Monday, November 4, 2013

Finding Your Creative Passion Despite Life's Obstacles

 
Let’s face it; life is tough for most creative people. Usually it starts at a young age—we were daydreamers, outcasts, shy, and hated math. Logic doesn’t work for most artistic people, unless it’s the logic of colors bursting from an autumn tree, or a sunset ripe with mystery. From a young age, we learn to keep our heads down and fists up. Of course, this isn’t true for every creative/artistic person I know, but it is true for most of the wonderful people I cherish and love, simply because they never give up on art, no matter what.
 
Being a creative person myself, my whole life has been a challenge. I’m not being arrogant when I say this: most creative people see the world differently, and the rest of the world doesn’t always like it. So, how do we forge a path for ourselves? One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to keep positive, and never let anyone else’s negativity force you away from what you love to do most. There are way too many avenues for artistic people to make a living, even if you’re working a regular ol’ boring day job; there are ways to make extra cash. Here’s a few: showing your art anywhere you can—bars (don’t laugh; as I sat having a beer one night, I watched two of the featured artist’s paintings sell, the trick is to make sure the cost of the art is no more than 50-150 dollars, when people are drunk, they think that’s a steal for art), coffee shops, teahouses, farmers markets, bookstores, and anywhere else you can imagine enough solid traffic to see your work.
 
Writers—there is a plethora of ways to get extra cash for writing online, just watch out for scams (with real online jobs, you don’t pay anything to get started). And for crafters there is etsy, and other places to start your online business. A little bit of research can take you a long way.
 
Relationships, I have found to be (sometimes) particularly hard on creative folks. If your partner has major issues, chances are, all your energy is going to be expended on this persons issues! And, you will be sucked dry from your creativity—get out of the relationship—trust me, you will thank me eventually. I speak from experience. It may be hard to be alone, but love yourself first, and then the right person—who will understand and support your quirks and creativity—will come along.
 
Take breaks often and get outside, or dance, or just roll around on the ground with your special furry friend. This will help the blood flow to your brain and keep you happier and more focused.
 
Don’t be overly judgmental toward other people and their work. This will only stunt your own creativity. Again, I say, stay positive. What you throw into the aether, determines what comes back around your way!

Monday, September 9, 2013

Adam Ant


In this post I’m going to date myself. No, not take myself on a date and make sweet, delicious love, but by showing my appreciation (an fangirldom) of this particular artist: Adam Ant

Yep, I bought my first AA album at thirteen, he was strutting his stuff on MTV (when MTV actually played real life rock star videos), and making girls swoon with his uber liberal sexuality. With a style of a cross between pirate, Napoleonic general, and Native American, I think most people didn’t quite know what to make of him. His roots began in the late 70’s punk rock era in the UK as bass guitarist of Bazooka Joe. He split from them with the decision to forge his own iconic brand of music. He succeeded.


                Let me take a step back, you ask me why I’m expounding on the creamy virtues of AA? Because last night I attended his concert—and it freakin’ ROCKED! After years of manic depression, 59 year old AA has cleaned himself up nicely, and is as good live as I remember.

                My friend mentioned something funny. She said: “I wonder what is going through his head as he looks out at the crowd. When he was young, it was thousands of young, scantily clad girls vying for the stage. Now, he looks out and it’s hundreds of old, scantily clad women vying for the stage.” I had to laugh, because glancing around at the crowd, it was true. There were a lot of older people, my generation in fact, but hot damn, I still look good!

                If you are unfortunate enough not to know who Adam Ant is—and you should, because he is an 80’s Icon, then here are some links:

Youtube Videos:

Stand and Deliver: http://youtu.be/4B2a6l6wM2k

Prince Charming Revue: http://youtu.be/OrbwpMJTIwM



In the concert line-up, he played quite a number of his more punk sounding songs from back in the day and more of his new stuff too. He also sang the song: Wonderful, his sort of only love song dedicated to the actress Heather Graham, who he dated for a brief time.

