I’m trying to stay calm in the storm of election season. In real life on a bad day, I tend to talk back to the radio, which is a silly thing to do. Right? Of course it is.

Take a deep breath. Count to ten.

But all that aside, I just had an art show and the unsold pieces are up at my other site over at squarespace.  Making art helps me stay sane. What do you when the world rattles you?

Neil Gaiman gave a speech about this, and if you missed it, take a look here.

The world seems filled to the brim with people wanting to destroy things, perhaps we could all take a break to make things. Oh, but that’s crazy talk!

I submitted a short story to a writing contest, which is something I rarely do. The odds never seem in my favor in contests. I did win third place in a poetry contest in college. The prize was a $10. scholarship. They called it a scholarship. I felt it was playing fast and loose with the word scholarship, but I did appreciate winning third place anyway. Ten dollars in 1989 went a little further than it does today.

Inspiration comes from many places. Have you ever seen Lindsey Stirling? She makes music and she dances! I love dancing. I also love the Steampunk/Mad Max vibe in the video. In any event, the video tells the story of people placing more value on themselves than on the critics. This message I need to remember almost daily. If you have time, take a listen.

Go be inspired. Build things up. Don’t tear things down.