Day 8, Level 2: Inktober, Fish, Full Moon, Scottish golf and 80s indie music

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It's the first day of October. And also the first day of Inktober - a creative forum where artists from anywhere in the world can create and post ink artworks every day throughout October if they are so inclined. Or, if daily is too impossible, you can post once a week throughout the year. I'm aiming for the every day thing. I know I can muster the discipline for daily as I've been posting a blog every single day for ... 193 days now, on the trot, without missing a beat! 

So I think/hope I'll manage to both write my blog and create a piece of ink art every day throughout the 31 days of October. It'll be an ask as my days are pretty busy with various bits of work, and my To Do list doesn't dwindle. But writing and creating art are passions and go beyond the realm of work!

So, I am focussed on a daily dose of blog and ink for the next month! I'm not very good at posting to social media so that is what I'm going to have to get more savvy and disciplined about. But there are no consequences or black marks for not creating/posting. It's just an exercise to get the creative juices flowing. Like someone aiming to do x amounts of steps a day.

Inktober is perfect for me as ink is my preferred medium these days, even though I haven't done much of late. Inktober is just what I needed to get me back into it! A bit of a challenge that I hope I can rise to. It's not a competition or anything like that, just a forum for people to put themselves to the test and get creative. 

And so, after work and stuff at home, then a meandering trip north to Omaha, I linked in to a Zoom Board meeting at 7pm. It took quite a while to get going due to issues with the link and people couldn't connect etc (don't ask!) Sigh. It was pretty exasperating for all and the meeting didn't get going until 7.45pm and ended well after 9pm. Racing related - and important. As I've mentioned, the industry is going through huge change and right now is a pivotal time in putting it onto the right track, with various much-needed restructures and new approaches. Time for the wall to be rebuilt - and it needs to be better and stronger than the crumbling one that has been struggling to stand. Most importantly, the planning of this new wall needs to be meticulous and well thought out, so that the new one is fit for purpose and enduring. I remain hopeful!

After the meeting I made my dinner - much later than intended thanks to meeting link fiasco (as I say, don't ask - I had to rescue the situation!). A pork and vege noodle stir-fry - thankfully I'd prepped everything before the meeting so just had to cook with a sizzle and stir and dollops of this and that. I watched Coro as I ate - and then I got to work on my very first Inktober project - at 10.45pm!!

I have to admit I did think of abandoning the whole idea - but no, I made a commitment to do it, and so I set to work. 

The Inktober crew have put out a prompt word for each day - an inspiration on which to base your creation. Today's was ... "Fish". The idea is you create your work (whatever the hell you like), then post a photo on Instagram, Facebook etc, tagging Inktober and variations thereof.

So ... after finding a book on NZ Fish in the bookcase here at Omaha (I knew there would be a few!) I did a bit of research, studying the form of various fish varieties in detail. I can recognise most common fish - but ask me to draw them without reference or guidance - no!

So here's my FISH ink artwork! I've uploaded it to Instagram (not FB as yet) - it's already had lots of likes! As I say, I'm not very proficient with social media, but I'll do my best to persevere and showcase my work as an Inktober participant!




Close up of John Dory!

Tomorrow's word is ... Wisp! Hmmm, the creative corners of my mind will no doubt get to work overnight. I'll aim to create tomorrow's inkwork at an earlier time of the day with a bit more freshness! But, egad, not toooo early!

It's the Full Moon tonight - alas I didn't get to see it rise as I was on the Zoom call. But I did get to see it when that finished - clear and bright in the sky - with no wind and a perfect gorgeous calm night. Great, I can tick off another perfect Full Moon as part of my ongoing research! Just superb standing out on the deck, not a sound to be heard, peering skyward at the big golden globe. 

Changing tack completely ... so many people I know have recently been through health scares, surgery, illness, mental health issues. And even near death. People of all ages and stages, near and far. 

All the more reason to just "do it now, when you can".  For tomorrow you may not be able to!


Sam had a great time in the north of Scotland. Here's a photo of him and his mates at Royal Dornoch golf course. Sam is third from the right (in shorts). They all look the same with their trendy semi-beards! He said he played the best golf of his life on the back nine holes. What a fab experience! They also played some other courses. 


SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Bread ... and China Crisis ...

Bands!
How did Bread come up with their name? It's not very rock n roll! But I do like their hits, gentle and melodic, they take you places. 

And how did China Crisis come up with their name?!?!? Were they prophets, foretelling the future!?!?
Love their hits, one of which was "Wishful Thinking". Indeed! Let's get life back to normal. 
I'm WISHING to travel and THINKING how crazy life is these days. Thanks to a China Crisis! 
Also love "Tragedy & Mystery" (yes, that's an apt title too!). Also "Working with Fire & Steel" ... 
I've got their album somewhere ... on cassette I think!

This then led to me listening to other indie/pop artists from the early 1980s! FAB! 
Bread doesn't quite fit in music genre, and they were in the 70s - but it somehow led me to all this 80s nostalgia tonight as I've been creating and writing!

Some more 1980s faves ...
  • Orange Juice - Rip It Up
  • Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
  • Joy Division - Love will tear us apart
  • The Cure - A Forest
  • Kraftwerk - The Model 
  • Soft Cell - Say Hello Wave Goodbye
  • Ultravox - Vienna
  • OMD - Maid of Orleans
  • Simple Minds - Don't you forget about me
I also loved The Jam - A Town Called Malice. This was the very first EP I bought after landing in London. I fell in love with the song. And then went on to love Paul Weller's music through Style Council. "Long Hot Summer" is superb!
Let's hope that's what we are blessed with here in NZ come summertime!



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