoseWriter, and my project, “The Mind Key Chronicles”.  Many thanks to Brian and Wendy Froud, and their newest book "Faeries' Tales" for their continuing insight and inspiration:

 In recognizing what our bodies and spirit have to say to us and the world through our creativity we can actually re/create our reality.  Mind Key the novel is a calling for each of us to take a leap of faith and jump down the rabbit hole of our imagination and turn it to truth.

“The Mind Key Chronicles” will take up the dreams, visions and fairy tales of my own life as I unravel and re-weave them into the reality I know they are.  Expect to see some old characters, old figures and archetypes, as well as some new ideas about the world.

The resulting will be a 50,000 word combination of short stories, essays and blogs about life and what we once considered were fairy tales brought to light.  Maybe even a few sketches or paintings for illustration too.

Are you NaNoWriMoing this year?  Working on something creative and full of imagination?  Comment here, share, or email me and let me know what's up!  I always love to chat creativity :)

Belcastel art of Bats Langley

Day 3 of a week of Magical Encounters

“It was my first time there and hopefully not my last!” children's book illustrator Bats Langley said of visiting Belcastel, France.  “It was beautiful, magical and enchanting. Words and photos can’t describe the beauty that is Belcastel… Butterflies and bountiful flowers lining the stone streets as you climb up the hill to the castle, simply magical.”

As friends of Heidi Leigh and her family, the owners of the chateau at Belcastel, Bats had seen pictures of this magical hamlet and castle before, but discovered that its beauty was beyond pictures.  “I guess the phrase ‘have to see it for yourself’ applies,” he said.

Bats was very interested to see how faerie artist Brian Froud planned to tackle the challenge of teaching to students of varying artistic backgrounds.  As soon as class began, however, it was clear that Brian was teaching far more than technical skills.

"Slow Move"

“What Brian taught were new ways of seeing, and that is the most important lesson one can learn and experience,” Bats said.  “Brian’s thought process and ways of organizing thoughts into a sketchbook were really eyeopening.  He wasn't just telling you how to think but more how to expand your own thoughts through a variety of exercises. It was really interesting seeing everyone push themselves and their comforts.”

As with everyone who had attended the Froud’s classes, and Bats’ life changed after returning home.

“I have to admit, leaving Belcastel was an adjustment. It took me two weeks to really process all I had learned from Brian, and also all the beauty of Belcastel....hard to return to the gray that is sometimes NYC.”

"We Lost Something"

Immediately, Bats applied Brian’s sketching processes into his work.  Some techniques were new, and some had simply been forgotten or were applied in new ways.

“I know in art school there are great teachers who couldn't make art and there are great artists who can't teach,” Bats said.  “Brian is both an incredible artist and teacher, a true rarity.”

Since returning to New York City, Bats has had work published in both “Spider” and “Ladybug” magazines, and he has continued showing his work in Los Angeles & New York, specifically at Gallery Nucleus.  He has written and illustrated projects for publication  and is represented by Brianne Johnson at Writer’s House.

Find Bats at www.batslangley.com and www.writershouseart.com/bats-langley

This week's Blog Roll:

A week of Magical Encounters

Grace Ng Dung

Scarlet Sinclair

Bats Langley

Soso Erlenkamp

Belcastel art of Scarlet Sinclair

Day 2 of a week of Magical Encounters

Belcastel is just magic.  Tattoo artist Scarlet Sinclair discovered this upon first visiting the local market there and driving into the valley of Belcastel.  

“This place felt like a wellspring of inspiration in things I had already seen but never quite understood until you get there and see where it actually comes from,” Scarlet said.

One of her favorite daily excursions was the zig zagging walk up a cobble paved road to the castle built into the hillside above the village.  Belcastel is one of many points along the Knight’s Templar route, which had long interested and inspired Scarlet.  

“It’s beyond words to describe all the things that had always inspired me coming together in one place and being so real and so full of history.”

One of the most poignant memories of the trip for Scarlet was the historical significance of Mary Magdalene.  Brian shared with Scarlet and her class how aware he was of the Magdalene energy in Belcastel.  The original chapel had remnants of an old fresco of her on its walls, and the town church was dedicated to her.  Scarlet said that Brian could feel the healing energy of the Magdalene’s tears at the castle.  He told them how the Madeline cookies were named after her because of their teardrop shape.

“He called our little group his Madelines - his little lady cakes,” Scarlet said.  “We ate that up with a spoon… we loved it.”

In true Froud fashion, the conversation through the week continued on a tangent that bordered hilarious as they discussed the folklore of Mary Magdalene as the sacred prostitute.

“The story of Mary Magdalene is the one I tell the most,” Scarlet said.  “One of my best friends ended up naming her daughter Madeline…  and I have this little fairy baby now that reminds me of this whole experience.”

Many of Scarlet’s clients and friends were curious to see how the Belcastel experience would affect her work as a tattoo artist.  She too was curious about this, as until then she had considered herself an artist for hire with little time to delve into her own specific creative interests.

“It was about feeding myself and keeping myself as an artist healthy and nurtured.  It put me in tune with more of the things that inspired me naturally: Faeries and art nouveau because it’s so inspired by nature.”

As Scarlet put more energy into work that fitted her she ended up attracting likeminded clients.   

“It’s wonderful because [the experience] continues to inspire me and continues to draw and attract the kinds of clients I want to work with,” Scarlet said.  “How it unfolds it doesn’t stop.  It keeps evolving into my current everyday world.”

