My project for Movement

In honor of movement, I write "Stand." :)

Stand at the beckoning of a stranger,

as she curls that wicked finger fat with

sedentary sitting.

A lifestyle you didn’t choose

when you were

able to choose.

Stand with your back pressed solidly

to the wall where

no one, save yourself, wants you to be.

Watch her wave and crank that wretched wand

as much she wants.

You do not follow. You stand. You

Stand and hold tight

that sticky rubber lining the metal frame

in front of you, enclosing you like a cage.

“Come here,” she says, into your ear, into your head,

a space she thinks is nothing but.

“Come here,” she says, into your ear, into your head.

Stand at the beckoning of a stranger,

that you wish to choose your position.

Stand that it is not hers. 

I welcome any and all comments, suggestions, and/or constructive criticism.

Turns out I'm super sick, so nothing has been going as scheduled. Oh well.

Happy weekend, Workshoppers!

Erin

Well, apparently I don't know how to leave comments

So I'll say it up here instead: No worries, Erin! Of course it's always great to see you, but never feel bad about missing a meeting--believe me, we understand about busy schedules! In fact, I think I missed a meeting without informing anyone (except Lisa)... and the workshop is at my apartment! Oops.

I like movement as a prompt. I think I'm going to put these stories to bed for a while and try my hand at a good ol' fashioned poem for this week. (Don't hold me to that come Friday, however.)

My apologies

Hello, Seward Arts Workshop,
I am embarrassed that, in my scrambling to get ready to go home to Iowa this past weekend, I did not let anyone know that I wasn't going to be at the workshop. 
I am also embarrassed that I have made it to only one workshop.
And this week I am moving, and need to be out of the apartment by Saturday...
What I can say is this: If I do not get myself to the actual workshop on Friday, I want to contribute something I've written. I will post it here before Friday, if I can't get there. 


My suggestion for a prompt is "movement."


Thank you!

small and mighty!

Happy Easter! We had a small but mighty meeting last Friday; Stephanie showed us a great new song, Kayla shared poems she has been working on, and I brought a 'work in progress.' Does anybody have a prompt idea for this week?

Field Trip!

Hi all,

We apologize that the workshop hasn't met the last two weeks. April has been a busy month for everyone so far--personally, I can't believe it's almost half over. To get back into gear, we're going on a field trip this Friday! Lynn has invited us to a Laughter & Chocolate Party from 6:30-9:00 this Friday, April 15, at the home of the yoga instructor, Jody Ross, in downtown Minneapolis (1200 Washington Ave S). Yes--laughter and chocolate. Together at last.

We'll resume our regular meetings the following Friday, April 22. I've enjoyed listening to everyone share their stories, songs, projects, and ideas so far. Our last theme was mindfulness, and we haven't had met since we chose that theme, so feel free to bring your thoughts/projects on mindfulness to our meeting on the 22nd. If you're itching for a new prompt, how about this: thaw. The last bits of snow are finally disappearing, and plants are coming to life again. I find this process inspiring, especially after such a hard winter.

About this Friday's field trip--you can meet us there, or if you don't fancy parking downtown, you can come to our apartment around 6:00 and we can decide how we want to get there. It's a pleasant walk (about 25 minutes), a lovely bike ride (about 10 min), or a very quick carpool or bus ride from our apartment to Laughter & Chocolate Party.

Hope to see you then!

~Lisa

It wouldn't let me leave a comment :(

Here is what I tried 3 times to put as a comment to Steph's post:

Thank you for sharing, dear Steph! I am excited to hear this!

Steph

Lovely Ladies-

I will be unable to attend this week. I am working on a song, and I would love to share the lyrics I have so far:

I have always been your paper doll
Shredded into bits I lie on your floor
and pieces of me in your hands crumpled up
There isn't enough tape

Chorus:
Fingertips fingertips fingertips toes
Fingertips fingertips fingertips nose
Oh, oh numb
Oh, oh come back to feel(ing)

I will admit that I broke through the ice
I fell in and I froze
Frostbite hurts so bad when you're warming up
all that white and dead skin

Chorus:
Fingertips fingertips fingertips toes
Fingertips fingertips fingertips nose
Oh, oh numb
Oh, oh come back to feel(ing)



I'd like to add at least one more verse, something that fits the fingertips/toes connection and is different from the other two.... I think I had one while I was driving, but I didn't write it down when I got home :P
I am still working on chords/an accompanying rhythm. This song is kind of jerk-y/uses pauses in unexpected places (maybe?), I was inspired by Regina Spektor/Kate Nash for the melody. I feel like I might be a little too close to a Kate Nash song (Foundations), so I'll ask for your opinions on that.

Oh hi!

Hello from lovely Cloquet, MN. I'm happy to report that the maple sap is finally starting to run; maple sugaring season should be in full force by April 8th.

Next meeting: April 1st. Which also happens to be Lisa's birthday (for real.) Our prompt for this week is mindfulness... but if you're inspired to do something prankish, silly, or playful in the spirit of the day, that would be delightful as well.

Come for the art, stay for the birthday shenanigans!

Arts A-Go-Go

Seward Arts Workshop (SAW? Or is that title ruined for all eternity?) is for real! Our first meeting featured great conversation as well as several songs and drawings, the first page of a short story, and some delicious, delicious cake. I'm excited to see what everyone brings for next week!

New prompt: patience.

We also discussed possible field trips for future meetings: figure drawing, laughter yoga, dance classes, maybe the clay center? Keep the ideas coming, friends!

One sad note: the visit to Mama Skarbakka's Sugarbush, slated for this weekend, will have be postponed due to sluggish sap. (In case anyone is reading this out of context and is made nervous by the previous sentence, we're going maple sugaring... and everyone's welcome!) We'll keep you posted.

Speaking of posting, please feel free to post on here! Comments, ideas, videos, pictures, whatever you like. I will add people as authors as soon as I figure out how. (Lisa, come home and help me!)

 I think that's it! Next session is this Friday, March 25, at 6:30. See you then!

Cheers,

Kayla

Velkommen!

Hello friends,

Welcome to our shiny new blog! After months of tossing around this idea, Lisa and I are very excited to finally get this workshop going.

A few of our thoughts about this group:

We're interested in all types of creative work--visual or performance art, songwriting, creative writing, needlework, culinary art, whatever--so bring whatever you'd like! (Especially culinary art. Bonus points for culinary art.)

All levels of experience are welcome; workshop members will run the gamut from novices to amateurs to established professionals in their field or genre. And please feel free to stray out of your comfort zone--we want this workshop to fuel growth and exploration. Sorry to sound artsy fartsy but it's true.

Also, please let us know what you're looking for in this workshop. If you want a place to discuss your ideas freely and without criticism, great! If you'd like some constructive feedback or interpretation on a work in progress, sure! If you have a finished product and would like us to bask in its glory, bring it on over! (However, if you're a glutton for punishment and hoping for harsh and bitter judgment, well, this is probably not the best place for you.)

We plan to introduce a prompt each week to help get us going. Feel free to ignore this if you're on a roll with a project, but this can be a great access point if you find yourself stuck. So, in the spirit of the thing, and in the spirit of Mardi Gras, here's a prompt for Session #1: debauchery. Woohoo!

Speaking of Session #1, we'll be starting Friday, March 18th, from 6:30-7:30, at Lisa's and my home sweet home. Feel free to call, email, facebook, or send smoke signals if you need directions.

Oh, and don't feel obligated to bring something to share for the first session--although you're certainly welcome to! Especially if it's about debauchery. Or if it's something culinary.

Cool? Cool! See you then!

-Kayla