Synchronicity has been an underlying them for decades of my life. I always see it as a sign to follow a particular path, being a voracious student of Carl. G. Jung's works. Recently, I experienced another one of those exhilarating moments, some of them minimal, some of them life changing which I see as synchronistic. Too many of them over time for me to ignore. This one falls in a the high end. And at a primal time when I've been trying to achieve balance in my life. In one afternoon, one swooping series of realizations, thank so Dr. George Frien's Chautauqua presentation of Carl Jung at the Greenville Art Museum, the series was set into motion.
I've been struggling over the past few months with my writing, not so much that I couldn't write, but more than I couldn't find a way to end either of two novels, my steampunk novel, The Foxglove Broadsides and my 3rd magical realism novel, Fireworks, Interference Equation, when two I witnessed two seemingly unconnected experiences within the span of less than two weeks.
I have not been out much in months due to work, the holidays, making Christmas presents, writing and the birth of my second grandchild. Now that I've begun to socialize again at the insistence of my friends. The first event was an art show at the Village Studios. Mark and decided to go at the very last moment and I'm so glad we did for in the marvelous show, way beyond what we see as far as risk taking, was one by a brilliant young artists, Jeromy Ross, who was given a show as a present when he graduated from Winthrop. The works are anthropomorphic, human bodies, bearing animal and bird heads. I've been attracted to this type of art ever since I saw my first example at an Art Fair a few years back, research it, and found the Victorians even did it using the bodies of their family members and various animal/creature heads as commentary.
After the show I started writing a new piece, another section to my ironic whimsical tale about the West End, Two Ruffians and a Rat, and was using the concept of this type of art in my work. The scene was very Jungian: a maze, a descent into darkness, revelations. It is a them I enjoy exploring as it presents to me the very act of venturing into one's own subconscious.
The day I wrote the scene was the day I found out about the Carl Jung appearance. That is not sheer coincidence.
And then last night I came up with the true ending, the only ending for Fireworks, which has fooled and eluded me, some ideas were to simple and shallow, others too complex requiring another entire volume and each one crafted to simply end the book, not tell a tale that only I could tell.
And then last night it came to me. In my job as a rehab support specialist for adults with traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, I am learning how to be an efficient advocate for my clients, especially two of them, one man in his 30's with a brain injury and the other in his 40's with a spinal cord injury. Despite their traumatic injuries they are struggling to build new, productive, meaningful lives. Both of them are fascinated with philosophy, one of whom earned a degree before his injury, the other working towards one now.
And I realized that I must speak to this issue. The whole purpose of magical realism to me is to introduce a societal/political issue to the general public in a way that is easily accessible The current most crucial issue I struggle with everyday in my life is my work with adults with brain and spinal cord injury who cannot find accessible housing in the community where they can live productive and rewarding lives.
So now these recent meaningful coincidences remind me of my how I can use my writing (as well as advocacy) to inform the public of this huge and often unknown issue.
I've been struggling over the past few months with my writing, not so much that I couldn't write, but more than I couldn't find a way to end either of two novels, my steampunk novel, The Foxglove Broadsides and my 3rd magical realism novel, Fireworks, Interference Equation, when two I witnessed two seemingly unconnected experiences within the span of less than two weeks.
I have not been out much in months due to work, the holidays, making Christmas presents, writing and the birth of my second grandchild. Now that I've begun to socialize again at the insistence of my friends. The first event was an art show at the Village Studios. Mark and decided to go at the very last moment and I'm so glad we did for in the marvelous show, way beyond what we see as far as risk taking, was one by a brilliant young artists, Jeromy Ross, who was given a show as a present when he graduated from Winthrop. The works are anthropomorphic, human bodies, bearing animal and bird heads. I've been attracted to this type of art ever since I saw my first example at an Art Fair a few years back, research it, and found the Victorians even did it using the bodies of their family members and various animal/creature heads as commentary.
After the show I started writing a new piece, another section to my ironic whimsical tale about the West End, Two Ruffians and a Rat, and was using the concept of this type of art in my work. The scene was very Jungian: a maze, a descent into darkness, revelations. It is a them I enjoy exploring as it presents to me the very act of venturing into one's own subconscious.
The day I wrote the scene was the day I found out about the Carl Jung appearance. That is not sheer coincidence.
And then last night I came up with the true ending, the only ending for Fireworks, which has fooled and eluded me, some ideas were to simple and shallow, others too complex requiring another entire volume and each one crafted to simply end the book, not tell a tale that only I could tell.
And then last night it came to me. In my job as a rehab support specialist for adults with traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, I am learning how to be an efficient advocate for my clients, especially two of them, one man in his 30's with a brain injury and the other in his 40's with a spinal cord injury. Despite their traumatic injuries they are struggling to build new, productive, meaningful lives. Both of them are fascinated with philosophy, one of whom earned a degree before his injury, the other working towards one now.
And I realized that I must speak to this issue. The whole purpose of magical realism to me is to introduce a societal/political issue to the general public in a way that is easily accessible The current most crucial issue I struggle with everyday in my life is my work with adults with brain and spinal cord injury who cannot find accessible housing in the community where they can live productive and rewarding lives.
So now these recent meaningful coincidences remind me of my how I can use my writing (as well as advocacy) to inform the public of this huge and often unknown issue.
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