Mix It Up!

Write For Mix It Up!

 
 

I'm definitely not the only one who mixes it up in their life, and I want to hear from other like-minded individuals!  If you have a great idea for mixing it up, a media suggestion, or just some musings you'd like to share, you can get published on this blog.  I'm not offering compensation at this time, but I will link to your blog or website as well as sharing your words with the world!

I'm looking for 3-5 paragraph guest posts on any of the subjects I cover here on the blog.  Whether you're a pro at mixing it up or a total beginner, I want to hear from you!  Contact me through the "About" tab on the left today!

Mix It Up Musing: Fantasy and Religion

  

I've been thinking a lot about the nature of story and writing lately.  One of my favorite blogs, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, linked to this article provocatively titled "Why There Is No Jewish Narnia."

If you don't have the time to read it right now, bookmark it for later.  It's a fascinating discussion of how Christianity has spawned such enduring stories as The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Chronicles of Narnia (I loved Narnia growing up, and still have my original dog-eared septet), whereas Judaism has produced almost no similar fantasy epics.  The author of the article contends that Judaism is mostly concerned with true histories and "what is," whereas Christianity has always had strong fantastic and Pagan roots.  Therefore, Christian writing has more tendencies toward fantasy, and Judaism towards science fiction (Asimov being one of the most famous writers in that genre).

It got me to thinking about what other religions influence writers of literature.  Repressive and/or censoring political states aside, what types of story come from Buddhism?  From Islam?  From Celtic revivalists?  

I also wonder how religion affects readers.  Do your beliefs have bearing on the type of literature you consume?  Or are they completely separate concerns? 

I don't have a lot of answers, just a drive to (as one of my friends puts it) "think about what I think about."  If you have an answer or just want to share your thoughts, please feel free to comment/email me, or even just journal the results for your own personal growth.  Mix it up, and always keep reading and thinking!

News Watch: Fanfiction Debate

 

As someone who is both a voracious reader and writer, I am always interested in the intersection of both.  For those who don't know, fanfiction is generally classified as stories set in existing fictional worlds written by people who are not the original authors.  Often they are speculations on "what might have happened," such as "what would have happened if Arwen had not chosen a mortal life in The Lord of the Rings?"  Fanfiction.net is a great place to head if you are interested in the genre.

What interests me even more than the individual stories, however, is the drama that their creation stirs up.  One side of the story is authors such as Diana Gabaldon who feels that fanfiction is tantamount to stealing her hard work.  The other side is readers, writers, and authors who believe that fanfiction stories are works of love and homage that can even be of cultural importance (such as the retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in West Side Story).

The heart of the issue is murky copyright law and the personal preferences of authors and readers.  Do you think fans should be permitted to create speculative fiction set in existing worlds, or does the idea bother you?  Share your opinion in the comments!

(As usual, I have no affiliation with any of the sites or persons mentioned above!)

Write For Mix It Up!

 

I'm definitely not the only one who mixes it up in their life, and I want to hear from other like-minded individuals!  If you have a great idea for mixing it up, a media suggestion, or just some musings you'd like to share, you can get published on this blog.  I'm not offering compensation at this time, but I will link to your blog or website as well as sharing your words with the world!

I'm looking for 3-5 paragraph guest posts on any of the subjects I cover here on the blog.  Whether you're a pro at mixing it up or a total beginner, I want to hear from you!  Contact me through the "About" tab on the left today!

Mix It Up: Creative Therapy

 

There is no doubt that one of the most admired and wished-for talents is that elusive one of "creativity."  I myself am prone to looking wistfully at my friend Sylvia's artistic endeavors and wishing I were "creative like her."  It's a silly trap to fall into because everyone is creative.  I certainly cannot paint like Monet, but I love to write!  Allowing yourself the freedom to create without judgement can produce surprising results.  

This is because creativity, aside from producing things of beauty, is also of great use on a psychological level.  From Cathy Malchiodi's Art Therapy Sourcebook:

    "Art therapists have generated many specific definitions of art therapy, but most of them fall into one of two general categories.  The first involves a belief in the inherent healing power of the creative process of art making.  This view embraces the idea that the process of making art is therapeutic; this process is sometimes referred to as art as therapy.  Art making is seen as an opportunity to express one's self imaginatively, authentically, and spontaneously, an experience that, over time, can lead to personal fulfillment, emotional reparation, and recovery.

