May Rose Well

 For Creative Writing class in University, we had to write a short story and then switch the point of view (P.O.V.) so it was told from a different character's P.O.V. as a twist. Please note that the characters and events in these two short stories are completely fictional. I wanted to share these two stories here and hope they inspire you to create your own short stories. The idea behind a post card story is that it could fit on a postcard, so it ideally one concise paragraph in length. (painted quote on canvas by Julia, photographed by Julia) Post Card Story 1 Carrying the paint pallets from one group of children to the next, the substitute teacher set down the trays and brushes, their handles coated in blue as much as their bristles. Swapping the red pallet for the yellow, the sub completed a full circle of the classroom. She admired her beige pants, still spotless, although the yellow and blue on her hands had turned her knuckles green. The other teachers had approved on this...

For Creative Writing class in University, we had to brainstorm a number of short stories which we later selected pieces and adapted into other creations. Often inspiration came from real life, or were exactly short snippets of memories that were good stories to share. I wanted to share a few little short paragraph stories I wrote for Creative Writing class with you here: (Some interesting tree roots, photographed by Julia) Firewood               In summer before fifth grade, my family moved out west. We were in campgrounds all across the country and found them to be generally safe places. This is why, when my mother asked my sister or I to fetch the firewood, I volunteered. Shrugging, my mom agreed and gave me five dollars for the wood. I took the main path back to the front office and paid five dollars for the firewood. I waited at the counter a moment and the clerk stared down at me, pointing outside to a shed marked f...

 I discussed using materials in nature to make art in their natural environment, however, you can also use natural elements to create new art pieces entirely. You will need to use glue for these sometimes, maybe paint, and there are tons of ideas beyond what I am about to explore with you from my own experiences. I just want to share a few ideas to boost your inspiration to try and use the materials around you as they can be a great starting point for any project. Here, I used natural grasses and leaves to make a scene from the valley, if anyone from the Annapolis Valley is reading this, they will be able to make out the distinct horizon of the Blomidon mountain stretching across the sky. I could have added paint if I liked, but since the image was inspired during the winter, I let the white canvas background become the snow surrounding the bits of springs, grasses, and trees poking out of the white blanket. This piece took about ten hours, and since there were no material costs (a...

There are plenty of outdoor activities you can do as we approach spring and summer. Some of my favourites growing up and even now are: Kayaking:  You may already have access to a kayak or be able to rent them out from your local watersports and equipment places, so have a look around, because often there are more activities available at low cost without needing to own the equipment for your occasional use. If you are really committed, you can always stretch the budget to purchase something later after you have tested it out.  (photo of me kayaking, photographed by my mother) Biking: All you need is a bike and helmet. Many communities have bike rentals or lender bikes you can use, or you could use a stationary bike inside your home or at the gym for leg day. I prefer to feel the wind on my face in the fresh outdoors, however, in the winter, I used our stationary bike we had at the time while doing long readings for University courses. It was great to be able to exercise and lis...

  For Advanced Creative Writing class, we were asked to write many pieces and examine our own lives in order to inspire our  short works of fiction. The elements that were once real memories are meant to blur with the fictional elements seamlessly so that no one really knows which part is true, as they are inspired but not purely written as they were. Any references to real life are altered, dates are different, names will be changed, elements will appear differently than in actuality, as is the nature of fiction inspired by some aspect of the real world. I have played both the songs The Tempest and The Water is Wide for band class, and my grade nine group was the largest to enter that school, but otherwise, the details should not be construed as anything factual. I would like to share one of those pieces with you now inspired by my band instrument, clarinet, and with the added element of letter correspondence to a friend: Take a Breath   I did not want to go to the high...

  For Advanced Creative Writing class, we were asked to write many pieces and examine others' work and draw from our own life experiences to create new pieces in many formats. One format we were assigned was called a  "Marmoire" which is designed to be a memoire to both our memories to our armoire (a type of clothing storage unit like a closet or dresser in today's world).  This type of writing piece could focus on the perspective of any object you own as a lens for viewing a specific memory. For our pieces, we were focused specifically on articles of clothing. So I would like to share my own "Marmoire" with you now: Self Preservation      White T-shirt   with butterflies and blooming roses in shades of blue spill down your chest. Every day you want to wear this shirt. It is dressy enough to wear for your junior high graduation. You walk up the aisle to collect your certificate on stage; slouching in the pictures. You do not want to be seen. You walk b...