Welcome to 10 Years of Blog Posts

 Yes, it's been 10 long years since I started this blog. I think my first one was published on (or around) the 4th of August, 2013.

In those years I've lived in three different states, changed jobs four times, had one serious relationship and breakup, made a lot of friends, published poems and short stories, got a cat, and done a bunch of other things that I don't feel like listing out.

A lot has changed, though that doesn't mean I've progressed towards anything.

My earliest blog posts (on this site at least) were under an email addressed affiliated with my undergrad university. That email address went away earlier this month and with it, all the pictures linked into those early posts. I could go back and "fix" this, but part of me wants to keep moving forward and not look back at those old posts. 

I first started writing this blog because the adult world felt like Wonderland - nonsensical and crazy. 

Occasionally, it still does. Though, I like to think that I've gotten the hang of a few things in the decade I've been posting about my life lessons, opinions, and musings. I may have started with the intention of providing advice and lists of things of "what not to do", but it has changed along with myself.

I like to think that I've changed for the better and will continue to do so. I'm fairly positive that I've grown as a person and that I will continue do so. Kind of like the song "For Good" from Wicked. This blog has seen me through a lot of things.

This is not a "goodbye" post. I'm not ready to stop posting - maybe not weekly, but close enough. Sometimes I think I'm a little too attached to this blog than I meant to be.

Fun fact, though the overall name of the blog is a nod to Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, the reason each post starts with "Welcome to..." is from the anime Welcome to the NHK. I saw this anime my final semester of university in a class on Japanese Manga, Anime, and Pop Culture. It was about three young adults trying to navigate the challenges of adulthood while dealing with mental health problems, societal demands, and change in general. It really stuck with me and I've used it for every post on this blog.

So, here's to the next ten years. 

Will I still be writing this blog then? I don't know (part of me hopes I've moved on to bigger and better things or finally ran out of thoughts to put on the Internet).

I do know that I won't be the same then as I am today.

And I'm sure you'll be different too.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like getting updates from me.

Welcome to Creativity in Multiple Mediums

 One might say too many mediums.

Yesterday, I was given an hour to talk about my creative projects. My many, many, many creative projects in multiple mediums. I was asked by the leader of the Writer’s Group which I joined in New Jersey and have been able to stay in contact with (after moving several states away) due to Zoom. 

Naturally, I put together a presentation in PowerPoint that I breezed through in 30 minutes. This included my reasons for why I try so many different creative outlets (it boils down to boredom) and some examples of my work. I had a short diatribe on where I post and share my work (i.e. Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Comic Fury, etc.). I even included a slide on transmedia storytelling (the technique of telling a single story or story experience across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies.) - something I have dabbled in, but found overwhelming to do on my own - to show how knowledge in multiple mediums allows flexibility and a layer of interactivity in creativity.

Somewhat coincidently, I went to a meeting of my Art Club earlier in the day. 

Normally, the Art Club I go to is a free time for creative expression. Everyone brings in their work in progress (as long as it’s not too messy, we do meet in libraries) and spends a few hours chatting while being creative. Drawing, watercolor painting, and digital art are some of the more popular artistic choices. However, we have our fair share of knitters, cross stitchers, and collage makers.

Typically, I work on my digital blackout poetry project - turning every page in Jane Austin’s Northanger Abby into a blackout poem (see example not from the collection below).

I'm pretty sure this is an example from the novel Phantom of the Opera

This week, we had a theme. For two hours we took turns posing and being models for figure drawings. The shortest poses were held for 5 minutes, while the longest were held for 20 minutes. I held a seated pose for 10 minutes. Sketch books were out. Some people only used pencils, while others had charcoal, pastels or watercolors. Three of us (myself included) were working digitally - two tablets, one computer.

I still work with physical mediums like canvas and paper. I love turning my pictures into paintings with watercolors and acrylic. However, I’ve also been using digital mediums for a while now. 

Technically, the majority of my written works (including this blog) are in a digital space. I may still outline on pen and paper, but my final short stories and blog posts are created on my laptop or tablet (rarely, but still possible, on my phone). My webcomic started as me drawing in pencil and pen on paper and then scanning onto my laptop to post, but is now 100% done on my tablet.

I'm just not as good at drawing on my tablet, like I am in one of my sketchbooks.

At the beginning of my presentation for my Writer's Group, I stated I wasn't sure why I was given a whole hour to talk - that seemed like too much time. I ran through my slides in 20 minutes and reiterated my thoughts. 

And then the questions and requests came in.

The wonderful people listening and watching my presentation had loads of questions and wanted me to drop links to my social media pages. I showed them my webcomic (The Mighty Detective Mortimer & Lou actually does come up first in my Google search), my food blog (Cooking with Spirits), and my art/poetry Facebook Page (AJ's Corner of Cyberspace).