    "The second definition of art therapy is based on the idea that art is a means of symbolic communication.  This approach, often referred to as art psychotherapy, emphasizes the products—drawings, paintings, and other art expressions—as helpful in communicating issues, emotions, and conflicts.  The art image becomes significant in enhancing verbal exchange between the person and the therapist and in achieving insight; resolving conflicts; solving problems; and formulating new perceptions that in turn lead to positive changes, growth, and healing.  In reality, art as therapy and art psychotherapy are used together in varying degrees.  In other words, art therapists feel that both the idea that art making can be a healing process and that art products communicate information relevant to therapy are important."  (Quoted by permission from "What Is Art Therapy" by Cathy Malchiodi.)

I think we all want "positive changes, growth, and healing" in our lives!  So today, mix it up by creating something from your soul.  It could be five minutes of journaling about your day, or pulling out the finger paints and getting messy, or cooking dinner with attention and care to the process.  If, like me, you prefer a prompt, you can do no better than the amazing website Creative Therapy -- each week the artists and visionaries pick a catalyst for art creation, and show you the results of their creativity while inviting you to do the same.  Mix it up, and create!

(Picture: Water Lilies, by Claude Monet.)

Book Review: Career Renegade

 

When you were in elementary school, what did you want to be when you grew up?  A teacher, a firefighter, an astronaut?  According to some papers my mom saved, I wanted to be a rainforest explorer specializing in the top canopy, looking for cures and new animals.  I'm willing to bet, whatever it was, that you wanted to be something awesome.  Something that sounded like the most fun thing you could possibly do for the rest of your life because if you have to spend your whole life doing it, why not have fun?

So what are you doing now?  Are you having fun?  And if not, why?

Grab a piece of paper and pen, open up a text file, or even turn on the voice notes function on your smart phone.  Now take a few minutes to journal the answers to these two questions.  (When you're done, share a comment on this blog with an answer to one or both!): 

1. What activity would you do for free, purely out of a sense of passion?

2. Imagine you woke up this morning to a phone call saying you had just won the state lottery.  It was all yours, but there was a condition: You had to continue to work for the rest of your life and you could use the money to live on, but not to fund any professional endeavor.  Now, what would you do?

These questions are from page 23 of Jonathan Fields' incredible book Career Renegade: How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love.  He takes you through extremely practical exercises designed to help you figure out what you love to do, and then how to make a living doing it.  There are no vague, feel-good pronouncements; everything in his short, easy-to-read manual is applicable in the real world.  There are chapters on everything from figuring out your niche (would your love of cars be better suited to running a detailing business, creating a car advice website, or putting on car conventions?), marketing yourself both online and off, becoming an expert in your field, and preparing yourself for the challenges of a renegade lifestyle.

This book was a huge inspiration and help to me when I decided to pursue my dreams, and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who would like to do the same!  You can find it on Amazon.com or your local bookstore.  Mix it up, and do something you love!

(Disclaimer: neither Mr. Fields nor his publisher know who I am, I was not paid for this review, and I bought my own copy at Powell's City of Books in Portland, OR!)

Mix It Up Adventure: Script Frenzy

 An adventure, to me, is something so far outside of your usual milieu that it's not only alluring but also just a tiny bit scary.  "How will I accomplish that?" is a usual question that orbits any adventure.  Some adventures involve giraffes and endless savannas, but some you can do right here at home -- which is the best place to start!

Every year, The Office of Letters and Light, a nonprofit literacy program, sponsors two big at-home adventures.  One, National Novel Writing Month, challenges you to write a 50,000 word novel each November.  (Check back with me in November as I frantically pen another piece of deathless prose!)  The other, Script Frenzy, challenges you to write 100 pages of original scripted material in the month of April.

It's no secret that I love to write, but there is something magical about challenging yourself to do so on a deadline.  Everything else falls away.  Sometimes the dishes don't get done, but you look up from your pad of paper/typewriter/thought transcriber and you have created something.  Something that no one else has ever done before.  It's alluring, and yes, a little scary!  And if you've never done it before there is nothing I recommend more.  Writing gives you a chance to share your true inner voice -- and you're the most important person to hear that voice.

I'm sure, if you're anything like me, you've thought at one point "I could write a better movie/TV episode/etc than that."  Now is your chance to prove yourself right!  You have just under two weeks still to decide your plot, do some basic planning, and sign up for what could be the most amazing adventure of your life: writing.  

Interested?  Head to Script Frenzy now and sign up.  Share your voice with the whole world, or just yourself, but either way: Mix It Up!