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wendygfalls · 4 years

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How To Generate Great Business Ideas

You might wonder, with countless people slaving daily to hit upon that 1 inspiration, that one true notion, that may give the world its own second Apple, Google, Coke, or Disney, just a few can achieve that feat. What makes them tick? It's the way that they see, perceive, and consume the world. Terrific business ideas are all around you - I am not kidding. You just need to have the eye to spot it and turn it into profitable business. In this article I give you tips on ways to find great business ideas.

Socialize

The human mind is a treasure trove of ideas, so why not tap this terrific source of inspiration and ideas. Combine social classes, attend seminars, discussion forums, and other social events and use the chance to start conversations, share your perspectives, and find out how the thought process of people functions. Meeting new people is a fantastic way to get your creative juices flowing and influencing the mind to think otherwise. This method isn't restricted to professional parties alone. A visit to the museum, park, or picnic with friends can do wonders for your cognitive ability.

Innovate from an Current Idea

Why invent when you're able to innovate. Have a preexisting concept or product and make it simpler and more efficient. Look around you, there are thousands of products and services around, if they do not meet your high standards work on these and provide something better. That is what Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen did. Both of these ice cream zealots were of the view that present brands aren't good enough. Consequently, they began their own, hugely popular, firm Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc, making abundant and tasty ice creams.

There's only a tremendous quantity of ideas already on the table, you simply need to apply your mind and adapt it to suit the changing trends and expectations.

Hear It from the Horse's Mouth

There's not any better way to make new thoughts than by interacting with the people concerned. A great case in point: Kevin Brooks, a triathlete, had a problem to contend with. His friends and family members who came to his races found it impossible to spot Kevin among tens of thousands of participants. Kevin created a solution to this issue, yet to convert this solution into a profitable business idea, he had to make sure his fellow racers also confront this issue. He spoke to countless triathlete participants and realized that this was a widespread issue.

Similarly, if your field of interest is educational software, consider sending a questionnaire to parents to understand their issues, interests, and needs. Better yet you can directly speak to them. Individuals will be more forthcoming if they're approached in person than sending polls.

Business Pain Points Notebook

The major aim of any business is to solve problems, either by providing a service or product. That is what successful businesses do. They identify issues faced by their target market and find a solution. These business pain points or client issues are everywhere, and they could catch your attention anytime. To record these sudden bursts of thoughts keep a Pain Points Notebook to write down issues which are all around you. You may review the publication regularly and develop ideas to resolve them. To begin with, you'll receive loads of bad ideas, but not quit. Practice hard and pretty soon you will land a gem.

See and read the Internet

Reading books is a fantastic way to stimulate thinking and generate new ideas. If you are not an avid reader, start slow; spend six hours each week on reading books that interest you. Follow this program for 6 months; I promise you'll find loads of stuff that will rouse your thinking machines.

Another interesting way to search new ideas is by internet surfing. Begin with guru Google, search phrases such as'what's the most recent trend' or'what's new' or use the'I'm feeling lucky' button to navigate your topic of interest. Become a part of Facebook communities which are related to Business, Branding, and Entrepreneurship. In Twitter, look up for hash tags in niche areas that interest you, observe what is being discussed there, learn from others, and share your thoughts with other people.

Business Ideas Make Good Business

Ideas would be the genesis of all things, seen and unseen. In precisely the exact same way, business ideas are the genesis of all things business, service and merchandise.

All things in this world started with an idea. There's nothing, absolutely nothing, that didn't spawn from an idea. Look around you and be aware of everything you see. If you're in an office, you may see a desk, a computer, a bookshelf, wood flooring, a lamp, a few wall texture, a fan...

You might be on your backyard. You may see a fence, a pool, some trees, some shrubs, a pond, a road...

Consider everything you feel. The air, the warmth, the trendy, the gravitational pull, the soft fur of a cat...

All things were created or made from the origin of an idea. For the thought had to be there for the action of making to start. As a burn follows heat or a drop results from gravitation, the occurrence of all products or actions come forth from thoughts.

All are there because of a notion in the mind of somebody, somewhere, thought. God"thought" of the created universe before He left it. Humankind"believes" of goods before they make them. Consider anything in all of human experience which has reality and you'll find that the presence thereof resulted from a notion.

The dictionary defines an thought for a thought or goal or purpose, a belief or purpose of reason... resulting in a potential course of action. Notice that activity is part of idea. Both abide together.

No idea has significance outside of action. To put it differently, to only think of an idea can't be qualified unless there's action to follow. In business, this theory finds perfect illustration.

Business thoughts lead to business realities.

We find that those who ask questions, who seek the"why" in all things, life and business, become the innovators as well as the movers and shakers of the world.

Because they think.

For any present business to be successful and to grow, the people behind it should think of business thoughts for a means of life. For any new business to discover a place in the world, the people behind it should think about business ideas for a means of life. Simply copying status quo will not do it. Or at least do it well. To succeed, to be cutting edge and powerful and powerful, all innovators need to think. And they have to think with intent, with purpose, with ingenuity.

This notion may seem a little esoteric, somewhat abstract, but I guarantee you it isn't. This idea is very, very fundamental, for without it little can be accomplished. The strategy for constructing anything of value (yes and it certainly applies to business in general) rests upon the ability of the entrepreneur to think and act upon business ideas in a meaningful manner.

As a business entrepreneur, to be successful you must proceed the start to discover what this"business" thing is all about, and you'll always find it starts with business ideas, produced in the thoughts of advanced people on a path to create and build something of value.

Rhett Kniep is a licensed building contractor and real estate agent. For more than a decade he has worked in the real estate investment business, purchasing and selling and leasing investment houses, commercial property, and businesses. He loves sharing his heard insights in business sales and development with others.

An accomplished author, Rhett communicates with enthusiasm and clarity, and his work is well known for its distinctive balance of practicality and amusement.

#business #business ideas #great business #business tips #good business

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theonyxpath · 5 years

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We have sailed the Acid Sea and now know land is near – and with it all the fun a pirate could desire at Waterdog Port! Yarrrrr!

In other words, Pirate of Pugmire‘s Kickstarter has passed its funding goal, and now we’re headed towards some sweet Stretch Goals. Thanks to everyone who pledged so that we can get this companion volume to Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau printed and out into stores!

And if you haven’t yet had a chance to pledge, there are still a few awesome reward tiers left – some of which include having your pet illustrated as a pirate! – and the KS runs until Thursday. There’s a link below in the Blurbs! section for your convenience!

V5 Chicago By Night art by Michael Gaydos

Leading in to our next Kickstarter campaign, today we were thrilled to reveal that we will be posting a Trinity Continuum: Aberrant webcomic starting tomorrow, Tuesday the 18th, here on the Onyx Path website!

The webcomic will run every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for about six weeks, coinciding with the TC: Aberrant Kickstarter starting the first week in July.

We had the extreme pleasure of working with comic book writer extraordinaire Paul Jenkins, who has written so many amazing works for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, including winning an Eisner award for writing the Inhumans for Marvel Knights, that we’ll let you all Google him rather than trying to list them all.

We’ll have more info on Paul, as well as awesome artist Doug Stambaugh, in the weeks to come as “You Are Not Alone.” rolls out. This is our very first webcomic, we are incredibly excited about it, and we hope it won’t be our last, and is designed to give a taste to new and long-time Aberrant fans of just what the world of Trinity Continuum: Aberrant is like.

Shunned By the Moon art by Leonardo Albiero

Another announcement for today is that we’re incredibly happy to be working with the multi-talented Travis Legge as he leads the development of our upcoming Scarred Lands projects. Travis has already sat in with Eddy, Matt, and myself, as we whipped project ideas into a schedule, and now he’ll be pulling those ideas into actual books.

This doesn’t change how we’re handling the new Scarred Lands Creature Collection with our friend Jon Hodgson’s new company, Handiwork Games, and I actually was able to talk with Jon at UK Games Expo and we firmed up plans for the upcoming Kickstarter Jon will be running for the book. Expect amazing art, fantastic layout and usability, and the chance to pick Reward Tiers that allow backers to determine additional monsters to include in the book beyond those already planned.

