Category Archives: Art

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the News. 

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Why is AI so controversial?

AI has been in the news a lot these days. At first, people were excited by all AI could do like write a poem or make up a joke in a matter of seconds or create an award-winning piece of artwork or photography. Some writers were excited because AI could come up with a fully developed character and make illustrations of them.

Then the concerns began coming in. Would Al take jobs away from writers, artists, musicians, and other types of workers? What is the impact of AI not being able to discriminate what is real from what is a conspiracy theory or an extreme point of view? What are the privacy concerns and ethical dilemmas?

Now there are lawsuits and petitions against the creators of AI for violating copyright laws.

All these things aside, what is the difference between an AI-produced creation and a human-produced creation? Is there a difference?

I think there is. Creative people paint, write and produce music from something inside them. A need to express themselves, to communicate, to share the beauty (or horrors) they see in the world, to understand the meaning of life, and to share what they’ve discovered or learned.

A creative idea can come from a dream, meditation, inspiration, or a childhood fantasy. J K Rowling said the idea for Harry Potter “fell into her head” while riding a train. Some of Stephen King’s ideas were inspired by nightmares. My own first book came from a series of dreams. A creative person may have worked on their books for years like J. R. R. Tolkien when writing Lord of the Rings.

People draw on their experiences to write a book or do other forms of artwork. AI doesn’t have original thoughts or emotions. It can’t transcend this world and rise above human consciousness. It doesn’t have a higher consciousness or soul.

In the science fiction world, writers have been exploring the idea of advanced computers for years. I, robot was a group of stories about robots by Isaac Asimov published in 1950. 2001: A Space Odyssey was a 1968 movie about a ship’s computer malfunctioning and working against the astronauts. In 1977 Star Wars came out with two beloved droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. Many more movies and books have come out with robots, droids, and AI since then.

What do you think of AI? Are the benefits to society greater than the risks? Have you used one of the AI programs? If so what did you think of it? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Going Beyond Limitations

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The photo is from the “Art in Bloom” flower show at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. People made a flower arrangement to go with a piece of artwork they loved.
Spring is my favorite time of year. It is a time of rebirth and new beginnings. Here in Minnesota the crocuses and tulips are popping out of the ground and the leaves are reappearing on the trees. The days are longer and warmer, and the birds are returning from the south and building their nests. 
Soon we will see geese walking through the yard. The gander in front with goslings walking in a straight row behind him and the mother goose at the tail.

My birthday is in the spring so for me it is the start of a new cycle. I like to reflect on the prior year and set goals for the new year. What is my mission for the new chapter in my life?

The characters in my novels have big goals or missions such as saving their planet, fighting for freedom, or rescuing their loved ones.

My goals are gentler and quieter. My spaceship is my Toyota nicknamed Yoda. My planet is Earth and I can only travel to the stars in my imagination. And the people in my life are humans not aliens from a distant planet.

I teach a writing class and decided the theme for May would be Beyond Limitations. I’d just read “We are beings whose growth and splendor are beyond limitation.” Right after that, I sat down to have a cup of Ginger Yogi tea. The fortune on the tea bag was “The only thing that can limit you is believing that you are limited. Be limitless.”

As I further reflected on this new year cycle, I began reading a different book about the never-ending journey to mastery. On this quest, we discover our true selves and the golden dream of our life’s work. I finished reading the chapter and went to my office to get a bookmark.

I picked one up but had a nudge that it wasn’t the right one. I picked up another and as I went to put it in the book, I noticed there was a quote on it. The message was “What do you want to do with your own wild and precious life,” by Mary Oliver.

Putting all this together, I’ve come up with a goal for this year. I will be limitless as I continue my journey as a writer to get out my life’s work while living my wild and precious life in a place of growth and splendor.

I invite you during this season of rebirth to reflect on your journey in your wild and precious life and to be limitless during this next year. I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are your goals, dreams, and life’s work?

I want to end this post with an uplifting quote by Mary Oliver, a wonderful American poet who won the Pulitzer Prize.

“There were times over the years when life was not easy, but if you’re working a few hours a day and you’ve got a good book to read, and you can go outside to the beach and dig for clams, you’re okay.”
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Wisdom from Hawaiian Artist and how it applies to Writing

By | Art, Uncategorized, Writing | No Comments

Angela Treat Lyon is a prolific and versatile artist who does drawings, paintings and sculpture. When I went to Angela’s site, I was struck by her art work especially the sculptures. I was also struck by her words and how they apply to all types of artists, including writers.

On her home page, Angela says when people asked her what her painting meant, she thought the person should allow the piece to speak for itself, not realizing that not everyone knows how to do that. A writer has to take that into consideration as well. An author wants a book to speak for itself, but a story means different things to different people depending on their past experiences and background.

For example, one person may relate to the characters camping in the wilderness like my characters, Fawn and Baymond, in Call of the Eagle. Other people may have never camped and be curious as it what the experience is like.