Needless to say, I filled that hour up.

I also have my cross stitch, knitting, and crochet projects (some of which I need to finish sooner rather than later). 

I admit, having all of these projects is a lot. And difficult to juggle. 

As I've gotten older and busier, I've found that balancing all of the projects is getting tougher and tougher. At some point, I will need to let some of these projects go - especially the long term ones that I've been working on for nearly 10 years (see this blog). It'll be hard and emotional to say good bye to them.

But if I want to keep evolving as an artist and writer, I have to be willing to move on to the next project.

I know I mostly discussed my art today, but I am also an avid writer (see my two blogs - you're reading one of them) and have published several short stories and poems in different literary magazines, zines, and anthologies. I'm not stopping writing any time soon, which adds another level to my creative balancing act.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

P.S. You may have noticed that I didn't mention anything about video production or music. I have actually worked in the visual medium space and have zero desire to turn it into a hobby (even vlogging sounds like too much work). Music is fun and I can (kind of) play two instruments (my family may disagree) and was in a music sorority in college, however, it is also an expensive hobby that I can't return to for a while.

Welcome to the Travel without Leaving Home

 When I was little and the Internet couldn't handle video sharing, I would often watch the Travel Channel with my sibling. Our favorite host was Samantha Brown and our favorite show was "Great Hotels". Naturally, my sibling and I preferred the episodes that centered around Disney World Resorts (Disney owns Travel Channel) and the Hershey Hotel and Spa.

Today anyone can be a host of their own - though COVID-19 has made that a bit difficult as of late. There are tons of travel bloggers and vloggers all over the web. I wish I could join them, but I'm not that confident in my ability to make a living that way.

My first site when I arrived in Iceland

The only reason I'm bringing this up now is because my dad has been watching a ton of travel vlogs on YouTube lately - which means that I've been watching a lot of travel vlogs. My dad's favorites are the ones that focus on train rides. He's determined to one day take the Siberian Express across Russia with some friends of his (said friends are Siberian).

I think my dad misses his travel lifestyle. Before he retired (and the pandemic) his work took him around the world. Even before that he spent most of his young life traveling. I think he'd been around the world twice by the age of ten (possibly three times, but I forget the timing). 

For the record, I am envious of his youth spent overseas. He had managed to get to thirty countries before the age of thirty. I've barely made it to twelve.

My grandmother kept journals of all of their trips (which I've been slowly going through) and they are fascinating. She wrote a brief account of each and every day, including what they ate, where they stayed, and interesting sites. If she'd had the Internet, and been into social media, I can easily see how she might have been a vlogger or blogger. 

Traveling is an experience, one I encourage for everyone. However, it isn't accessible for everyone. It's expensive, not always easy for people who have disabilities, and requires a lot of time that someone with a full time job or school schedule might not have. Plus there's a pandemic going on right now that has pretty much halted non-essential travel. 

Mark Twain has been quoted as saying: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

I believe it. I've learned a lot from traveling and from watching travel shows on TV, streaming services, and YouTube. I still think it would be cool to have a job that allowed me to travel. It can be tough and it takes you away from your family.

But it's also an adventure and experience that you never forget. The wonders of the world are out there waiting to be seen and explored. 

Until it's safe to do so, I'll keep watching the experiences of others.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Until next week!

Welcome to a Season in Transition

Fall is my favorite season.

The air is crisp and clean compared to the moisture and humidity of summer. Trees transition from vibrant greens to brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges. The farmers market is full of fresh produce and food has an extra layer of spice.

The weather is constantly changing. One minute it’s cool with a light breeze, perfect for sweaters and blankets. Then it’s back up to the 90s and I’m back in shorts and a tank top. Thunderstorms aren’t quite as dramatic in the fall like they are in summer, unless it’s a major storm. The world seems a little brighter, though that could be the decrease in moisture in the air and the sun’s rays reflecting off the changing leaves.

Time to gather around the bond fire

Much like spring, fall feels too short. It’s supposed to last about three months as all the other seasons are supposed to. It never does.

This fall has started out a lot different than usual.

I remember when I started this blog, I lamented about how weird it was that I wasn’t going back to school like I had every other year since I was 4 or 5. This year, I got laid off and my sister got married. I managed to sell my first short story.

Another fall pass time at school we’re challenging the anti-education protestors.

I’m not sure where I’m going.

I’m not entirely sure where I want to be.

Change is my only certainty.

I named this blog “Starting Out in Wonderland” after one of my favorite books because the adult world felt like entering Alice’s Wonderland. Nonsensical and illogical, but with arbitrary rules I had to follow even if they still don’t make much sense to me.