We also talked with Chris and Matt from Modiphius while at UKGE about our ongoing Vampire 5th Edition projects. Everyone was excited at being able to work closely together on new V5 books – and that was before the recent Origins Award for Best RPG of the Year! Congrats to all involved!

V5 Chicago By Night art by Ken Meyer, Jr

Finally, for anyone who is thinking that every third word I write is Kickstarter, look below at what we have going on sale this week: the Advance PDFs of both the Blood Sea: Crimson Abyss for Scarred Lands, and the long, long, long-awaited Signs of Sorcery for Mage: The Awakening 2e! Neither of which had a KS, so there!

Regardless of how we get there, we’re:

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

Kickstarter!

Our Pirates of Pugmire Kickstarter has funded! Now we’re going for some cool Stretch Goals in these, the final fantastic days! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/pirates-of-pugmire-a-realms-of-pugmire-tabletop-rpg

Pirates of Pugmire is a chronicle sourcebook for both Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau. It’s usable in either game, or as part of a joint experience. Some highlights include: * Two new species for players to enjoy: lizards and birds * Six new callings, including two for dogs and two for cats * Rules for building, sailing, and sinking ships * A trove of new allies, enemies, and treasures * Information on Waterdog Port and Port Matthew * “Going on the Account,” a chronicle of three new adventures, taking characters from 1st through 6th level

You can also hear Eddy discuss the writing and design of Pirates of Pugmire on the Onyx Pathcast on your favorite podcatcher, or here on : https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/)

ONYX PATH MEDIA

Onyx Pathcast art by Michael Gaydos

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast features an interview with fantastic writer Klara Herbol!: https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

And Here’s More Media About Our Worlds:

Due to ill health, Matthew has had to postpone the Onyx Path News! It’ll be back later this week

He has however uploaded another episode of the Scarred Lands actual play he ran for Red Moon Roleplaying, so do check that out on the Onyx Path YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/xnEc5Qznsw4

We have two further episodes of Occultists Anonymous, the Mage: The Awakening actual play as follows: Episode 21: The Quest Begins Songbird is charged with making himself useful to the Adamantine Arrow, and with so many ‘nerds’ at close hand, maybe he can make use of that connection to the Mysterium…https://youtu.be/wyE_fVd9KYo

Episode 22: Prime Time A letter is investigated, a message sent, and a being from beyond this world is summoned… Just a normal Tuesday. https://youtu.be/il9VOFSh_gU

The Story Told Podcast have uploaded their excellent interview with Meghan Fitzgerald regarding Changeling: The Lost: http://thestorytold.libsyn.com/episode-29-meghan-fitzgerald-interview

For the love of Chardun, check out the Devil’s Luck Gaming Twitch stream if you haven’t already done so: https://www.twitch.tv/DEVILSLUCKGAMING

And that’s it for media this week! We need more actual plays, reviews, and video breakdowns of our games, so please get in touch with the Gentleman Gamer on the Onyx Path Forum is you would like to create content that we can in turn promote!

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

ELECTRONIC GAMING

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE:

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these fiction books:

OUR SALES PARTNERS:

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can now order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, we’re releasing an Advance PDF DOUBLE FEATURE with Signs of Sorcery for Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition, and Blood Sea: The Crimson Abyss for Scarred Lands 5e both coming to DriveThruRPG!

CONVENTIONS!

Gen Con: August 1st – 4th Save Against Fear: October 12th – 14th GameHoleCon: October 31st – November 3rd We’ll also be back at PAX Unplugged later this year!

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Geist 2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon) Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Redlines

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Second Draft

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Development

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Creatures of the World Bestiary (Scion 2nd Edition)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Let the Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

TC: Aeon Ready-Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

Manuscript Approval

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Pirates of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

DR:E Threat Guide (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

DR:E Jumpstart (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

Editing

Memento Mori: the GtSE 2e Companion (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Spilled Blood (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Heroic Land Dwellers (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Post-Editing Development

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

V5 Chicago By Night (Vampire: The Masquerade)V5 Chicago By Night Screen (Vampire: The Masquerade)

CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Witch-Queen of the Shadowed Citadel (Cavaliers of Mars)

Distant Worlds (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Scion Ready-Made Characters (Scion 2nd Edition)

Dark Eras 2 (Chronicles of Darkness)

Indexing

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE!

In Art Direction

Contagion Chronicle

Dark Eras 2 – Got all the art in from Sheikman and everyone else is working.

M20 Book of the Fallen – Getting art over to WW for approval.

VtR Spilled Blood – in the worx.

Trinity Continuum Aeon: Distant Worlds

Trinity Continuum Aberrant – KS Sketches and finals coming in.

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Ex3 Lunars

They Came From Beneath the Sea – Getting it going.

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

In Layout

V5: Chicago

Trinity Core

Trinity Aeon

CoM – Witch Queen of the Shadowed Citadel

Proofing

WtF Shunned by the Moon

DR: E – proofing with Eddy

Aeon Aexpansion

C20 Cup of Dreams – This week.

Ex 3 Monthlies – At WW for approval

At Press

Dragon Blooded – Deluxe shipping to Studio2.

Dragon-Blooded Cloth Map – Shipped to Studio2.

Dragon-Blooded Screen – Printing.

The Realm – Reviewing errata.

Trinity Core Screen – Printing.

TC Aeon Screen – Printing.

C20 Player’s Guide – PoD files uploaded.

Geist 2e – Gathering Errata.

Book of Oblivion – Putting in errata.

Trinity: In Media Res – PoD proofs ordered.

Scion Jumpstart – Backer PDFs going out this week.

Scion Ready-Made Characters – Backer PDFs going out this week.

Blood Sea: The Crimson Abyss (Scarred Lands) – Advance PDF on sale this Weds!

Signs of Sorcery – Advance PDF on sale this Weds!

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Today must be the calm before the storm, because tomorrow issues a double helping of birthday fun for both Neall Raemonn Price and The Gentleman Gamer himself, Matthew Dawkins! Many happy returns to you both!

#Onyx Path Publishing

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touchwithyoureyes · 3 years

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SOCIALIST REALISM AND THE ART OF PROPAGANDA

The artistic style and movement of socialist realism goes hand in hand with propaganda. Above we see a North Korean socialist realist depiction of the glory of the regime and the veneration of the proletariat.

The Tate Modern in London defines the art term, movement and style of socialist realism: “The doctrine was formally proclaimed by Maxim Gorky at the Soviet Writers Congress of 1934, although not precisely defined. In practice, in painting it meant using realist styles to create highly optimistic depictions of Soviet life. Any pessimistic or critical element was banned, and this is the crucial difference from social realism. It was quite simply propaganda art, and has an ironic resemblance to the Fascist realism imposed by Hitler in Germany (see Entartete Kunst – degenerate art). Outside the Soviet Union, socialist artists produced much freer interpretations of the genre as the paintings on this page illustrate.”

Another great article from ArtNews entitled “A Second Life for Socialist Realism: European Museums Revise the History of Socialist Realism” is fantastic further reading on how the style and movement is and was so very important to disseminating and communicating government propaganda visually.

This painting by Marsel Van Oosten captures the exaltation of liberation and extols the virtues of the Soviet army in freeing Berin from the Nazi regime only to later suppress the nation, the eastern bloc an promote communist ideologies which were to take hold in East Germany and East Berlin throughout the next few decades.

This article in The Independent reviewing a 2015 exhibition in China entitled “Art of the state: Pyongyang propaganda posters to be exhibited in China” features some fantastic North Korean propaganda and socialist realism posters. The posters feature brilliant color and impeccable understanding of graphic design as it pertains to communicating the party line visually.

This below poster reads in Korean: “‘Love our machines like the anti-Japanese guerrillas who loved their weapons like the pupils of their own eyes’ (1990s)”

This below piece of North Korean propaganda is a poster designed to foster anti U.S. sentiment and directs the country to “crush U.S. Imperialism!”

The following poster featuring a railway worker below reads ‘Three revolutions, let’s advance the march of grand construction with Chollima [a mythical winged horse or Pegasus] speed’ (late 2000s)

The above poster referenced the building of the new railways and features the worker holding a Kimjongilia flower that represents the dear leader Kim Jong-il.

