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Popcorn with a Spoon

Popcorn with a Spoon

Monthly Archives: July 2014

Step by Step: Learning to Enjoy the Journey

25 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by Kelly Dycavinu in Art, Co-Creator, Immortal Mother, Word Weaver

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

mixed-media, painting, parenting, Sandrine Pelissier, thoughts on life, writing

I don’t travel well. It’s getting from point A to point B that derails me. If I could just snap my fingers and arrive in Paris… perfect! Or teleport to Turkey… great! But, no, it’s never that easy, is it? Consider all the cost involved, the expenses incurred. Consider the fears to overcome, the fear of flying, the fear of the unknown, the fear of disappointment. Consider all the delays and detours, the lay-overs and lost luggage, the lack of sleep…

But I’m not just talking about travel, am I?

It’s the same situation with most of life’s worthwhile endeavors. Getting from where you are (point A) to where you want to be (point B) is rarely an easy effort. And this is why I appreciate those who are willing to share their journeys, step by step, with others. It’s one thing to announce to the world when you’ve arrived, and it’s another to assist others along the way so that they may arrive (eventually) as well.

Thank you to all those who have gone before and who have stopped to consider those who follow after.

***

Artist, Sandrine Pelissier, is someone I appreciate. Check out her step by step painting demos and tutorials. There are many inspiring ideas for your painting projects–not to mention gorgeous artwork–over at her site.

Here’s my attempt to follow the trail she’s blazed:

Red Flowers by Kelly Dycavinu

My experiment with zentangles and negative painting (painting the negative space rather than painting the subject directly). My zentangles need some work, but I enjoyed the learning process.

 

Red Flowers Detail by Kelly Dycavinu

***

Marriage, parenting, writing, art, education are a few of my worthwhile endeavors. What are yours?

Novel update:

New grains of sand: 4,221

Current status: 40,811

I’m going to write this novel. Word by word.

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My Son Wears His Sister’s Jewelry… and Why I Encourage It

11 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by Kelly Dycavinu in Immortal Mother

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

children, gender identity, imagination, motherhood, parenting, play

A Fist Full by Kelly Dycavinu

Don’t be fooled by the grinning green bear’s shiny smile or you’ll be whisked away on wild winds. This ring creates tornados.

The compass maps both time and place. It sends a blast that warps you to whenever or wherever you want. It’s often used to send the enemy to the moment of his/her destruction and demise.

The beaded ring with pink flowers offers the power and ability of every single animal.

The mood ring shoots water, ice and snow. You can freeze things with this ring.

The purple dinosaur harnesses the power of all dinosaurs and can summon them back to life. These prehistoric pets are very loyal and will listen only to you. They can’t be controlled by others.

The blue and silver beaded ring? Well, it gives you the power of all super heroes, even the ones you’ve invented yourself. (If you were forced to choose just one ring to wear, this would be your best bet).

And then there’s the rainbow bracelet. When thrown, it electrocutes what it hits. The four multi-coloured metal bracelets are so sharp and spin so fast they can cut through anything–even a house. But don’t worry, these bracelets only activate when spinning at super speed and there’s only one who can wield them with such strength (that would be my son, my super hero). Rest assured, the bracelets are in good hands.

My son doesn’t need to hear Boy, take off those girl’s things. He doesn’t need to hear that he shouldn’t wear them to the park. He doesn’t need to hear that it’s okay if he wants to explore further the world of women’s dresses and make up. And he doesn’t need to hear that it’s not okay. What he needs to hear is: Awesome, buddy! Tell me what would happen if you activate the electrocution device while time travelling. Can the mood ring shoot water and ice at the same time? What animal’s power would be best to summon if I was trapped in quicksand?

It’s imagination! It’s not always about gender identity.

But I wonder if, in today’s world, we’re too quick to make kids question it.

 

Rings and Things by Kelly Dycavinu

***

Novel Update:

New grains of sand: 5,689

Current status: 36,590

I’m going to write this novel. Word by word.

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Novel Ideas: Positive Affirmation

03 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by Kelly Dycavinu in Immortal Mother, Literature, Word Weaver

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

book review, books, doubt, emotions, goal setting, Mind Over Mood, motivation, novels, obstacles, parenting, positive affirmation, writing

Belinda WitzenhausenWhen I set out to get serious about writing my novel, I was asked to make a list of all the potential obstacles that would keep me from achieving my goal. Any beliefs, bad habits or barriers were to be written down.