Scarlet has also been moved by the vandalism of the tomb of Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, with whom she has a special spiritual connection.  She created prints of one of her original paintings of Laveau which are for sale on her website.  Fifty percent of the proceeds of the sale go directly to the restoration fund for Marie Laveau's tomb located in the St. Louis Cemetery No.1 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Click here to purchase a copy of this print, and visit http://www.saveourcemeteries.org and Scarlet’s friend Lilith Dorsey’s blog to learn more.

To find Scarlet or book an appointment visit her at www.scarlettattoos.com.

Blog Roll:
 A week of Magical Encounters
Grace Ng Dung
Scarlet Sinclair
Bats Langley
Soso Erlenkamp

The Belcastel art of Grace Ng Dung

A week of Magical Encounters

Grace Ng Dung with her sketchbook, Brian Froud looks on

As an artist, Grace Ng Dung’s intention is to take on the role of storyteller.  Faerie artist, Brian Froud was an inspiration not only to her art, but on her path of spirituality and self-discovery.  The thought of meeting and learning with him and Wendy Froud in Belcastel, France, was a dream come true.

“It was completely surreal when I got there,” she said.   “I knew it would be magical to some degree, but I had no idea what it would be like.  It was like living in a fantasy, but [unlike most fantasies] nothing shattered.”

Her time with the Frouds brought her experiences and beliefs in faerie full circle, opening the door to new adventures.

 “It was more magical than I expected, and I had this feeling that I was always meant to be there.  I actually expected myself to cry more, but I didn’t cry because it felt so natural.”

By mid-week Grace had begun to feel the older, darker (but not necessarily bad) energy of the castle and how it melded with the contemporary inhabitants and visitors of Belcastel.  

“Belcastel means beautiful castle, but also warrior fortress,” she said.   “I got that feeling that there were people there and a lot of them died and fought.  The mixing of energies was intense.”

Grace's guide as discovered through meditation and art

Perhaps one of the most poignant art/life lessons Grace learned from Brian was that art, especially works that touch upon the world of faerie, may never look as expected or intended, but that they should FEEL right.  She discovered this most significantly when drawing her guide from meditation - it didn’t look like she expected, but nonetheless, there he was, completely recognizable.

“Going with how you feel when drawing changed my creative process and helped me take down blocks and doors,” Grace said.  “Aim for the feeling because that will be more authentic than the thought.”

The trip and this class changed Grace’s relationship with not only her art but her attitude and outlook on life.

sketch of dragon that Grace later sculpted
in Wendy's class

“That experience guides me now, so when I get stagnant, going with the feeling of something helps me create a lot.   I can do things without thinking and just trust and I will do it and it will always turn out to my benefit… all the conversations in class will sometimes come back to me now and I will remember little snippits of wisdom whether facing an obstacle or if I just need a reminder that it’s there.”

Creation and art is Grace’s calling, and so the total experience was one of spirituality as well as art.

“Some friends make art just for the sake of the art, but it doesn’t always have meaning.  Right now I want it to be meaningful and I want to connect to and open other people’s hearts with my art.  That’s my mission, spiritual connection.  What art used to be - it gave people a direct connection to something higher.  It affected their emotions and that’s what I want to do.”

Discover Grace on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/creatorgrace

This week's Blog Roll:
A week of Magical Encounters
Grace Ng Dung
Scarlet Sinclair
Bats Langley
Soso Erlenkamp

A week of magical encounters

Once upon a time in a magical castle in France, believers from around the world met with renowned artists Brian and Wendy Froud, to embark on an adventure of a lifetime.

As is true of many of the world’s modern-life adventures, much of this story took place in the minds and imaginations of these men and women.  This is not to suggest, however, that imagination equates to fiction.  Indeed, the beauty of these stories is that although they may have seemingly come from the mind, their translation onto paper only proves their inherent truth.  

In fact, this was exactly why most of these adventurers came to learn under the tutelage of the Frouds, who see and sense the faerie realm so acutely.

It began with a vision from Heidi Leigh, owner of AFA Fine Art Galleries in NYC and worldwide.  Gentle mastermind, Brian Froud was at first hesitant to translate his art into a lesson for others, but with the encouragement of family and friends such as Carol Douglas, he subsequently agreed to lead three week long master classes at Heidi’s most enchanting castle-turned-art-gallery in the Aveyron region, Belcastel, France.

We were questers, seeking insight, understanding and a mere glimpse into the Froud’s world of faerie, and in doing so we discovered more about ourselves than art.

The content of these classes remain a mystery, as those who did not attend could not experience the full extent of Brian’s magic without direct contact (and perhaps we only touched upon his magic as well).  As too is their connection to each other - a story best told by friends over a cup of coffee or glass of wine, perhaps with a plate of fresh cheese and bread.  How each student arrived at this destination between worlds is another story altogether - one that tells of manifestation and destiny.

Perhaps most importantly is that the stamp of faerie is on each student who experienced these weeks in Belcastel over two years ago… and this week’s blog  posts will begin as a feeble attempt to tell their unfolding saga in time for another reunion with the Frouds during their book signing at AFA galleries in Soho on October 10th.

Autumn Lights Festival - for healing and growth

I am excited to be a part of this year's Autumn Light's Festival in West Milford, taking place from 10am to 5 pm on October 11th.  Beginning at the intersection of Union Valley and Macopin Roads, and running along the street for about a mile, this festival has a ton of activities and vendors the whole family will love. 

Mind Key will be there with card readings, spiritual healings, and art from Grace NgDung and Danielle Rose inspired by faerie and spirit, as well as activities and crafts for the kids.

We will not be the only booth for healing there, however.  Please check out the following to learn more about our friends in the realm of health and self-development.

http://www.northjersey.com/community-news/finding-health-wellness-at-the-festival-1.1100386?page=all

Information on parking and traffic detours:

http://www.northjersey.com/community-news/parking-road-closures-1.1100365