I start every blog post with “Welcome to...” after the anime “Welcome to the NHK”. I had to watch it in college for one of my classes. It’s not one of my favorite anime series, but it resonated with me. I think it’s because the anime focuses on three people trying to navigate the adult world while struggling with their mental health and personal demons. I should really rewatch it. The light novel and manga the series is based on are a little different, so I can’t comment on them.

There are days where I wish I was still in high school or college and the most stressful things I had to worry about was passing my next test. There are days where I wish it was the future and I was delighted with everything I had accomplished. Content with where life has taken me.

Rarely do I take the time to appreciate the present.

I’m currently sitting in my apartment, rewatching “The Haunting of Hill House” for the third time. Occasionally the wind shifts and light bounces around the walls, highlights of pale yellow and green against a bright blue sky and warm orange sunlight. I try to spot the hidden ghosts in the show between typing out these words.

I dislike uncertainty. Planning for things comes naturally to me. Being idle is not ideal. I need to do something.

So I write and do research until I figure out what to do next.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to a Writer's Fear

I would love to one day see myself on a best selling author's list. Or even have a novel or short story I've written turned into a popular movie series. I hope to one day have people look back fondly on my work like I do with stories written by J.K. Rowling and Terry Pratchett.

I know I'm not the only person who has these types of dreams. It doesn't matter if they are about being a writer, a movie maker, a musician, or any other type of creation.

I've been told that I can write well. I've been told I have a wild imagination. I've been told that I am a good story teller. I've been told a lot of things about my writing, nearly all of them good.

Yet there's always this nagging voice in the back of my mind that causes me to doubt myself. Between writer's block and fear that my stories are no where near good enough for strangers to read, I struggle to finish short stories and novels (or if I do finish them, then finishing the rewriting and editing).

I don't make it a secret that I write fan fiction (no not the 50 Shades of Grey kind). It's where I've been experimenting with my style and different genres. I've gotten some great feedback on most of my stories. However, I've stopped rereading them.

Why?

Because when I go back and read those stories, all I see is where I could have improved them. I notice all the small changes that I could have made that would have made my work better. I also start to sometimes think that what I've written is silly and that maybe I shouldn't have posted them at all.

Doubt is my worst enemy.

Even this blog can be a struggle sometimes. I have posted once a week consistently (with one or two skips) since 2013. I've had many posts that I've started and then promptly deleted. There have been many weeks where I've wondered if I should click that "publish" button because once I do, anyone can see it.

 Will people laugh at what I have to say? Am I writing anything worth reading? Is this even good?

Don't get me wrong. I know negative feedback is going to happen. I can't grow as a writer without negative feedback. I just find that there's a difference between being told that a few things in my writing don't work versus being told that what I've written is complete garbage. It's that fear of being complete garbage that always makes me pause (and occasionally ask someone for a second opinion) before hitting that "publish" button.

I've recently joined two writers groups. I've submitted a few samples of my writing and I've gotten the constructive feedback that I need (what does and doesn't work). Each time that it was my turn to submit, I almost said "never mind, I actually don't have anything to share."

Thankfully I didn't back out. I got the feedback that I needed to make improvements to future drafts and I'm looking to publish a short story (more developments to come). It helps my confidence to know that people like some of the things I write.

It might be totally irrational, but one of my biggest fears is that I'm not writing anything worth reading.

Finding that confidence might be the toughest challenge that I face, that or editing. I have very little patience for editing.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week.

Welcome To Chopped

I'm sensing a theme in my latest blog posts. Last week, I had just watched Star Trek Beyond. This week I am basing my title (and theme) off of the fact that I've been watching a lot of Chopped on Netflix. I'm actually watching Chopped as I type up this post (seated in my kitchen).

If you aren't familiar with the show, it's basically four chefs compete in three course rounds where at the end of each round, one person is "chopped" (does not advance to the next round). On top of that, they are given four mystery ingredients that they have to use for that round and only a limited amount of time to create their dishes. There have been many ingredients that popped up that I have no idea what they are.

It's amazing what these competitors can do.

It's so much fun to watch and I get a lot of great ideas to make my own dishes. Between Chopped and my local farmer's market, I've been introduced to a lot of new things to eat. Not just the types of food, but also the colors and shapes the food I'm used to can take.

Orange cauliflower anyone?

I think it takes a lot of guts to work with anything (be it food, technology, or crafting items) that someone might not be familiar with. It might work out, but at least the effort was made and a new experience learned.

Back in January (right before I started my current job), I started a food blog. I did this in an effort to get out of my comfort zone, learn to cook new things, and continue to practice writing (along with this blog, my webcomic, fanfiction, and my own original fiction - yes this is a lot of writing).

For the most part, I've had a lot of success with my cooking experiments (I don't always follow a recipe). However, I have had a few things blow up in my face. When that happens, I sometimes have to make changes to my lunch/dinner plans. (S/N pan frying is a lot harder than it looks).