Here are three of my twenty-plus obstacles:

Obstacle: I have young kids who demand my time and attention.

Obstacle: Doubt. Am I a good enough writer?

Obstacle: I get easily side-tracked and caught up in other projects.

Then I was asked to take these obstacles (or negative statements) and write, on a separate sheet of paper, a positive and present-tense statement that would affirm what I want. The following affirmations directly correlate to the obstacles I listed above.

Affirmation: My children inspire me to write. They are so easy-going and wonderful that it’s easy to fit my writing schedule into our day-to-day lives.

Affirmation: I’m capable of writing my novel and of writing it well. I can write a word. I can write a sentence. I can write many words and sentences put together in an intriguing manner. I have poems, short stories, publications, and prize money to prove it.

Affirmation: I’m committed to my writing and especially committed to telling [this] story. For the next six months I’m free to focus on my novel–other non-home based commitments will wait.

I must admit, at first I scoffed at the process. I worried that it would chalk up to nothing but empty and shallow ‘positive thinking’. I was wrong. Here’s what I learned:

  1. I was trying to overcome and break through obstacles that didn’t exist–or ones that I made for myself. You see, my kids do inspire me. Their creative minds amaze me. And they are easy-going. I didn’t have to make that up. It’s not wishful thinking. My kids play well together and they each play well on their own–and for extended periods of time. A box of Lego and a bunch of Strawberry Shortcake dolls and they are occupied for hours. My negative belief was simply wrong. It was false to assume that because I have young kids, I have less time/ability to write. Stopping to consider a positive affirmation to my negative belief helped remove an obstacle that shouldn’t have been there to begin with. (And it improved my attitude and relationship with the kids–of course they are an inspiration and not an obstacle!)
  2. Doubt can be dangerous and it should be subjugated to evidence. We all face doubts. Doubts about ourselves, our abilities, our future, our relationships… the list goes on. Again, to deal with doubts about my capability as a writer, I didn’t need to make up my positive affirmation. I just needed to consider the evidence. And there’s more than enough to commend my capability and support success.
  3. Obstacles will come, be prepared with strategies to overcome.
      1. When I re-encounter doubts about my ability (and I will), I can pull out my favourite short stories or read through certain sections of my novel that demonstrates my capability. This ‘evidence’ is also a tool for future use.
      2. Knowing that I like to get hands-on and involved with a wide variety of projects, and knowing that this behavior of mine will easily side-track me from my novel, my third positive affirmation is backed by a strategy. For the next six months I’m free to focus on my novel–other non-home based commitments will wait. I will not commit to anything new in the next few months. I’ve wrapped up some outside projects and commitments and I’m prepared to say ‘no’ to the many good and wonderful opportunities that will pop up in the meantime. Why? I’m convinced that finishing my novel is an even greater opportunity for me than any of the others combined.

So there you have it. A brief look at how articulating positive affirmations– rather than dwelling on negative beliefs, bad behaviours, and barriers– helped clear the pathway to my goal. Not every obstacle can be removed, but at least I’m better prepared for when I encounter them.

Please join me on the journey. Follow/subscribe to Popcorn with a Spoon for weekly updates. Leave comments. Share your goals and experiences.

***

Credit Where Credit is Due

Two resources shaped my experience above:

  1. A novel writing workshop led by Andrew Jobling. It’s a useful resource to help overcome the obstacles most of us face while writing a novel. It’s not so much about the craft of writing as it is about the internal and external inspiration and motivation to write.
  2. Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think by Dennis Greenberger, PhD and Christine A. Padesky. PhD. You don’t need to suffer from a mood disorder to benefit from this book. We all face negative thoughts, emotions, situations, and behaviours. This book equips the reader to deal with them effectively and appropriately.

***

I’m going to write this novel. Word by word.

New grains of sand: 4,652

Current status: 30,901

It all starts here.

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© Kelly Dycavinu and Popcorn with a Spoon, 2011-2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kelly Dycavinu and Popcorn with a Spoon with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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