On a snowy winter day of January, I set out to get books from the library to inform my research. Working from home afforded me the chance to not having to drive very often. Hence, when the car door was frozen shut, I did not know what to do but come inside and waited for the sun while working on my other priorities. One way or another I had to start or else this new baby idea that the muse entrusted in me won't come out.
It is pointless trying to know where the way leads.
Think only about your first step, the rest will come.
____Shams Tabrizi
Some notes are worth reading through twice. Some are there to introduce me to the stranger who wrote it.
The Journey Begins
This year I decided to plunge into a new project purely for the fun of it. It will incorporate trees, dragons, deities, crystals and patterns from different civilizations. All will be done through watercolor and ink. It is quite ambitious yet I am determined to carry through and use this opportunity to dig deeper into the subjects that I am passionate about, meet new people, develop new skills (blog, documenting, writing, and speaking to real humans), and sharing the adventures to internet citizens.
Some magnets from Istanbul, an owl from Athens, Green Tara from New Zealand, various rocks and botanical specimens collected from many trips, Brisingr the first fiction book that made me fall in love with dragon
Inspirations are free, kinda like air
Since moving to America, I realize what an immense privilege it is to have a library and the ability to request new books. Sure online research is easy and diverse, yet nothing beats going to the bookstores or library. The act of wandering in real life or in a place full of leads for ideas cannot be emphasized enough. Sometimes the book I am looking for is not on the shelf where it supposes to be. Instead, I find something greater, more intriguing and unexpectedly pointing toward a different direction.
Some of these books are way way off topic yet I believe in the gut feeling that I need to read them for this path. The book of Kells was there on the shelf waiting for me. Somebody probably looked at it and didn't bother to put it back into the stack. It was a pleasure to see what is inside.
Books are like portals to a different world of a different time, giving us glimpses into a different soul and perspective. What a great invention!
I have many fears and nonsensical ideas about how creating this blog. Nevertheless, the voice within me keeps saying: "Just take a leap, nothing is guaranteed, but it is a way to find myself". It was this voice that got me sneaked reading manga as a little girl, got me out of architecture and into art. Good or bad, it always showered me with love, light, and left me fulfilled as a happy sapling bathing in the sun. It is a quiet voice, yet I hope you spend more time alone and give more weight to that voice in you too.
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