I can't always plan for when one of my cooking experiments blows up in my face (that only happened once by the way). Experimenting allows me to find out what works and what I definitely will not do ever again. It's fun and keeps me on my toes.

Leftover BBQ Pork Rice Bowl

I doubt I'd ever compete on Chopped (I don't really like the idea of being on camera), but I do respect the people who do compete. Experimenting is key to innovation and it can be a surprise as to what works and what doesn't.

Now, I'm going to try making chocolate covered potato chips. It can't bee too hard right?

If you enjoyed this post (or if really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week!

Welcome To Creativity

I recently read an article that said reading 30 minutes a day (or was it a week?) will help boost creativity. I wonder if they were only talking about books or just reading in general (you know, news stories, comic books, ingredient's labels...etc).

I read a lot. Fiction, mysteries, manga, biography, fanfiction are just a few of the many things I read on a regular basis. Sometimes I'm reading to learn something new. I recently got a copy of Jimmy Carter's autobiography (which he signed 😄) and have really enjoyed hearing about where he grew up and his live before he was president. Other times I'm off in a fantasy world, possibly fighting dragons with alien parasites. Thank you "Song of Fire and Ice" books (Game of Thrones) by George R. R. Martin for those crazy dreams.

Reading is a big influence on my life (even if it did take me a long time to start). Harry Potter is a huge part of my life and I'll never forget the first time I picked up an Astrix comic book. Reading has helped me imagin undiscovered worlds and dream up situations I wouldn't have before.

Maybe that's why I write so much. A lot of my writing is based on my dreams and even my nightmares. When I'm bored I'll think up new places to explore or monsters to fight. Hey everyone has at some point dreamed of being the hero...right?

And creativity isn't just about writing or drawing comics. It's also creating music, making cloths, knitting, designing buildings, solving math equations (yes, math requires creativity, lots and lots of creativity) and solving problems that aren't intuitive (like when you're toilet explodes for no reason or there's a BBQ and no one remembered a spatula).

Since this is the age of the Internet, it has become easier for people to share their creativity with others. Some great sites to post work (or see other people's work) are listed below. I personally use a few of them (user name will not be given) and have so far had a positive experience.

From YouTube to FanFiction (you know the place "Fifty Shades Of Grey" became famous), there are plenty of places where a person can post their creative work. For the movie makers there's Vimeo, YouTube and Facebook (how's that working out by the way?), for the writer there's FanFaction, her sister site for original content FictionPress, and many blog hosting sites. There's DeviantArt, Pintrist, and Tumblr for artists. ComicFury, The Duck and more for inspiring comic book and manga creators. Heck social media is a great place to share creative work (one of the many reasons this blog is shared on Facebook).

It might be true that reading 30 minutes a week helps with creativity, but there are other things that inspire creativity. I find that taking walks is very helpful to the creative process. It's not a "one size fits all" approach. And thank the higher powers for the Internet. There might be a lot of strange and random things floating on the web, but there are a few gems too.

After all if "Fifty Shades of Grey" started on the Internet, then the next " Game of Thrones" might be floating around somewhere on here too.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week.

Welcome to the 100th Post

I almost didn't realize it was my 100th post until I went to check on which titles I had already used. It doesn't seem like it has been long enough for 100, but I guess it has. This week was a fairly average week. Nothing super exciting happened. I can sometimes be hard to find something new to write about.

After our big party last weekend, my roommate had a fairly calm weekend (or at least I did). Yesterday was a shopping day for me. I discovered that the Bed Bath and Beyond near me is huge and has almost all of the products one could find at Target except for cloths, produce and a frozen section. Today I went to the farmers market and then my roommate and I cleaned for the rest of the day. I feel somewhat accomplished (though I never did get around to writing anything for my web-comic or novel).

Here's to hoping next week is just as smooth.

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I started a web-comic. No I'm not going to link it to this blog just yet. I'm still trying to find my voice and get a better feel for my style. I will say that it is a mixture of humor and mystery (mostly humor). I've started watching Twin Peaks, which is definitely helping with the ideas. It's the strangest mystery show I've ever watched.

 The web-comic is just as much an experiment as my blog post started out as. Yet here I am at blog post number 100, still occasionally struggling to figure out what the heck to write about. I don't think I've explored all of my wonderland just yet. Oh, no, then I wouldn't freak out every time something new happens to me. But maybe I've started to get used to all the changes.

I don't know, at least I know how to fix a running toilet. UPS and I still have our issues, so not everything is peachy.

Let me know if you guys ever want me to write about a topic. I'm sure I'll have one for next week.

See y'all then.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me. I'm going back to watching Twin Peaks. Maybe I'll one day live in a town like that (the almighty only knows).