12 March 2010 journal page

Some Blog Love-
Jr_nal
Old Sweet Song's burst of color
April is National Letter Writing Month!
I love this blog, Michelle My Belle (Found via Carla's blog)
Dolan Geiman over at Not Paper
I really want to try to bake this bread.
New tape over at Tapeswell
Visual motifs in Stanley Kubrick's films

Tristan's school break is next week so I signed us up for Carla's drawing class. I took a class with her a couple of years ago at Art Unraveled and had a ton of fun doing it. Anything that gets you drawing or being creative is a GOOD thing.

Reading
One Day A Year

Watching-
Kung Fu Season 3 (yes, it's taken us several years to watch all of the episodes, but it's a series that I didn't want to end.)

In the news, and on my mind-
Poverty and Health Care in America
An American liberal looks at health care systems around the globe
Health and health care services in the poorest U.S. city

One thing that I am a firm believer in, is keeping things honest and real. Everything I blog about is something that interests me and that I think might interest others. I am not a believer in keeping things all sparkly, shiny and pretty. When I go to a blog, I want it to be as if I am in conversation with the writer of the blog. Yes, I want to see their art. I want to see their messy studios (not the prettied up versions you see in the magazines). I want to "talk" to them and to see what's brewing and stirring in their brains. What makes them unique. What makes them tick. One thing I've been disheartened with lately is blogs that say that they won't talk about politics (or what I call, "real life events") because they're not "interested" in them, or worse, they say that "they don't know enough to be able to comment on things or to form an opinion". If you're breathing, you have an opinion. I think in the time that we are living in now, it is more important then ever to sit down and talk with others-both in person and in cyberspace about what's going on in the world, in our countries and in our communities. Talks that are just that-talks. Not a left vs. right issue. Not a right vs. left issue. Not attacks. Not fights. Talks. I honestly believe that if we throw away all of the labels and finger pointing, most of us do want the same thing: Education, Work, Health Care, Friendship, Love and a good Quality of Life. How do we open up to these discussions if no one wants to talk about them or if we're all too busy labeling and attacking each other? How do we "talk" if we keep things pretty and not get down to the stuff that happens every day-both the good and bad? How do we open our blogs to be just more than fluff?

Food for thought.

Comments

apinkdreamer said…
wow! your journal page is so beautiful!!!
donna!ee said…
AMEN sister...sing that song of accountability!!...how am i, as an able, sound, forward-thinking citizen, suppose to make an informed voting decision if i won't even research the issues that ultimately make an impact on the future of my childrens childrens children?? YES we must pray, investigate, examine & chat to promote an amicable decision...
the issues of life warrant that! ;)
Lori W said…
Thought provoking subject Kelly. I have been in the query for several months. After a vicious attack by my right right right family members I just changed blogs and don't tell them my address, but I find myself wishing I could share a thought or an idea or a piece of art with a sister or niece or an uncle or brother-in-law. But I just don't. I have great friends and online groups to share with, but those discussions don't go too deep just because the nature of yahoo groups....sometimes...but not often...something to keep as an open inquiry - thanks.
crimsoncat05 said…
Great links, Kelly, as always! The book “One Day a Year” sounds very interesting- I’ll have to look for it. Speaking of decorative tape, even Michael’s is getting on the bandwagon—I saw a few designs of decorative packing tape in their $1 section! The health care articles you linked to are really sobering—the health statistics for the city of Detroit are appalling! It’s amazing how the “richest country in the world” (or are we, anymore?) really depends on your point of view—so few people have so much, and so many have very little… good food for thought about blogging, too—I like looking at all the “eye candy” blogs, but sometimes I reeeally want them to write the story about the dog puking on the carpet right before company comes over, or the story about the kid’s birthday party with (gasp!) store-bought cupcakes and snacks instead of made-from-scratch, hand decorated ones. Just to know that those people’s lives aren’t as ultra-perfect as they make them out to be, you know? I try for a mix of both in my blog, but sometimes I wonder if people want to know about the "real-life" stuff, or if I'm getting too personal-- it's a difficult balance.
michelle allen said…
thank you so much for the shout out Kelly! i've bookmarked your blog, you've got so much good inspiration! i'll be back :)
Sharyn said…
preaching to the choir sistah!!!
kira said…
I totally agree. Though my blog is geared towards art, I do have a LJ that gets ranty at times about things. This whole health care thing -- about threatened senators and such -- is just...silly. And yes, I get most of my news, like most 20-somethings, from the Daily Show and Colbert. But that's cool. Because they keep me informed AND interested.