Here are a bit more tasty tid-bits about AA:
In college, he was anorexic. He is an actor as well as a musician.  He is a supporter of the Black Dog Campaign, which promotes understanding of mental illness. He dated Jamie Lee Curtis and Heather Graham. He is an avid reader and does not own a television. His new album is titled:

Adam Ant is the Blueblack Hussar and is Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter

The title is a metaphor for how he believes artists are being treated by the music industry: as sailors tied to a ship’s cannon and flogged.

                Adam Ant co-wrote a song with Georgina Baillee titled Rubber Medusa that is about Russell Brand.

                Show your Adam Ant appreciation. He is making new music and selling lots of cool shizzle. It’s how musicians make their money nowadays: they have to tour and sell merchandise. So get out there and buy some musical history, and AA will be able to continue to rock—Vive Le Rock!

               

 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Truly Inspiring

Sometimes, as a writer, the world can get you stuck. You wake up feeling gummy and the gears sticking like the brain engine chewed up an alien's entrails, and the goo just won't come off. I found a post via Youtube that really got my gears steaming and clean. Listen to it closely, and feel the inspiration take hold and give you that extra jolt of passionate creativity you need:

http://youtu.be/zBoQK56asbI


The speakers are:
George Clayton Johnson
Mark Fergus
Jimmy Diggs
Dante Harper
Charlie and Vlas Paralapnides

Monday, June 10, 2013

Nishi's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sorry there is no photo of my cookies, they were so delicious, I ate them all before I could snap one!
 
Nishi’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup amaranth flour

½ cup potato starch

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 ½ sticks butter, room temp or soft

1 cup granulated brown sugar

½ cup sugar

(Note: you can try substituting 1 cup coconut sugar if you don’t want to use regular sugar, and leave out the other ½ cup sugar)

1 egg

As many chocolate chips as you want (1 ½ cups)

A little more than 1 tsp vanilla extract

Large pinch of ginger powder

A few large shakes of nutmeg

A few large shakes of cinnamon

(Note: the spices add to the flavor without overpowering the cookie, due to the amaranth flour)

 
What to do:

1.  Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

2. In another bowl, cream butter and sugars until combined. Add egg and vanilla.

3. Add flour mix and spices. Mix until smooth. Gradually add chocolate chips.

4. Scoop balls into as big as you want them to be (smaller for small cookies, larger for large cookies), then roll and place on prepared cookie sheet, spacing them because they will spread. Freeze for twenty minutes and preheat oven to 375.

5. Place cold cookies into oven and bake until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
 
Enjoy!
 

 

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Roving


Roving
By Nishi Serrano
 
 
I’m-a hungry, I’m-a hungry, I’m-a rovin’ an’ empty

ma boots is all muddy an’ the tin can is rusty

poor fool in the saddle who’s bottle is broken

an’ the sky is whiskered like them devils in Jersey

Percolatin’ skin under the sun an’ the gin

I’m-a hungry an’ rovin’ an’ drowned as ma sins

Good luck to ya beggars an’ braggarts with whores

I’m-a hungry an’ rovin’ soon to knock on yer door

Shuck ma with shooters not one bullet bites

ma hungry tum itches to scratch out yer eyes

I’m-a hungry, I’m-a hungry, I’m-a rovin’ an’ empty

a dead poke in tatters, a zombie ma friend.

 

Friday, January 4, 2013

Renewel


When I was a child, I knew this particular year marked a great change in my life. For the rest of my years I wondered what it was about this year that would be different. The interesting thing is the changes started right away, and they were sudden. To talk about it would defeat the purpose of why these lessons are brought to me, they are for my inner self to hold and puzzle over until the light goes on and I discover things about myself that will help with a renewel: a new year, a new path, a new outlook, a new strength.

For the first half of this year, I am going to choose not to be online much. This is going to give me time to rethink and restrategize my future plan, and to adventure in the real world. This will help give me time to write solidly again. The posts on my blog will be less frequent. I will finish 'The Bilge', and after that, there will be no more free short stories, only interviews and commentaries on places and things experienced.

I know I will lose some of my favorite blog followers because of this, but good things come to those who wait, and there are many stories to tell.

Cheers to the new year and all it will bring you ...

Nishi Serrano
'Creating fantastic worlds imaginative enought to hold the unexplored...'