Votre Vray Blog -- MOVING!

Thank you to all who supported the baby steps of the Votre Vray blog. The good news...

drum roll please....

is Votre Vray blog now has its own domain, a WordPress template and is hosted by GoDaddy!

Come to our new home at MelEdwards.com!

(Oh! If you're such a loyal reader that you see this post before you get an e-mail announcement, thank you, and please realize my links to Friends of Votre Vray are still in the process of being added/updated.)

Resolution Reload - Get Your Art On!

Okay. We're about a month into 2009 and most of you set some sort of goal, intention or resolution about yourself. This is where the cliches fly and the rubber hits the road...

Are you shooting for the moon or are you "but"s hanging out?
Do you want to soar like an eagle or pick at roadkill leftovers on the highway of life?

I'm willing to bet most of you started with gusto and all that, and 90% of you are just doing the same things you've always done, getting the same results, or worse yet, thinking in the back of your head about a full-time day job with benefits. (Trust me..I had that argument with myself just the other day as I began my taxes for '08.)

Solution? Get your art on!
1. Find a like-minded group of people and create some inspiring ideas together. (No artist is an island, babe.)
2. Take a class, yes, even if you're already a pro, these events can be great ways to network, get new perspective and..gasp...even learn something new.

Here's one suggestion for readers in Greenville, SC:
Meg Cowan is offering a 12-Monday class for The Artist's Way for less than $100. (By the way, Julia Cameron is okay with people teaching this and charging a fee, if you're worried about copyright and intellectual property issues.)

Poetry Slammed by Recession?

The news is out. Geraldine Dodge Foundation has canceled the 2010 poetry festival. The big name event akin to storytelling's National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, just isn't able to stay afloat financially.

Problem and Solution?
Is the problem that most people aren't interested? I don't think so. Perhaps the issue is the model of these festivals. Akin to religious revivals, these events require big tents, performers on platforms, dozens of chairs, lodging and food. All of these factors make the event cumbersome to pull off, and the audience size limited by both space and personal budgets. What would happen if the event were smaller in person but larger across the 'net? Broadband webcasting is much more affordable and bound to garner viewers from around the world. Hmmm...maybe I'll suggest this to the powers that be. There's got to be a better way and cutting these events out entirely would be more than a crying shame. What do you think?

Creatives, like President, in Right Mind!

Researchers have said for years that the right hemisphere of the brain controls the left side of the body, and if you look at the image above, you'll see the workings of a famous "lefty," aka Mr. President Barack Obama. If you're a creative person, you too are in your right mind. Don't let anyone tell you any different (and if you're feeling feisty, you might want to Shout: Kiss My Art).

Oh, and you're creative and left-handed, you might want to visit the official society here. The solution to marginalization is community. Thank you for being part of the Votre Vray community and supporting each other in your creative endeavors.

Votre Vray's Attitude and Gratitude Wins Award!

2009 has been the best year of my blogging life already!
1. I won BlogHer registration
2. Votre Vray won the MLK Win a Dream Award
3. Now, I've been tagged in another blog with an award -- The Lemonade Award!

The bottom line still is, I am all that I am thanks to the wonderful people I'm fortunate enough to know, meet and greet daily.

Thank you to everyone for supporting Votre Vray!
-Mel.