A personal approach to propaganda:

As my family is Hungarian and was displaced at the hands of the incoming Soviet regime, my great grandfather Ferenc Nagy was forced to resign from the role of prime minister in 1947 for refusal to become a communist leader. This led to a puppet Soviet leader being installed until the “election” at the end of this term. The Budapest Poster Gallery is a gallery in Budapest and a treasure trove of vintage posters and the gallery exhibits and specializes in fine Hungarian vintage posters, propaganda posters and commercial graphic design from between 1890 and 1990. They write of this era of propaganda posters:

“The election in 1949 was the starting point of a new, dictatorial era. In the same year, a new constitution was written, which provided a strong basis for the communist regime. The power of the working class was supposed to be represented by the strong dictatorship of the Hungarian Workers’ Party, and its leader, Mátyás Rákosi. Meanwhile, the country was under the occupation of the Russian red army which took every aspect of the life of Hungarians under its control. These were the darkest years of communism, when the economy went thorugh a disastrous downfall and human rights were trampled. The period of this forceful dictatorship was ended by the revolution of 1956. Although the uprising did not manage to totally strike down the communist leadership, as a result of the extensive international awareness it had raised, the system slowly started to get softer, but only after the terrible initial retaliations following the revolt. ”

A poster by Istvan Czegledi reads: “Be the member of the Hungarian - Soviet Association!:

The Budapest Poster Gallery writes of the significance of this socialist realist movement and how restrictive it was upon artists, graphic designers and the arts in general and what could be communicated visually and how:

“The themes of painting were also restricted; they were mostly scenes from the workers’ idealized lives. In the 1930s and 1940s, there was a realist tendency present in Hungarian poster art. For example, Tibor Gönczi-Gebhardt designed posters with plastic and monumental forms, and simple political symbols. This tradition gained ground in the 1950s, because it matched the expectations of the new regime. The revolutionary modern poster design of the short democratic period between 1945 and 1949 rapidly vanished. The principles of the rigid and ceremonial soviet poster design became the guidelines for Hungarian artists. This change meant the near exclusivity of socialist realism. Photo-like realistic human figures appeared on the posters, who were mainly idealized typical characters: smiling workers, proud peasants, housewives and children with theatrical gestures, standing straight with their heads up, staring into the distance. They are often marching or working at factories, mines, or wheat fields, laying the foundation of the bright future.

The Magyar Nemzeti Galéria or the Hungarian National Gallery features this visually striking propaganda poster in their collection from 1948 by Gönczi-Gebhardt Tibor advertising the sham “unification congress” of the two parties combining into the Hungarian Socialist (Communist) Party and is reminiscent of the art-deco style:

#socialist realism #propaganda #visual communication

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calloftheancestors · 6 years

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(Lengthy but well worth the read. I agree wholeheartedly with the Heathen Ranter on this one. If you haven’t even bothered to read the Asatru Edda and just make assumptions according to someone else’s opinion, you are missing out on the opportunity to expand your mind. Heathenism is an ever evolving spiritual tradition. It is ironic that many voice dismay at this edition of the Edda, yet have no problem taking Heathenism and mixing its traditions and rituals with other pagan traditions (Wicca comes to mind). It smacks of hypocrisy. It takes a level of sophistication and spiritual maturity to open one’s mind to exploring all ways of thinking, especially those that have something of value to offer. Frankly, if you have not read the Asatru Edda, what say you? Sidenote: Please read entire post, before making informed responses. I am new to the Tumblr Heathen community, but not to Heathenism. I am in no way part of the Norroena Society. The Asatru Edda just happened to be on my long list of must reads. I am dismayed by the frivolous dismissal of such a work of scholarship. Unfortunately the only ones actually in serious discourse and dialog on the subject of Heathenism around here are the Neo-Nazis:( But there sure are nice pictures repeating themselves over and over again on my dash. Perhaps I am expecting too much.)

Review : The Asatru Edda Norroena Society,

The Asatru Edda : Sacred Lore of the North

, iUniverse, Bloomington, IN, 2009.

“This is a work of tremendous care, and labour of love. Its meticulous compilation of source-texts into a coherent epic form has been accomplished, for the most part, with grace and with dignity. There is a rhythm and a pulse to the work that slows down the mind and lends a meditative quality to the verses and rich language quoted and flowed in to the well-laid pathways and grooves. These pathways are evidently the result of many great summonings of rede.

There are positively beautiful moments, and interpretations. Take the stunning yet instantly evident interpretation that the Llosalfar are in fact that tribe of elves in Dagr's line who prepare and accompany the daily pageant of Sol across the skies. "At each horizon of Jormungrund there are horse-doors, which the Ljosalfar ride through on their journey to and from the sky. Near the eastern horse-door lies Dellingr's hall, in Alfheimr, where he gives aid to Natt and her kinsmen. Near the western horse-door is Billingr's domain, who does the same. Dellingr is the jarl of the Ljosalfar and lord of the dawn. Billingr rules over twilight." (p. 18) This explains Snorri's positioning of the Ljosalfar in the various heavens as Sol parades across the skies.

There are little gems like these sprinkled throughout the book, making it a treasure trove. It's important to emphasize that these interpretations are not the result of random "Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis", as it is sometimes called in the heathen community, in which individuals, often without much grounding in the lore at all, and without making the effort to piece together what remains in fragmentary form, simply pull out of their hat the first thing that sounds good to them, and assert it as some kind of truth. The UPGs, as they are often abbreviated, ought not only be called "unsubstantiated", but more importantly, undigested. Intuition was very important to our ancestors, and developing personal feelings and theories about the lore was certainly seen as valuable. When the gap between one's personal feelings, and the larger community was bridged, however, one was expected to present fully digested information that related to the experiences of others in a way that enhanced them.

Here we may receive edification at the toolshed of some Havamalverses. Havamal 26 : Ósnotr maðr þykkisk allt vita, ef hann á sér í vá veru; hittki hann veit, hvat hann skal við kveða, ef hans freista firar, "The unsophisticated man thinks he knows everything, if he stays to himself in a corner [or, in his cabin ; vá can mean both] ; he knows not that which he shall answer, if he is tested by the folk." Freista, "tested", here means "examined", "scrutinized", and even (although not a technical legal term) "cross-examined". It means being subjected to critical thinking from multiple points of view. Anyone can think themselves smart when they stay at home. But do their thoughts stand up to scrutiny when they are in the company of the sophisticated?Havamal 30 : margr þá fróðr þykkisk, ef hann freginn er-at, "many seem wise, if they are not asked questions." It's the answering of questions over time that deepens our insights. Havamal 5 : at augabragði verðr sá er ekki kann ok með snotrum sitr, "he who has nothing to teach becomes a twinkle of the eyes when he sits amongst the sophisticated." Ekki kann may also be translated as "knows nothing", or "does not search or explore". The latter suggests that a person has taken the time to search something out and really investigate it. That, after all, is the basis for teaching something. Someone who has nothing substantial to offer, or whose speech remains puerile, undeveloped, undigested, and unsophisticated, is going to be taken as insignificant, because truly what they have to offer is simply a flash in the dark or a twinkle of the eyes. It has developed no depth, no root, and thus is taken as the passing fancy of a child, rather than something which ought to be taken seriously. The Norroena Society, under the tutelage of Mark Puryear, has something substantial and sophisticated to teach, and it is the result of careful investigations.

What differentiates lore from unsubstantiated, undigested personal gnosis, as these Havamal strophes illustrate, is gnoses that have passed from hand to hand over time, and become refined. They are like gems that have become polished in the tumblers of time. Lore is the result of the folk. It may be brought together by those with special skill and poetic talent, but it is not "made up" by untested, unreflective flashes of momentary insight. Many times the brilliance of a moment becomes a flash in the pan. What perseveres?

