Category Archives: Creativity

An Anti Ode to Tupperware

Flickr Creative Commons – Planetutopia

Recently the Monday online writing sprint group I love to participate in decided to have a writing  challenge about Tupperware. We’d been discussing the directions of our posts within the group, and I quipped “as long as no one tries to sell me tupperware or linen here I’ll be happy.”

It was amazing to find some of us love it and some of us just hate it. Apologies to Tupperware, but I have a few issues with you, and as I wrote this piece I realised it wasn’t so much you as tupperware but what you had become associated with.

I wonder what my readers think about Tupperware. I might ask more of the sprint group if they might share their odes here. See we found out not all of us hate Tupperware, why some of us just love it and even give it away as family heirlooms.  As for me here is my take on Tupperware.

An  Anti Ode to Tupperware

Tupperware, oh why do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.

I hate you for the memories you conjure of rejection and loss. My soul remembers mother’s tears have flown when friends are far and few between.

You live at empty parties full of heartless faces surrounded with little boxes with little lids for little hearts who count each person through the door for the next box they will obtain.

Whilst others naively think at these parties some lifelong friends they might actually find.

I hate you for cost and payment transactions of neighbourhood where there must be something in it for the host; for making friends numbers on a tally board to the achievement of freebies and the façade of social lives where women gather and chatter.

Yet you come in many colours, shapes and sizes, and seal so well and tight, you keep everything fresh and ready for the morning school time runs.

Is it unfair for me to blame you so?

You are so handy for so many and yet you will always have the taint of small minded mothers and their children who used my own mother so.

Tupperware, can I forgive you? Not easily I am afraid, because you are a frequent invitation in a small town where people reach out using you like my mother once did.

Why not simply shop at the bargain store bin, with friends all in a row, stop for hot chocolate and lates? Why seek to make some income from those you call your friends?

Why not have conversations where transactions are nowhere to be seen? Why not have human interaction to understand each other’s dreams?

Tupperware’s my scapegoat, I know it to be so, but there is just no way for me to say I love thee, let me count the ways.

By the Beach

By the Beach: June Perkins

I look forward to one day reading my children’s writings of their beach memories.

Perhaps our many family photographs will jog their memory, or maybe they will construct their own special memories from within.

My children like to do sand paintings, that disappear, with my daughter’s latest being of cat mermaids.

My blog is short because my heart is full of stories too long for blogs. An epic and expansive fantasy adventure novel has been brewing and a collection of poetry for kids.

I must make time to write outside the blogosphere.

Playing with Words in Wordle – Reimagining a poem

It’s been a long time since I looked at wordle, but just today I was thinking about how to have a graphic for a post that is not a photograph but creative and remembered wordle.

I began playing around with a poem and made an interesting discovery.  The word jumbles were so interesting they could inspire more pieces of writing.

As I  played with my Rainbow Poem in wordle I found new combinations of words that sounded inventive and curious.

Combinations like ‘ high climbing art’, ‘ caring rainbows’, ‘recovering sky’, ‘boredom sky,”technicolour children,’ ‘chase sky, and ‘ ‘rainbows recovering ablaze’ – and this led to more new thoughts.

What kind of situation would lead to a rainbow needing to recover?  Why would someone chase the sky?  What setting would have highclimbing art?  I’ll answer some of these questions in my next blog.

What fun it is to play with the words, to scramble, invent and add.

So I leave this post with a ‘dancing gaze’, wearing my’ frog hat’and looking for ‘caring colours.’

All you need is love: and a video camera

Soul Pancake – Screen Shot

Okay so I became a little excited today when I logged into facebook and found in my feed a Soul Pancake video project to LOVE;  all about the way LOVE looks the world over.

Due by September 14th and with a total openess about the theme (with a few safety guidelines to make it suitable for families to view ie no nudity), silent or with words (but no music, they are going to supply that) there is a chance this crowd sourced film might include some work from me or people I know and get screened on the Oprah channel.

My daughter is busy working on an animation and I am brainstorming ways that love looks in my street, family and community.  Time to gather some short snippets and contribute to a crowd sourced film centering on a virtue.

Why don’t you go and have a go as well!!

Project Focus 1: Learning to Finish Things

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Pool of Creativity – June Perkins

There is so much going on in my creativity plans that I have to learn to FOCUS.  As if fate was taking a hand in this epiphany a friend posted a novel writing template today and encouraged people to finish their projects with it or any other PLAN.  I feel this is the perfect time for me to  do something well beyond the scope of my weekly blogs, guest blogs or a set creative project commissioned or voluntary for others.  I still want to make films and develop my photography, and I do need to do commissions for the cash, but one thing I can do regardless of money and equipment is get on with writing stories I am really passionate about and intrigued by – who knows one might even be a brilliant film idea and I will just know it when that happens and be passionate to devote even more time to it.

So with my friend’s  template in hand I am embarking on a quest to finish my projects!  The hardest thing in getting started is dipping into the pool of creativity and working out which half finished project to go back to, or whether to totally start from scratch.  Should it be:

1- Nanowrimo fantasy novel from 2009 and planned in a workshop.

2- Memoir pieces which I have been sporadically writing, and several which can be drawn from my blog.

3- Blogs of Cyclone Yasi (this one has been drafted so many times, its more editing and working out the best structure).

4- Historical fiction novel idea after a few days of brainstorming and looking for my story.

5-  Children’s poetry book (not a novel but in need of a polish for my ever patient illustrator).

6- A series of songs or poetry novel.

7- Historical fiction series for young readers I want to co-write with my hubby.

8- Several short stories – are they actually novel ideas????

9- Writing and creating short films, but with more of a script.

10- A Brilliant idea for a play I have had for 9 years and it is still itching in my head.

Which of the projects above in my list would you work on the most?

See told you my head was bursting with ideas – that’s not my problem, but focus! Hmmm………..

My old primary school teacher said – ‘you have enough for many years of projects’ and this is my challenge for the next two days – Work out which one is the most urgent, timely and one that I feel passionate enough about to stick it through the hard days and not feel I am on the wrong track.  No time for abandoning whatever I set out to do this time, it is the time to COMPLETE.

It occurs to me that a couple of projects are almost complete, maybe I could do those at the same time and have this primary project being driven along firmly by the template.  All it takes will be some serious work ethics and a don’t give up attitude.  Will this make me lose focus, or will completing those almost complete projects drive my determined project along even faster. I could see what a month teaches me and take it from there.

For relaxation – I will be doing  photography,  reading , and make short poetry films- which might find ways of driving my writing.   I will eat well and exercise (especially running!) to give myself energy to write.   Whatever happens in my life I want to keep on with my goal, so if I get a day job to help the family out or commissions I will still set time aside for this great propelling project.

What will I cut down on? Probably spending so much time on social networking, other than to touch base with sources that will encourage my writing project .  This is really neccessary as every second counts, and I need to find a daily rhythm.  Watching useless television to relax – replace with walking, reading, quality time with the kids and hubby, and good quality films.  As for blogging: a reflection on how I am going and a photograph here and there will be the way to go.  This is part of learning to FOCUS.

What else can I make more time for? Research trips to library and life to help me with the novel.  At least telephone chats or a coffee with close friends now and then and then back into the world of  finishing  a writing project.

So here we go,  let Project Focus begin.  Thanks to  all my friends who have been reading my sporadic writing efforts and the nanowrimo novel draft, as well as to Traditional Evolution.  

I am going to FOCUS now.

(c) June Perkins