My friend and I were having a discussion about Obama, and how he hasn't done anything. I've never really cared about presidents because they never really influenced my daily life. But to her comment, I said, "If it weren't for Obama and his subsidy, I wouldn't be able to afford my COBRA health care. So he's done something to help ME." And that's how I see it. I have been helped. YAY! Isn't that how it's supposed to work? I voted for the guy TWICE (once for senate, being a Chicagoan, and then for prez) so I'm gonna let him do his thing. I have faith. *shrug* Let's all just simmer down, sit back, and stop telling other people what to do based on religious beliefs.

:D My two cents. Or more, considering how long this comment's become.
OneCraftyFox said…
Your journals are beautiful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
Melissa said…
heh, whenever I make a blog post about something that bothers me, I tend to regret it quickly after!

It's just... out there. And sometimes, people might not agree and for some reason that just doesn't sit right with me. I'd like to think I'm a fairly reasonable person. Am I so crazy?

I used to have posts. lots and lots of posts. I had that blog for maybe 9 or 10 years but it only goes back a few months because I purge purge purge.
Diva Kreszl said…
I couldn't agree with you more, visiting blogs should be like visiting with a friend, full of great ideas, stories, lots of sharing! I love this piece, great post today :)
Paula said…
Thank you for the links...I always look forward to what you "list!" And, yes, I'm with you on the blog bit..I want to really get to know these online friends. That being said, as an educator, I have to be super careful about what I post...it's in my contract. I can be fired for anything someone takes to be against the church, even if I didn't mean it to be that way. I also am careful to not post pics of the kids or to write specifics about any one kid. While this can be a pain, I'm better off than some teachers, who are told flat out...blog and you're fired. Free speech? Sometimes, not so much.
jane eileen said…
Jeane's mom said...
Have fun Mommie time in class with Tristan! It looks like fun, and keep us updated on how much fun you two are having!
Anonymous said…
Okay, love your page. Great fun with Carla. she is awesome! I agree we cannot just do pretty all the time. On the other hand I do respect bloggers that want to focus on certain subjects on their blog, and not on others, it is after all a place of refuge, a retreat of some sort, a place to leave some harsh realities behind, don't you agree ms. kilmer?
XOXOrly
Kelly Kilmer said…
But there's two things that bother me-
1. Some bloggers present a false view of their world, leading others to think that their life is fluff and wonderful and that nothing bad ever happens to them. That their art is perfect. That their home is perfect. That their life is perfect. This leads others into thinking and believing in the "I'm not good enough." complex.

2. We need to be able to talk about things. It doesn't matter what it is. If something bothers me and I want to talk about it, I should be able to. If you don't want to read it, skip the post. If you do want to read it and engage in conversation, I'm here. Too many people are not able to fully communicate with others. They are too busy attacking and yelling. We need to learn how to sit down and have a rational, decent and human conversation in this country instead of using labels and name calling.
ACey said…
It's so true that our entire society HAS to learn how to talk to each other effectively and in a way that really *listens* as well as speaking one's mind.

Since Howard died I have been spending a lot less time visiting blog or posting on my own. His departure from the mix really pushed me to ask myself what I actually do with my time and how I can best work to live the principles of my personal belief system. In my particular case, since my blogs don't have many readers, I have felt I was a lot more effective acting in the world. But that might be a fallacy in terms of what I actively choose to present of myself here at the keyboard.

Recently I posted about the raging intolerance in the world and how it has often led to me keeping quiet about certain key subjects that are of global importance because I'm so unwilling to activate someone else's Attack Dog mode. In the daily world I'm pretty lucky that way; even if my work colleagues, personal friends and family don't agree with me they respect my right to hold a belief and speak of/act upon it. Thus the internet freaks me out with its displays of quasi-anonymous intolerance. WHY?!!? I get quite depressed and overwhelmed with an inability to come up with an intelligent answer to that question.

All that said, I do very much speak my mind from the heart here online and that's why I focus so much on the healing power of art-making rather than just skimming past everything but The Pretty. And occasionally I feel utterly driven to take the lid off - usually about racism, poverty and my ongoing struggle with intolerance-of-intolerance. I generally don't even have pictures in those posts. What you wrote here is encouraging me to do that more frequently. Thanks for that :)

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