Annie another great post!!! You have a way of getting the creative juices in our minds flowing and I LOVE it!!!

Creativity to me is whatever we choose to do to that makes us feel good or makes a difference in the world or our own little corner of the world. In my case I try and use my creativity to come up with ways to help homeless animals. I am sponsoring a local rescue group through the Holidays and try to get creative in finding ways to get the word out to others want to make a difference in an animals life. I am also a huge advocate of spay and neuter and try to educate people on the huge pet overpopulation problem we have. To me there is nothing better than having someone say they want to get their pet spayed or neutered but don't have the money. Just this week I helped a man with 3 adult female dogs and 6 puppies. We got everyone in yesterday for full vetting and set him up with food and supplies for them. He called me last night crying and told me I had restored his faith in humans and to pay us back for what we had given him he wants to start volunteering with the program. That MADE my day!!! So I guess my point is that creativity can be anything that makes us feel good about the mark we leave in this world. I always say when I rescue a dog that saving one won't change the world but it WILL change the world for that dog. I hope to leave this world a better place than I found it and my dream is to someday have a world where every pet is loved and has a home to call their own.
My other creative niche is cooking. I LOVE to try new recipes and try them out on my husband and boys. I especially like it when I come up with a recipe out of nowhere and it turns out great! I can thank my Grandma for that. She never used a recipe in her life and was the best cook I ever knew. She was from the South and could cook homemade noodles and pecan pie like NO one else.
Kendra

Ok, so let me make a tally -- I "see" at least 4 "science/math" types WITH a leaning toward the arts in this MG group (rather unusual, don't you think?). I don't know many like this in my "face-to-face" life.

I also have a Master's in Counseling. In another MG group, I am one of 4 or 5 of the counseling/psychological types. (Lizzie is here, too.)

Does anybody see a pattern? (Me, ALWAYS looking for patterns -- arrrrggghhhh!!!)

I do NOT think that we have "done" this to ourselves in any shape, form or fashion -- but, I wonder IF there are certain "types" of people that by their nature are more susceptible to MG/other autoimmunes.

Thank you for sharing with us Annie, I enjoyed your poem !

Annie,

I really liked your poem! I liked the last part, 'doctoring isn't about diseases, but the patients you see.' I totally agree that sometimes the person gets lost, and only the disease is focussed on. It can be so compartmentalized.

I like being creative too...I've been painting/drawing, writing poems/short stories, and singing/playing guitar/piano/percussion since I was maybe 12 or so...

I like science and math, but my sister is the one who's good at them...She took astronomy in university, but ended up doing environmental science...

I definately agree, Jana...I was thinking that maybe the chemicals in the paints we use (for the painters) maybe could have caused our MG? It was a little theory that was floating around in my mind for a while...

I used to oil-paint, and used turpentine plus linseed oil on a regular basis-in a pretty non-ventilated, small room-for years...

I've been painting a lot more lately...I'm almost finished a pretty large painting on wood of some flowers set to a stark white background...The flowers are all multicoloured....I'm also working on small canvas paintings (each about 5 X 4 ")....There are nine of them with a girl spinning...Each still of her spinning is a different colour, monochrome...I'm really into colourful things lately...Maybe 'cause my mood's sorta grey, and I'm bored as the house of commons channel (yes, even the channel finds the house of commons boring, it loses reception often...lol)

I'm worn out today, having done my weekly errands, so this will be brief.

Okay, I want to SEE some of your work. You guys sound amazing. Jana, if I had a half an hour, I could yank that creativity out of you. It's about learning, that's it. There are no limitations when it comes to creativity. That's the beauty of it. There are no "right" answers.

When I can focus my eyes and read more, I'll be back. My entire face has melted off.

And now for a poem that I wrote to remind me of a dream, please be gentle with me. I also attached an image inspired by a Palo Verde tree in my garden.


Mountain speaks
I left you
and ran alone
to sing
with the Earth flowers

Music of the Earth
inflames our passion to dance

Desert flowers awake
hear the dreamer's song

The Wild Beast God awakens
bringing chaos and death

Who calls this being to dance?
It is I
the dreamer singing
The Earth flower song.

Attached Thumbnails

 

WOW!!! And WOW!!! No fair -- GREAT poem and BEAUTIFUL scratchboard drawing!!!

I think that people who like to learn and/or create are more likely to join a group like this. I know for me I am always craving learning and creating.

Learning and creating is like breathing in and out, it is necessary.

I always look for patterns, too. It drives other people crazy sometimes.

It could be that there are types of people that are more susceptable to getting MG. It is hard to know without more information.

Desertflower,

I love your poem and your picture....It reminds me of the tree of life...It's so spiritual, and hippy-ish!

I wrote this poem after driving to the store. It was mundane, but the city looked so sparkly and pretty.

A longer route home

GO, HESITATE, STOP and SEE,
Red, Yellow, white and Green
side by side,
placed there by builders, city planners and engineers
with intention of order of motion, time-saving,
paint-brushed incidentally, assembled through practicality,
streak across my perception like moving starry night, this night.
Unintentional paintings humbly hung along my way;
Repetition, contrast, monochrome, value,
accidental fruits of the chaos of by-product,
aren't noticed during the short road home.
But this night, I took the longer road home,
one with more STOP signs, travelling under the LIMIT,
slowing down even for GO lights.
an idea borne of purposelessness,
A painting, done with roads, lights, fixtures, and sidewalks,
once camouflaged in the quest for time-preservation,
displayed its textures, colours, shapes and its motives
because I had the time, and because I was receptive.

Ok -- I'm just going to have to STOP "visiting" this thread. LOVE reading the poetry -- some fearfully TALENTED folks in this group -- but, I am feeling more and more like a "wallflower at the homecoming dance".

I can draw and paint -- REALLY, I can -- I have no doubts about my talent -- but, what I would give to be able to put my feelings/observations into words the way that you all do..................................