Puryear's structure is based upon a careful and lengthy study of Viktor Rydberg, one of Sweden's most talented poets, and a gifted folk-scholar who devoted over ten years of in-depth study scrutinizing every surviving remnant of lore. Beginning with no preconceived notions, over time, Rydberg began to sort certain patterns that began to emerge in his studies. He noticed a rough story arc in the Poetic Edda that was greatly enhanced when it was filled in with a careful study of the mythological elements to be found in Saxo's Gesta Danorum. It is commonly, and quite erroneously assumed that Rydberg simply equated separate divine persona according to his personal whimsy. On the contrary, his analysis was quite akin to the practice of modern scholars who study types in folk stories, and gather together variations. Rydberg's in-depth studies brought together variants of the same story that commented upon each other in mutual ways, and when enough elements converged to constitute structural and functional identity, then, and only then, did he recognize the different names in the variants as polynyms for the same figure. Polynymity is a recognized feature of mythic traditions that stem in part from poets' love of devising new praise-titles for their beloved deities and heroes, and in part from name-divergence in communities as they differentiate geographically over time.

Like an immense jigsaw puzzle, Rydberg began collecting together the pieces and variants that obviously fit together, until he had discerned a basic structure that tied the various story-arcs together. Because of the fragmentary nature of some of the sources, and the corruption inherent in some of the texts due to distortion under Christian recording, there were gaps in the assembled jigsaw puzzle. But even with gaps, so long as they are not too large, one may get the entire picture of a jigsaw puzzle, and sometimes, it is even easy to fill in the blanks based on inference, and connecting the dots from known Point A to known Point C. Rydberg was always very deliberate in annotating his inferences and speculations regarding hypothetical Points B, and differentiated them from that which had solid grounding in the sources.

In the process, Rydberg came to some conclusions that startled him, yet which became confirmed again and again upon further investigation. Some of these conclusions have continued to startle or baffle modern heathens who haven't taken the time to really investigate Rydberg. Rydberg took over ten years to do his investigations, and they do represent really solid research based on meticulous examination and synthesis of the original sources in the lore, but I'd estimate that in order to fully examine and confirm their validity, an open-minded but reasonably skeptical mind would have to take several years to closely study his investigations and confirm his sources, which is precisely what Carla O'Harris and myself have been doing, along with the folk-scholar and translator William Reaves, for many years now. I can report that although Rydberg is not correct 100% of the time (who is?), his hit-rate definitely ranks in the 90th percentile, which is pretty damn impressive.

Puryear has taken the time to both understand this epic structure Rydberg uncovered, and to meditate upon it, and then he has allowed the ancestral voices themselves to tell the saga, through often seamless compilation and dexterous, light-handed editing of the ancient sources, to create a whole that is impressive, and functions as a veritable tome. My only suggestion in this regard is that it ought be available in a regular sized format --- Bible-sized would be excellent, actually --- and in hardcover, leather-bound, rather than its paperback 8 by 11 format, because a work of this sort truly merits a form that is as lasting as its content. Even if that substantially increased the cost of the book, given its value, it would still be worth the extra cost.

Some minor critiques : Puryear occasionally flows in elements from the Oera Linda Book, a book he feels contains some genuine elements of lore amongst its obvious corruptions and modernisms. I am not so convinced. Oera Linda seems far more convincingly a nationalist forgery of the 19th century than it does any genuine compilation of lore, and the consensus of scholars agree on that. (Such consensus, in and of itself, says little, because knowledge is hardly a democracy, but it matches my intuition when I read this book.) It is not impossible that in this work of fiction, seemingly composed by one man, there might have been integrated some folk-elements, but that is far from conclusive. Nevertheless, whether fiction or no, there are some beautiful passages that Puryear quotes to benefit, and certainly no harm, as for the most part they in no way impede, and occasionally enhance, the more well-founded surrouding structure. Indeed some have a charm of their own. My only complaint here is their flimsy (in my honest opinion) grounding in anything approaching genuine lore. But Puryear is quite conscientious about footnoting precisely which elements come from Oera Linda (as indeed he sources all of the material), thus allowing the reader to decide which elements of charm and meditation to take as authentic. They do not make up a substantial part of the book, which sticks to the more commonly acknowledged sources of genuine lore.

Nevertheless, this is not contradictory to Puryear's stated aim. I quote from the enjoyable, rede-filled introduction : "The purpose of such a massive undertaking, which is the culmination of over ten years of work, and thirty years of combined research between several scholars, is not to develop a strict authority on what Asatru lore should and should not be. Although it was put together to be a sacred text, rather than just another "mythology" book, the sanctity of the work is in re-establishing holy storytelling traditions in the form of the Teutonic epic. Like a great puzzle, the fragments of lore have been pieced together, cleansed of Christian elements, and presented as a source for Asatruar to enjoy as part of our legacy. Before the age of Bibles and Korans, tales of the worlds' religions were shared over hearths or near children's beds. The lore was not a concrete rule of divine law that had to be maintained, word for word, at all costs. Rather, it was a vibrant, fluid development that constantly changed and evolved, while keeping in life with what had come before. Although the stories themselves are sacred, what's more important are the lessons one walks away with, the true inspirations of the Gods and Goddesses. The inspiration is the holy experience in reading or hearing the lore, and remains so to this day." (p. xiv)

Indeed, so long as the skeletal structure and sinews which are founded in studious linkage and investigation of the original sources are adhered to, there is no reason why minor flourishes cannot be taken from artful, modern sources that stay true to the internal spirit of the lore. Puryear here selects from Oera Linda ; there are passages from Tolkien, for example, especially in The Silmarillion, that are so true to the Northern spirit, and so stunningly beautiful and lyrical, that they might well be flowed in to passages where they fit. As Puryear points out, the lore did not have "to be maintained, word for word, at all costs". Whatever the retelling, what matters is the way it keeps the integrity of the tradition alive through the generations. And it is certain that once a substantial segment of heathenry has assimilated the structural integrity of this work, lore will be regenerated from the heart and the living, poetic imagination (odr) into a new renaissance of lore that will be as old and as new as that which springs from the Well of Wyrd itself.

Another minor critique is his inclusion, although to his credit, he brackets it off as a separate appendix, of a text called here The Hugrunar, but originally entitled The Meditative Paradigms of Seidr, a bizarre, modern prose-poem written in chunky and clunky pseudo-archaic, hardly grammatical speech. I will not say that there are not some interesting insights in the piece, although the strange grammar often makes me feel that I am following the insights of Yoda. What makes it particularly odd is its fusion (one might say "con-fusion") of separate genres and diction into one piece, at times having the voice of some cryptic, Havamal-mimicking speech, while at other times, taking on a fairly self-conscious (and to my ears, even awkward-sounding) modern voice of meditation. I am not entirely familiar with the provenance of this piece, but there are some stains in here that definitely enshrine racist thought, in ways that are both disturbing and eccentric. To wit : "Once we were all of flax and heather ; that was in grandmother's days. Then came from the east in father's time, making the half-dark. Now dark with flax and either with half-dark till neither wood duck nor goose remain." First of all, what the hell does that mean? Secondly, this contrast of hues opposed between the native and the foreign most certainly smacks of racism, and if there were any doubts, a few more quotes ought to dispel them : "Dark was the storm in the east. Dark were the riders ... Where now they trade and farm, are heads like hares, short, swart like elves -- beware. Look only to the light of us, the fair browed, whose brows do not meet ... Though some be comely too, the dark with dark belong as geese by feathers nest else all is confused." Right. Certainly one may always find mead amidst dregs and drivel, as Odin had to go down into the mountain amongst the monsters to retrieve, and Puryear does admit that "The origins of this writing as an authentic, ancient tradition are questionable at best", but if it is going to be "offered" as "a brilliant modern addition" to the lore, perhaps its most obnoxious elements might be bracketed or edited, because while remaining embarassing, if they weren't so laughable they would be downright shameful. My advice would be to eliminate this from the next edition of the book and make it available in its own book, perhaps as a critical edition with commentary, and leave it out of what remains genuine lore, even as an appendix. Such a worthy tome is undeserving of such unnecessary stains, and after the corruptions of lore bred by nationalist romanticism, especially in its more virulent racialist strains, it behooves every heathen to be on extra guard against any smuggling of a racism that never belonged to our ancestors into the lore. On this point, of respect and curiosity for the traditions of others, Puryear is quite clear and illuminating. From his introduction : "Our people were great explorers and adventurers who tread upon almost every land on earth. Their admiration and desire to learn of other cultures was a staple of their way of life, exemplified by certain rites of passage where youths would set off to see the world. Long before such tolerance and acceptance of others became a trend of modern society, Northern sailors traveled from one end of the globe to the other, without leaving any trace of imposition or disrespect towards those they encountered. Archaeological evidence shows them to have been peaceful traders among the nations they fared, though their fierce defense of their homelands was legendary." (p. xiii) Given that, let's keep a worthy, well-made tome of lore in keeping with that spirit, and not allow in modern prejudices that are quite unworthy of our Gods.