Angela said that a seasoned collector told her that people want an experience, to be drawn in as she was drawn in. “To be in your shoes as you create and bring this painting and sculpture into manifestation.” This is true for writers as well, the reader wants to be drawn into the story world, so they feel almost as if they are the character. In Call of the Wind as the reader you can experience what it’s like to ride on a sand tiger and feel the wind against your skin as you race across the desert.

This newsletter is another way I bring you into my author world, revealing how I create my stories, my characters and their adventures.

Angela, went on to say, “They (the viewers) want a shift of thinking that leads them from ordinary, everyday consciousness – a journey into the world created by the image or the sculpture – and out the other side with a new, wonderful perception.” This again applies to novels. The reader wants to be transported from their everyday world and journey into the story world where they are transported into a new exciting perception.

Angela goes on to say: “Art is about creating and transmitting new perceptions to you, the viewer. So that’s what I strive for: pieces that take you, the viewer, to another experience, another world, another realm, where you can enjoy rich, gem-like blasts of fantasy color, or rounded, voluptuous sculptural forms, and whimsical or powerful, poignant emotion.” Again this applies to authors as well. The writer takes the reader to another experience, another world or realm.

In my book, Call of the Wind, you can enjoy what it’s like to travel by spaceship to another planet where the people have green skin and gills, so they can swim without coming up for air. You can experience a world where the people are less technologically advanced, yet have skills we don’t have like communicating inwardly.

Here is a link to Angela Treat Lyon’s website.

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Holiday Gifts and Entertainment

By | Art, Movie review, photography | No Comments

Holiday Gift Show

If you’re looking for unique gifts, check out the Holiday Gift Show at the Art Center in Victoria, Minnesota.  The ACCC Arts Center (recently opened in 2018) features visual art, jewelry, sculpture, pottery, photography, CDs and books by local authors.

I’m featuring books and photo cards at this show.  Forty percent of the profits goes to support the Art Center, so when you’re shopping for holiday gifts be sure to stop in.  The event runs from November 15 to December 24.  The Art Center is open Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 5:00 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.   It’s located at 7924 Victoria Drive (studio level), Victoria, MN.

If you’re looking for a good movie at the theaters this holiday season, check out Instant Family.  It’s a fun movie about a couple Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) who decide to check into the world of foster care adoption.

They take a six-week class with other potential foster parents with the intent of adopting a younger child.  Instead they decide to take in a 15-year-old girl (Isabela Moner), but when they find out she has two younger siblings they become an instant “family” with three children. 

The movie is full of humor and multiple challenges, including the possibility of losing their fledgling family when the children’s biological mother decides she’s ready to take them back.  Underneath all the hilarious situations are Pete and Ellie’s joy when the younger children call them Daddy and Mommy. It’s a great testament to the great need for loving homes for so many children in the world.  The movie is rated PG-13.

Click here to see the trailer

If you have younger kids or grandkids, try The Grinch based on Dr. Seuss’ beloved holiday classic.  The story is about the Grinch, who wants to steal Christmas from the town of Whoville and a little girl, Cindy Lou, who opens his heart.  It’s currently playing at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis and at local theaters.

Click here to see the tailer

Have a wonderful holiday season.

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Unity Day – How One Gorilla Can Unite the World

By | Art, Book Review | 2 Comments

Today’s post is on Joy Dey and Nikki Johnson’s new book One Gorilla.  The book has an important message about treating others with kindness and lush watercolor illustrations.

October is National Bullying Prevention month and October 22 is Unity Day – a day to wear orange, and unite against the bullying that causes 1 in 10 kids to drop out of school.

 

Unite Against Bulllying

Unite Against Bulllying

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our take on this is to promote kindness in children before bullying ever becomes an issue. We all know it’s good to be kind and help each other out, but it’s good to be reminded that those acts of kindness really do pay forward. An act of kindness costs the giver so little and yet can make a huge difference for the receiver. It can start to change the whole climate of the “jungles” we all live in, be they tropical or urban.

Our latest children’s picture book, One Gorilla, is our take on this and a great way to sit with a kid www.sitwithakid.com/onegorilla.php (see what I did there?! That’s our logo!) and talk about how their day went.

 

Cover of One Gorilla By Joy Dey and Nikki Johnson

Cover of One Gorilla
By Joy Dey and Nikki Johnson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lush watercolor paintings in One Gorilla depict an angry, eerie jungle…

Leopard attacks. . .

Leopard attacks. . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…that gets brighter and happier as one act of kindness.

His heart goes out to the chimp...

His heart goes out to the chimp…

 

 

 

…spreads through it.

But what if he turns her right side up?

But what if he turns her right side up?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nikki Johnson, the illustrator, is a signature member of the Lake Superior Watercolor Society. The paintings are done onYupo paper, which lends itself to Nikki’s wild and free style.

So! Celebrate Unity Day with us – wear orange, give someone a compliment, and check out our book!

 

Thanks for hosting us Heidi! You are one of the kindest people we know.

 

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