Part of this week’s assignment is to write a post containing interesting information and things I’ve learned from reading my classmates’ blogs.
Tyler Ritter’s Lost and Found blog:
I enjoyed reading Tyler’s blog Lost and Found. Tyler blogs about her grandmother’s creative spirit and craftsmanship and how the women’s liberation movement has affected today’s women. Like Tyler, I grew up in the North Carolina mountains, learning crafts, sewing and other domestic skills. We were a product of the era and were doing what women were “expected to do.” About the same time, the women’s liberation movement was gaining strength and girls and women were presented with very different possibilities for their lives We were told that sewing and needlework were useless. No longer did we need to be chained to the house, cooking and raising children. As Tyler mentions in her blog, many of us have struggled with self-esteem and with “finding our place.” There was a period in which I pretty much denied my feminine side – I needed to “act tough,” “be one of the boys,” and focus the vast majority of my energy on my career. All this was well and good. I learned that I could do anything I set my mind to and I truly learned to take care of myself. As time went on, there was no denying another part of myself. I became a mother. I had put so much energy into developing my “tough” side that it was somewhat unsettling for me to realize that I had a nurturing side.
Tyler wonders whether or not we’ve come full circle. Maybe in some ways yes. Women have discovered that they can have careers while being mothers. We now have women politicians – something we pushed for in the 1960s and 1970s. At the same time, those involved in the transpartisan movement are convening in summits to discuss family-centered politics. Women have discovered that it isn’t easy to find a balance. We must rely more and more on our own creative spirits to accomplish these goals.
Suzanne Jeffries My Write Voice Blog:
I can relate to Suzanne’s My Write Voice blog. Suzanne and I are both former print newspaper journalists. We’ve experienced the daily deadlines. We learned writing and typing before the computer era. We’ve sat at our keyboard trying to find inspiration. We’ve both worked in nonprofit community relations. Suzanne, however, has kept her promise to herself and moved into creative writing (something I have yet to do). In her blog, she explores how the web can expose writers to global literary works that help them find their voice. I think she’s onto a very interesting and unusual topic.
Suzanne stresses that writers must write diligently and must read and read. I can’t agree more. She researches several sites related to her topic and describes how some of them offer aspiring writers an online community of like-minded individuals while others have little to offer or have outdated information. I had never given much thought to whether or not aspiring creative writers have access to online information or communities. I think her blog offers a useful resource to those wishing to find inspiration and their true voice.
Like Tyler’s blog, Suzanne blog offers an opportunity to further explore the creative processes.
Randy Burton’s Players and Pickers Site:
Exploring the creative process continues. Randy Burton’s Players and Pickers site offers readers a look at various guitar styles. Not being a guitarist myself, I didn’t know so many different styles existed. Randy’s in-depth knowledge of various guitarists and their styles comes across in the blog. He discusses playing styles ranging from Eric Clapton to Maybelle Carter to Doc Watson. Randy offers some food for thought – why do two different guitarists playing the same style sound different?
The Players and Pickers site provides links to a variety of guitar-related sites, including some that provide audio instruction on playing styles. Serious guitarists are sure to find a link that will provide resources that will help them develop their playing style.
Randy does a really good job of identifying the traits of a quality website. He discusses the importance of being concise and how proper placement of website graphics are crucial in evaluating a site.