One of the beauties of the book is the way Puryear flows in elements from other Indo-European traditions, such as Avesta and Rig-Veda, when their forms are cognate and amplify our tradition in ways that do not amount to invention, but reinforcement and supplementation. This is selectively and sparsely done, only when necessary, but adds to the gravitas of the work, and is an important stimulus to that great project of reaching out to our Iranian and Hindic brothers-and-sisters-in-faith, with whom we share a common mother heritage. Puryear also tastefully sprinkles in insights from marchen and popular traditions where relevant, and not in a haphazard or structural way, but as icing on an already scrumptuously-baked cake.

Asatru Edda includes fifty pages of annotation, for those who wish to check the sources, and a very nicely-put together glossary of over seventy pages that illuminates the meaning of various Icelandic names, a necessity in getting at the meaning of various passages in the lore. This alone is a noteworthy addition to modern heathenry.

"...[T]he idea is to take the reader on a journey into the hearts of our forefathers to find greater wisdom and understanding in the lore and poetry they passed down to their descendants. We study diligently the heritage of our past and take what we will from it, learning the inspirations of the divine." (p. xv) Asatru Edda has succeeded, in my opinion, in these goals, and will become a tool of meditation, picked up again and again for further study and insight, by every heathen who takes the time to make it his or her own.”

#Heathenism #asatru #asatrur #norse lore #norse mythology #the asatru community #the asatru edda #find out for yourself #make your own judgments according to experience

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sciencespies · 4 years

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Treasure Trove of Artifacts Illustrates Life in a Lost Viking Mountain Pass

https://sciencespies.com/nature/treasure-trove-of-artifacts-illustrates-life-in-a-lost-viking-mountain-pass/

Treasure Trove of Artifacts Illustrates Life in a Lost Viking Mountain Pass

Above the treeline and accessible only by a tough hike or helicopter ride, the Lendbreen ice patch in Norway’s Jotunheim Mountains, about 200 miles northwest of Oslo, is a prohibitively remote place. But a thousand years ago, long before good roads were built in the valleys, this rugged mountain pass was an artery of Viking Age traffic.

During 2011’s particularly warm summer, archaeologists surveying Lendbreen for the first time found centuries-old horse dung littered all over the ground and ancient artifacts melting out of the ice. Among those early finds was a 1700-year-old tunic, the oldest piece of clothing ever discovered in Norway and one that is puzzlingly complete, perhaps tossed off by a traveler in the delirious late stages of hypothermia.

Now, after several more explorations of the site, researchers have discovered more than 1,000 artifacts including scraps of wool clothing and leather shoes, fragments of sleds, horseshoes and walking sticks. A new analysis of artifacts from the ice patch, published today in the journal Antiquity, offers new information about how this mountain pass was used over time—and some ominous clues about why it was eventually abandoned.

Lendbreen has provided the most archaeological finds of any ice patch in Scandinavia and possibly the world. While most other ice-patch sites in northern Europe were hunting sites, Lendbreen was a place for travelers. Farmers, herders and merchants came through here to cross the 6,300-foot-tall Lomseggen mountain ridge to reach local high-altitude summer pastures and perhaps trading posts and other destinations much further away.

This new research led by Lars Holger Pilø, co-director of the Glacier Archaeology Program in Norway’s Innlandet County, looked at the radiocarbon dates of 60 items collected at Lendbreen. Their results showed that the pass was used from the Roman Iron Age—a time around 300 A.D. when the Romans had increasing influence in northern Europe, although their empire did not extend to modern-day Norway—through the Middle Ages.

Lendbreen site

(Pilo et. al.)

“The pass was at its busiest during the Viking Age around 1000 A.D., a time of high mobility and growing trade across Scandinavia and Europe,” says study co-author James Barrett, an archaeologist at the University of Cambridge. “This remarkable peak in use shows just how connected even a very remote location was to wider economic and demographic happenings.”

As climate change accelerates ice melt in the high mountains, archaeologists are suddenly discovering a wealth of artifacts that had been frozen for centuries. Icy conditions can preserve rare, delicate materials like textiles and wood, but these objects may decay and disappear forever if they aren’t collected in time. These sites can be difficult to interpret, however, because meltwater and strong winds may carry objects from their original context. At Lendbreen, for instance, a Bronze Age ski was found in four pieces discovered as much as 800 feet apart, while other objects that might have been dropped on the trail hundreds of years apart can get washed together. Archaeologists also have found hundreds of bones from animals like packhorses as well as a line of cairns marking the trail.

“The Lendbreen route is much better marked than the other known passes over the ridge and even has the ruins of a shelter in the pass,” Pilø says. “Since there are few finds from the other passes so far, it is hard to tell whether Lendbreen was the most trafficked of the passes, but it appears to have had a special significance. Perhaps some of the travelers were not locals but longer-distance travelers and needed better guidance.”

The long-haul travelers may have picked up mountain products like wool, reindeer pelts and antlers, or cheese and butter from summer farms to bring to far-off locations, maybe even outside Norway. For example, the archaeologists have found a birch bark container packed with raw wool. But the researchers think the pass also served as an important route for local travel from permanent farms in valleys to summer farms at higher altitudes, where livestock could graze for part of the year. (In summer, the farmers needed the meadows on their main farms to produce hay for winter fodder.)

For an archaeological site like Lendbreen to form, a mountain pass must cross stretches of ice and snow where items dropped by travelers would survive for centuries or millennia, Barrett says. Similar mountain passes in the Alps and the Himalayas wouldn’t have been used in cold seasons when preservation would be at its peak. But people probably crossed the Lendbreen route in late winter through early summer, when snow on the ground made it easier to travel over the otherwise-rough terrain. Pilø adds that the preservation of organic materials makes Lendbreen “a completely new ballgame compared to normal mountain passes without ice where only a few metal objects remain from the traffic.”

Cairns along the trail in Lendbreen.

(Pilo et. al.)

“This study is one of the first ice-patch archaeology studies to explore the role of mountain passes in travel over long time scales,” says William Taylor, an assistant professor and curator of archaeology at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. Taylor, who was not involved in this research but has explored ice patches in other parts of the world such as Mongolia, says that these results show how the Roman and Viking economies transformed mountain zones. “It is fascinating to see direct evidence for the emergence and re-emergence of mountain travel routes��not as an abstract concept, but as a tangible archaeological phenomenon demonstrated by horse dung, horse bones and the objects dropped by travelers engaged in important pastoral work.”

The age of the Lendbreen artifacts indicates that the use of the pass declined after the Viking Age. This decline could be linked to a cooling period known as the Little Ice Age as well as the Black Death, the 14th-century plague that killed between half and two-thirds of the Norwegian population.

“There were also other subsequent pandemics in the late medieval period making the situation even worse,” Pilø says. “This obviously had a great influence on local settlement and economy, and thus mountain traffic, which dwindled, both long-distance and to the local summer farms.” By the time local summer farms were reestablished a few centuries later, the Lendbreen pass seems to have been forgotten as people traveled different routes.

The current COVID-19 pandemic, which has stymied travel, may doom the prospects of further exploring both Lendbreen and another promising mountain pass this summer. “One more reason to hope that the glaciers do not retreat much this year,” Pilø says.

Regardless, the search for artifacts at Lendbreen may be nearing its end. The archaeologists have scoured an area equal to 35 football fields in what is likely the largest glacial archaeology survey ever conducted. But last summer was an especially severe year for ice melt. The discoveries, though not analyzed in the Antiquity study and have yet to be carbon-dated, were “astounding,” Pilo says.

The field team found the remains of a dog with a collar and leash, a wooden tinderbox and a preserved horse snowshoe, which supports the idea that this pass was mainly used when it was covered in snow. Many of the artifacts were spotted lying on the ice, which normally implies that the melt has reached previously untouched layers. When the team came back weeks later, another few feet of ice had melted, but no new finds had appeared.

