my fave part is the girl with birds and leaves in her wild hair
I’m taking a class from the poet Molly Fisk. The class is called “Getting Your Work Out,” and it has really helped me to establish a regular practice of sending my poems out into the world. I’m also friends with Molly on Facebook, which is a really good thing to be, because she’s always linking to really interesting articles and posing thought-provoking questions in her status updates.
A recent question was (I paraphrase) “What will be your word for the year in 2012?” When I read the question, the word persist immediately came to my lips.
persist (v) to go on resolutely or stubbornly in spite of opposition, importunity, or warning; to remain unchanged or fixed in a specified character, condition, or position; to be insistent in the repetition or pressing of an utterance (as a question or an opinion). From the Latin per- thoroughly + sistere come to stand.
Yesterday, I woke up and I felt like making a collage. I’m not sure from whence this impulse came, but over time I’ve learned to follow such impulses. It was so fun to search through magazines and Pinterest boards looking for beautiful things to cut and paste. I’m usually drawn to images of sand, rock, and water; wide expanse, horizon, and sky (blame my homeland: the beautiful third coast of west Michigan). But yesterday I intuitively sought out images of locks and keys, doors, windows, gates, frames; in other words, thresholds, openings. And also creatures with wings: birds and moths; in other words, flight.
And the word persist wove its way into the collage, too.
I think I’ll hang the collage near my desk where it can serve as a reminder, an inspiration.
If you chose a word for the year, what would yours be?
I like this idea. My immediate response was “Ask.” Maybe I’ll try a collage and see what it means. Thanks Molly.
Ooh, Drew, “ask” is a great one. I hope you’ll let us know if that word sticks for you this year, and what you learn from it.
Persist is a wonderful word and so important for all of the writers in the world. Thanks for this great reminder.
Love the collage. I have tons of images I’ve clipped (I’m a bit addicted) and love to build collages from time to time. I, too, have discovered that I gravitate toward certain images, and the horizon is a favorite! Thanks for sharing your beautiful work.
Glad you enjoyed it, Sandy. I can see myself becoming addicted to clipping images, too, I had so much fun with it yesterday
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I am thinking “create”. It seems a bit hackneyed, but I know that this is a hole in my life. Too many ideas, not enough time… If I make it a focus, it will be more likely to happen!
Jane, “create” is full of a million possibilities. Sometimes a little intention is all it takes, right? Can’t wait to hear about what the word “create” does for you this year.