Mano Poderosa (Omnipotent Hand), gouache painting and etching
on wood, retablo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
heart to head to hand:
what am i willing to bleed?
the risk of writing
-related to post, haiku (one-a-day)
-related to post, WRITING TOPIC – TAKE A RISK
Beautiful…
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I really enjoyed this haiku! Thanks! I don’t consider the painting or haiku to be a risk. I wish you well. & also found it to be beautiful…D
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Thanks H and diddy.
diddy, no, the haiku and painting are not the risk. But doing a writing practice on Risk (per the topic post referenced in this post) has been daunting to me. So the haiku refers to an internal struggle I have in taking a risk with my writing.
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YB…Go for it…D
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YB, I had signed off but decided to come back. I have been under the weather & slept for most of the day. So, now your comment has been haunting (“daunting”) me as I have another “gut” feeling (I hate when that happens). Consider your own “well being” in taking your risk. D
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The Risk writing topic has been an interesting one to sit with lately. I realize it’s not so much about divulging certain things, or at least it’s not *only* about that. It’s about letting go in writing, and finding that place where it is your heart-to-hand without the head intervening.
So, not to worry, diddy. It will all work out. I will go for it only insofar as my head gets out of the way. Hopefully, it’ll be out of the way completely, but maybe not.
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ybonesy, beautiful drawing, beautiful haiku. You are using that familiar blue in your drawings, kind of a haunting blue that I sometimes see in the lips on your sketches. And against that gold leaf in the background, really sings.
I know what you mean about this Writing Topic of Risk. It can seem to be about revealing things (and it is), but it’s also about working with what we “perceive” as risky (rather than what might really be risky).
Maybe risk is about perception. And then, if you think about what it means to take risks in fiction, as opposed to memoir, or a Writing Practice. I’ve been thinking about that lately, too.
And then the different kinds of non-fiction writing. Assignments or newsletters or pieces I do for clients are so different than the risk I feel I’m taking by researching and digging into memoir writing. There are so many different kinds of non-fiction.
Then there is Writing Practice. I think it’s the rawness of it. And what is risky today, might not be for us 6 months from now. The Writing Topic is a good one. And really has had me thinking as well.
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Those words also describe the risk of beading. LOL.
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LB, that goes without saying. 8) Hey, Liz and I were driving home from over in South Minneapolis last night and saw a store called The Bead Monkey. I thought of you (and all the other bead artists out there). Your projects are pretty cool. Bead On!
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I love any title or name with Monkey in it, so The Bead Monkey is, I think, an excellent name. (What is it about monkeys that are so appealing? They’re curious and adorable and smart. I love their long arms 8) .)
True about the different kinds of non-fiction. I think of books where the main risk is about interpreting history, ensuring your research has been thorough enough. Did you complete due diligence, or are you making judgments that might be wrong?
Risk is a complex thing. In some respects, simply writing every day is about taking risks.
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I hate the risk. What do I say? What do I reveal? What do I share? What do I hide? An age old question for writers, I think.
Great image, apt haiku.
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A stunning drawing, and a poignant haiku, yb.
I see a dove in the hand, as well as the hand. I love that you painted a retablo, and titled your painting in Spanish. It looks like Christ’s hand, but I also think of stigmata.
How much to reveal of ones interior life is a balancing act for a writer. I have some clanking skeletons in my closet, whose bones knock about, wanting to be heard, but instead I write stuff to entertain myself while I work up the courage. But maybe I’m biding my time too. The words will know when to come out.
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Thanks, stevo and Christine. You know how as a writer you can tell when you’ve found your voice? I mean, literally, when you read back what you’ve written, it’s in a voice that sounds like you.
I think there’s something about hitting that voice and finding the balance with Risk. That you can reveal some pretty scandalous stuff IF you just find the true place to reveal it from.
I don’t know if that makes sense, but it’s where I’m landing with Risk.
Christine, la Mano Poderosa is a powerful image in religious iconography. Interesting about the dove. I tried to see where it was, but I didn’t see it.
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This is a powerful haiku and the image moves it forward….
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YB, last night I might have been reflecting on some thing’s that are going on in “My world”. But I have given this post much thought & I still feel that you should go for it. What is life without risk? I recently commented on another post that I had received 3 books that I had ordered. I am saving Natalie Goldberg’s “Old Friend from Far Away” until summer, at our camp, when I can devote my heart & soul to it & write my own memoir’s. You have no idea how much I want to begin now, but I will wait.
I always read the acknowledgments of every book I read. I don’t really care to read the “the praises” of those that have read it before me. I will judge for myself. But I can certainly understand the risk the that that you that you are facing. I still say you should give into your heart & go for it.
Good night…D
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Thanks for coming back to comment, diddy. It is a process. Always pushing, pulling back, pushing. I will try to go for it always. I know I won’t always succeed, but as long as the intention is there, that’s what counts in my mind.
Glad to hear you are thinking about writing your memoirs as well. That’s huge. I’m so happy you are moving in that direction.
Hi Princess Haiku. Your name alone makes me want to check out your blog. It’s late in AZ, though, and I have an early meeting. I will check it out, though, when I get a chance.
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yb, this struck me:
That you can reveal some pretty scandalous stuff IF you just find the true place to reveal it from.
It reminds me of what Natalie says about finding an angle for memoir. Maybe it’s true about taking risk, too. Finding a place, an angle where it fits and is safe to reveal. I like your line about it.
diddy, so happy about you being inspired to write your memoir. Writing Practice is a good place to start. Sometimes I go back to places in these Comments where I’ve talked about memories (or Mom or my siblings have) and do a practice about that. Keeps it all alive for me. Happy writing!
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Very powerful hand image – with the grail catching the life-blood. The open palm – such is vulnerability.
The stigmata significance is so kinky.
How do you find time to do these things? You amaze me.
(Did you know chiropractic means “done by hand” – also the Head, Heart, Hands is the chiropractic art/science triune.)
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Thanks, QM and Linda.
I didn’t know that about “chiropractic.” That’s cool. No wonder it’s such a holistic form of healing. (Speaking of, expect to see me tomorrow. I’m starting my 1x/week visits this week.)
Lots of my art is work I did in past years. La mano poderosa I did during a workshop at Ghost Ranch in 2006.
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Head to Heart to Hands
what am I willing to cede?
an act of healing
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Good one, Dr. L. Really good.
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Wow. Wow.
This one impacted me right between the eyes.
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