“All that was left on the ice was the dung from the packhorses,” Pilø says. “This makes us believe that the ice from the time of the pass has now melted out.”

#Nature

#04-2020 Science News #2020 Science News #Earth Environment #earth science #Environment and Nature #Nature Science #News Science Spies #Our Nature #outrageous acts of science #planetary science #Science #Science Channel #science documentary #Science News #Science Spies #Science Spies News #Space Physics & Nature #Space Science #Nature

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jewelridersarchive · 7 years

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Magic Made By Hand

One of the many unique benefits of being a part of The Jewel Riders Archive is discovering never before seen products and hearing stories about the making of one of our favorite series! An aspect of our roles that we love is having the opportunity to interact with the fandom! We absolutely love to hear stories about childhood memories or why you love Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders. A perfect blend of all of these are the recent interviews we've been so privileged to have completed with Greg Autore, artistic director for the show. His insight has been instrumental in helping us to better shape the story of the creation of Jewel Riders, and to share with you so many stories and products of toys and ideas that never came to fruition! We asked you, and hopefully those never before released images jogged your memory of the toys you may have made in your youth. RONNIE: I think a toy that everyone seems to have made were the Enchanted Jewels. Who didn't want at jewel?! But it was the manner in which each of you designed and crafted your unique magical jewel that truly inspires us. I want to tell you the story behind my set of jewels. You can learn more about my story in our about page, but for now let's talk about the wonderful memories I have of my grandpa and I. Grandpa Joe was always keeping busy! I think it was more of a retreat from Grandma, but you would often find him in his work garage outside. Inside the garage there was a treasure trove of artistic pieces that he crafted by hand. He loved to paint by number, and he would make wooden frames to showcase the artwork. It was combining the paint by number and the woodcarving that gave me the idea of how to create the jewel set. One summer we started with the basic Enchanted Jewels – Sun Stone, Moon Stone, and Heart Stone... and it just grew from there! I first used either a trading card or a still image from the series to draw out what the jewel looked like. I transferred my illustration onto a block of wood. Grandpa took the piece of wood and delicately, and in the instance of the snowflake and some others, very intricately cut out the shape. Then using the vast selection of acrylic paints, I painted each Jewel to be almost the exact color from the show. To the Enchanted Jewels, I used a glitter paint coating to add an extra layer of "magic" to the jewel. And we didn't stop with the Enchanted Jewels, or even the Crown Jewels or Wizard Jewels! Grandpa even helped me make Merlin's staff and the One Jewel! We never did make a Jewel Box though… I wanted to. Grandpa also helped me make a wooden Crystal Carriage for my favorite Tamara doll. He measured the dolls to ensure that they would fit inside of the carriage, we designed a heart door and heart finial for the top of the carriage. And from mom's sewing bin, I found red cloth to use as curtains. I used Ninjara, the white snow leopard from the Tenko and the Guardians of the Magic doll line, to pull the carriage in place of the bear. Ironically enough, along with my favorite line of 90's Disney Princess dolls, Greg helped to create and design the Tenko dolls too. It is really fascinating how so many of these toys and shows are interconnected! Chris had this to say: When I was young, I didn't get all that many toys, especially action figures. But for Christmas and Birthdays I would often get a Lego set. My favorites were those from the Castle subline, which could often double for mythical adventures, including of course Jewel Riders. I had a set of riders I made from horses and random people parts and armor to match each of the six Jewel Riders. They would have lots of adventures beyond the show, and later sets I asked for would fit in neatly with the Jewel Riders-themed play. Friend of the site Lisa also had homemade memories to share with us... I have good news! My mom came through on finding the picture of me dressed as Tamara. It's a little embarrassing because it's a costume I made entirely by myself when I was 8 or 9, so it isn't very good. I did buy and cut up the fabric for the top half, but the skirt was just an old girl scout skirt that I cut to look closer to the shape of Tamara's. The arm bands were made of construction paper, and I had my posterboard Heart Stone, but you can't see it very well in the picture since I was trying to pose with my hand on it, so it covers up a lot of it. It definitely pales in comparison to the costumes I made when I was older and learned how to sew. Could you also share this one I made of Sofia the First to show how much I've progressed as a cosplayer? You don't have to, but it would be cool to see them next to each other since that was probably the first costume I've ever made, and I did a lot more since then and have gotten much better at it. Thinking about homemade items related to Jewel Riders naturally got us thinking about cosplay. Some kids were lucky enough to have either the pre-made Gwen costume, or costumes made from the sewing patterns. Others had to wait a bit longer to dress up as their favorite characters. We scoured the web and came up with several amazing groups and solo cosplay acts. These photos taken by Lionboogy were found on the ACParadise.com site. This solo Gwen by X-gifseiya is great! We were enchanted by this lovely French group headed by cosplayer Zedrielle and Nikita cosplay! We also found several other Jewel Riders cosplay pictures including in-progress shots of people's costumes! Does that have you all thinking about your next costume for Halloween or cosplay adventure? If you'd like to be a Jewel Rider (or anything else, really) here's your chance! The Jewel Riders Archive is excited to announce a partnership with a California-based fashion designer whose talent and renowned work spreads throughout the fashion world and has now come to the enchanted Kingdom of Avalon! Check out Daniel Magaña Couture on #Instagram @daniel_magana_couture. If you want to read further, simply click this link for an informational brochure (http://www.jewelridersarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Daniel-Magan%CC%83a-Couture.pdf). Please visit the "Magic Made By Hand" post at the below link to fill out an interest form for a custom DMC outfit. Did we miss an amazing cosplay or fun handcrafted Jewel Riders project? Let us know! We'd be happy to feature it in one of our updates! Read the complete blog at The Jewel Riders Archive! http://www.jewelridersarchive.com/posts/magic-made-by-hand/

#jewel riders #princess gwenevere and the jewel riders #cosplay #cosplaying #cosplayers #cosplayer #halloween #costume #costumes #memorabilia #toys

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eleanorguestillustration-blog · 7 years

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FRIDAY FEATURE: VELOARTIST ELIZA SOUTHWOOD

Kitty: First of all, have you always wanted to be an illustrator? Tell me how your career has progressed.

Eliza: Yes, secretly! I always loved painting and drawing. I was constantly drawing all through my childhood and as an adult – I’ve never stopped. But I thought I should study a more practical subject than fine art so I trained as an architect instead.

Kitty: Is there a particular artist that inspired you when you were starting out? Anyone who particularly inspires you now?

Eliza: Anything can inspire me. For figurative inspiration I love the work of the old masters of line drawing such as Toulouse-Lautrec or Goya, and in terms of colour and line, modern artists such as Adrian Berg, David Hockney, Ben Nicholson, Calum Innes, Idris Khan and Bronwen Sleigh. In terms of bike art, my fellow cycling artists are always an inspiration. The Artcrank bunch always produce a treasure trove of cycling prints and I love the work of Neil Stevens, Rebecca Kaye and Anthony Oram. They have different styles from mine but that makes their work all the more interesting.

Kitty: Have you always been interested in cycling?

Eliza: Yes, ever since I bought my first bike when I was 18. It was a Specialized Rockhopper mountain bike but I’m afraid to say I went for colour and only chose it because it was red. At the time I lived in a remote mountainous area of Northern Spain and it was handy for going off into the hills and finding a nice village bar to while away the afternoon.

Kitty: When did you do your first cycling illustration?

Eliza: I didn’t start drawing bikes until about three years ago. I’d found some old images of the American cyclist Major Taylor and wanted to do something with them in a graphic style. That led to more research into classic Tour de France riders and I was hooked. I can’t explain why I like old images of cycling so much. It’s instinctive. I see everything through a kind of filter in terms of colour and line and wonder how it would look as an artwork. I do branch out into contemporary cycling sometimes. I go through phases – I’ve drawn urban scenes, horses, insects and portraits of people. But the cycling phase is pretty much ongoing.

Kitty: Do you have a favourite cyclist?

Eliza: Yes, I love Eddy Merckx. I have an Eddy Merckx classic 80s bike so maybe that’s partly to do with it. Also in his heyday he wasn’t very ugly 😉

Kitty: I know! Merckx was like the cycling Elvis in his heyday! How about your favourite race?

Eliza: I really enjoy watching the Vuelta de Espana, probably because it reminds me of the time when I grew up there. I know Spain pretty well, having travelled all over the country. So it’s always nice to watch the Vuelta. I’m also enjoying this year’s Tour de France – very exciting.

Kitty: How do you get inspiration for your illustrations?

Eliza: If I see something inspiring, I can’t tear my eyes away! I find it’s always useful to go out and see exhibitions, even if they’re not my kind of thing. In some ways I’m lucky to live in London where there’s a lot going on. But anything can trigger an idea. I never get tired of looking at stuff. Even a walk down the road can spark an idea.

Kitty: A lot of your work is screen print – take us through the process.

Eliza: It’s fairly technical. I really like screen printing – there’s something about the unsubtlety of the colour layers and the boldness of the outlines. The method I use involves a fine mesh stretched over a frame, which is coated with photosensitive emulsion. Then you lay your negative or stencil underneath and expose the screen to UV light in a special machine. The coating washes away with water where the stencil has been, leaving an imprint on the screen. Then you push ink through with a squeegee. You do this process for each colour on your print, so it makes sense to keep the colours simple and to a minimum. Although I did do a nine-colour print for Sustrans. And Brompton are getting a ten-colour print (although I can’t claim the credit for that as I had an assistant to do that one).

Kitty: What about the digital prints?

Eliza: They all start with a hand drawing in pencil, charcoal or ink pen, which I scan into my computer. I then render the colours with Photoshop or Illustrator. The nice thing about digital designs is the versatility – I like adding textures and layers so the build up can be quite varied.

But I find that my screen prints are more popular, possibly because the whole process is a hand-made one, and I think it makes a difference that the prints are limited – you can never replicate an edition exactly. I sometimes re-edition my hand screen prints in different colourways, but no print run is the same. Whereas digital prints are only limited if you ‘say so’ – there’s nothing to stop you printing them endlessly.

I usually get my digital prints done professionally by a fine art printer – the inks are very high quality, as is the paper. It makes a difference as anyone can churn out a load of prints on a printer at home.

Kitty: You’ve worked with a lot of great publications and great institutions like the V&A. Did you originally go in with your portfolio and pitch your work or did they come to you?

Eliza: I was asked to design a print exclusive to the V&A after someone in their buying department spotted one of my prints on display in Look Mum No Hands! on Old Street in London. The first edition sold out so now they are selling the same print in a different colourway. I produced a run of 100 prints. It was a fantastic opportunity for me. I’m now working with them on a Christmas card design. I’ve been lucky in that my publicity has kind of self-generated so I haven’t had to pitch for work so far. In some ways, it would be good to have a bit of breathing space so I can develop new ideas! I’ve also done work for Orbital Festival, Sustrans, Bikeparka, Cycle to Cannes, Brompton, Boneshaker Magazine and Cycling Active magazine, and a painting for Chris Boardman – great clients to have.

Kitty: Tell us about some of your other work – your figurative and abstract projects. (I love the screen print of the Barbican, by the way!)

Eliza: Thanks! I love doing abstract paintings – stripping everything down to the barest essence. I don’t have much time for them now but I will definitely keep painting when I have a spare moment. I recently sold a large abstract piece at the Affordable Art Fair with Gas Gallery. It’s very different from my figurative work but I love experimenting and trying out new techniques and styles. I also love drawing buildings – a hangover from the architect days, definitely. I can’t see myself going back into architecture though – I enjoy what I do now far more.

Kitty: You have an exhibition at the Society Café, Bath – how did that come about?

Eliza: Yes, Adrian the owner of Society has exhibited my prints before. They sold well and the show was a success, so he asked if I’d be willing to do something related to the Tour de France this summer. He’s a nice guy and Society is a lovely little café so I was quite happy to do that. It’s going to be up until the end of August, and the café opens between 7:30 am and 6:30 pm.

I also have some prints on display at the new branch of Look Mum No Hands on Mare Street. I’ve just finished painting a mural for them, too. It’s nine metres long and features a peloton. It leads you into the beer garden patio area.

Kitty: I always ask photographers/illustrators I interview to pick out five of their favourite pieces – what are yours?

Eliza: It’s very easy to get bored of my own work. I just want to keep producing more interesting and new things all the time. I like my Peloton print, it’s a recent screen print based on a painting I did a couple of years ago. Also, I like my Two Tunnels print for Sustrans. I have to nominate my yellow Major Taylor print, it’s one of the first cycling images I ever did. Although I can’t stand the sight of it now I have to nominate Tactics. It was my first screen print and I’ve sold so many of them all over the world. I’ve no idea why it’s so popular. And for a non-cycling print, I’ll choose the Barbican print. Looking forward to doing a few more like that one.

Kitty: What’s coming up in the rest of the year for you? Any more exhibitions, big new projects?

Eliza: I’ve got Artcrank coming up at the end of August which should be exciting. I also have some screenprints to produce for the Orbital Festival and a couple of private commissions to do. There’s the possibility of a collaboration with photographer Balint Hamvas this autumn on the subject of cyclocross. Then I want to do some big abstract pieces for Gas Gallery when I’ve got everything else out of the way. So a busy summer ahead!

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comiccrusaders · 7 years

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Kevin Conran, Visual Architect of the Groundbreaking 2004 Film, Unveils Never-Before Seen Illustrations and Design in All-New Art Retrospective

Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce that Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, the 2004 dieselpunk film written and directed by Kerry Conran and featuring the talented cast of Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Angelina Jolie, will be celebrated in a comprehensive art retrospective, personally curated by Sky Captain co-creator Kevin Conran and edited by Shannon Eric Denton.

Kevin Conran’s Art of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow charts the revolutionary artistic contributions to the film by its principle visual architect, Sky Captain’s co-creator Kevin Conran. The groundbreaking feature film, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, was the first of its kind – it completely embraced the look and feel of the old serials while pushing the boundaries of modern filmmaking technology. The film inspired a whole new generation of filmmakers to adopt their innovative techniques that are now commonplace in every studio feature being made in Hollywood and around the world.

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This stunning collection will provide a comprehensive gallery of Kevin Conran’s trailblazing illustrations and designs, including incomplete and unpublished work never-before-seen by the public at large! Kevin Conran’s Art of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is the first official collection of such artwork. Sourced from his private collection, this book spans over 20 years of the movie’s unique illustrations and includes behind-the-scenes details on how the movie was conceived of, illustrated, approved (or rejected), and brought to life. Whether you’re a fan, collector, enthusiast, or new to the world of Sky Captain, this book offers the most complete collection of Sky Captain artwork ever produced!

Kevin Conran says, “After more than a decade of fan requests, I’m excited that Dynamite is helping Sky Captain take flight one more time.”

“I’ve been honored to work with Kevin on several Hollywood projects, but as a huge fan of Sky Captain, I’m beyond thrilled to journey into this world one more time,” says editor Shannon Eric Denton.

“We’re delighted to be working directly with Kevin on this book, and be able to share much of the visual work he did that went into the creation of the movie with his brother Kerry,” says Rich Young, Director of Business Development at Dynamite. “There is a treasure trove of material here, and fans of the movie will really enjoy the behind-the-scenes glimpses and story he’ll be sharing.”

Dynamite’s Kevin Conran’s Art of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow will be available at major bookstore chains, online booksellers, and independent bookstores courtesy of Diamond Book Distributors, and to consumers through the comic book specialty market. The product will be solicited in an upcoming edition of the Diamond Comic Distributors’ Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market. Kevin Conran’s Art of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow will also be available for purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, Madefire, and Dark Horse Digital.

Fans and retailers are encouraged to follow Dynamite Entertainment’s official social media channels for the latest updates regarding development and release dates.

About Dynamite Entertainment:

Dynamite was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Red Sonja, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more. Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt. In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high-profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Kevin Smith, Alex Ross, Neil Gaiman, Andy Diggle, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Jae Lee, Marc Guggenheim, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner, Gail Simone, Steve Niles, James Robinson, and a host of up-and-coming new talent. Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles – including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger’s Project Superpowers – have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011. The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards.

DYNAMITE ANNOUNCES ART OF SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW Kevin Conran, Visual Architect of the Groundbreaking 2004 Film, Unveils Never-Before Seen Illustrations and Design in All-New Art Retrospective…

#Art #comics #Dynamite

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suzanneshannon · 4 years

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What We’re Reading, 2019

There are so, so, so (so) many things to read out there on the internet. So many, in fact, that it's difficult to keep up with everything.

But, hey, we've got your back! It's our job to surface the best of the best and share it with you right here. That's why it's a good idea to subscribe to this site and newsletter. Why subscribe to hundreds of sites when you can follow one, right?

Where do we find the links that we share? It truly runs the gamut, but we've decided to list our favorite sources.

Chris Coyier

Labnotes - Assaf Arkin's newsletter is great mishmash of timely, interesting, and funny tidbits with a developer twist.

Code with Veni is new just this year and consistently has great links from underrepresented coders

Codrops Collective always leaves me with like five open tabs

I get quite a few weekly newsletters entirely about front-end development, like Friday Frontend

WordPress Tavern does solid WordPress journalism.

Shoutout to Dave who had a strong year of bloggin'.

I love longtime classic blogs, like Waxy Waxy, Kottke, and Daring Fireball

DEV is blowing up and I end up reading many articles there each week. Meanwhile, it feels like Medium is slowing down significantly when it comes to developer-focused writing.

I obviously look at CodePen every day, which helps me keep an eye on what front-end developers are playing with.

I'd say the main value I get from Twitter is getting great links and thoughts that are a smidge beyond my regular reading. I'm in some community Slacks too, but find it far more conversational and less link-heavy.

Sarah Drasner

Scotch.io consistently has great stuff for pretty much every tech stack you can think of. They also do a great job of finding new authors.

Cassidy William's newsletter is short and sweet, and has coding puzzles in every issue.

I really love PonyFoo's quality and style. They mix it up and keep it interesting. The design is nice and unique as well!

I'm a Vue core team member and love to keep on top of what's going on in the community with the Vue Newsletter. It's curated by a team of really passionate educators and it shows — every newsletter is well curated.

I love Data Sketches so very much. It's a brilliant collaboration between Shirley Wu and Nadieh Bremer, and shows exceptional mastery of technical and illustrative skillsets to convey data. Worth a read for sure.

Like Chris, I love Codrops Collective. You can learn so much about UX animation there.

Speaking of animation, Val Head has a wonderful UI Animation Newsletter. She's kept it up for years, and it's rich with resources from the fanciful to the practical.

Rachel Andrew has been the editor-in-chief of Smashing Magazine for the past year or so, and the content has been wonderful. Smashing is constantly a source of great articles and information about front-end development and design.

I just saw Jared Palmer's Blog a week ago and I really enjoy the writing there. It's informative, interesting and humorous.

Our own Robin Rendle has a great newsletter all about typography. I don't know that much about type, so the poetic deep dives are lovely and informative. It's great for die-hard fans and newbies alike!

Geoff Graham

W3C Cascading Style Sheets Feed - Getting news straight from the horse's mouth!

CSS {In Real Life} - Michelle Barker is has a pragmatic approach to CSS and does an excellent job explaining complex concepts in a way that's pretty easy to grok.

The History of the Web - This is probably the opposite of "late-breaking" news, but Jay Hoffman's newsletter tells yesteryear's stories of the web, which is great context for things we see evolving today.

CodePen Post Picks - CodePen is full of great minds sharing ideas and the team over there does an excellent job curating noteworthy posts.

RWD Weekly Newsletter - Justin Avery covers responsive design news (obviously) but also provides oodles of other front-end-related goodies.

The Work Behind the Work - This isn't front-end stuff but I like how this site documents the creative process behind famous works that we know and love.

Adactio - Jeremy Keith posts regularly and thoughtfully.

Bruce Lawson - He usually has a weekly link dump that I find useful for uncovering things that would otherwise slip under my radar.

Mozilla Hacks - I could just as easily link up to other browser news, but Mozilla seems to be innovating fast and I like seeing where they're headed.

Piccalilly Newsletter - Andy Bell collects awesome demos.

Robin Rendle

Ire Aredinokun’s blog Bits of Code is an endless treasure trove of information about front-end development best practices and each post makes me ooo and Alice with delight.

For type and design news I always keep an eye out for Typographica’s year in review, and this year’s edition is just as interesting as the others. They collect a ton of typeface reviews from the releases of the past 12 months and explore what makes each design tick.

Likewise, David Jonathan Ross’s Font of the Month Club is essential reading for designers. David gives provides a typeface that's a work in progress in each issue and then writes diligently about the process behind it. It’s always a wonder.

Tim Kadlec’s blog is a great source of info about accessibility, web performance and general front-end development news.

I’ve been reading a bunch of great newsletters lately and Chip Scanlan’s writing advice is one that certainly stands out from the crowd.

Adrian Roselli’s blog never fails to impress with a ton of deep-dives into some obscure front-end problem or issue I’ve never heard about before.

Where do you look to stay updated? Share your list of favorites with us!

The post What We’re Reading, 2019 appeared first on CSS-Tricks.

What We’re Reading, 2019 published first on https://deskbysnafu.tumblr.com/

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operationrainfall · 7 years

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This lovely hardcover is beautiful and hefty

While I know there are many camps of the Fire Emblem fandom, I sit in the camp that not only loved the revival of the series with Awakening, but also appreciated the subsequent entries, such as Fates and Echoes. That said, there’s still something comforting about going back to the beginning, so today I’m doing that with The Art of Fire Emblem: Awakening.

Published by Dark Horse and containing 320 pages full to bursting with character art, bios, rough drafts, behind the scene info and much more, it’s a veritable treasure trove of Fire Emblem lore. It’s split into six massive sections (Official Illustration Gallery, Concept Art, Story Event Illustrations, Players’ Voices, Character Profiles and Support Conversations) and each is both beautiful and informative. This fantastic hardcover book is priced at $39.99, which is a pretty fair price considering the wealth of information included (it has EVERY support conversation, for example). But you probably want to see some of the art, right? Let’s take a look!

The book starts out with detailed character bios for all the heroes and villains alike in Fire Emblem: Awakening. These full sized, colored portraits do a great job of conveying the disparate personalities of the characters, from childish macho Vaike, to sultry, sinister Tharja, and everyone in between. I thought this was a great way to start any artbook and get the reader’s attention.

Validar is large and in charge.

The next section focused more on variations in characters, as well as art for some classic fighters from Fire Emblems of yore. The Character Design section was especially intriguing, showing some early takes on popular characters. While some remained pretty much the same from conception to execution, some were drastically different looking (take a look at Validar and Kjelle below).

For those fascinated by the fine details that go into costumes and weapon design, you’ll absolutely love the next section. While it can be easy to dismiss how much effort goes into designing the weapons you wield, you’ll have a new appreciation for them after looking at the following artwork.

This is but one page of many displaying the numerous conversations that take place in the game.

Storyboarding is another intensive process that we only see the end result of. I have a new appreciation for all that hard work after reading the next few pages. Also, if you wanted a reminder of the rosy glow of love, you’ll love the Proposal pages I post next.

The next sections are for those obsessed with the minutiae of fandom. Specifically, several polls were conducted in August of 2012 in Dengeki Online, with questions such as Favorite Male Character, Phrase Which Left Biggest Impression and more. I was surprised by some of the results, as the favorite male character was pretty vanilla, with everybody loving Chrom, followed by Owain at 2nd place and Gaius, Henry and Avatar in 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively. Also fun here are the What If sections, which are comical little stories. Oh and if you want to see every possible way you can customize your Avatar and children, that’s here too.

We’ll close it out with the sections I found least interesting, the Character Cards, Glossary and massive Support Conversation section (it takes up the last 100 or so pages of the book!).

Overall, I was pretty pleased with The Art of Fire Emblem: Awakening. It’s a true tribute to fans of the game and series, and well worth the price of admission. Regardless of whether you’re happy or sad with the direction of the series lately, it’s good to remember that we’re fortunate it has lasted this long. My only real complaint with the book is how much space is devoted to dialogue without accompanying art. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go wax nostalgic about my stumpy legged friends once more…

[easyreview cat1title=”Overall” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4.0″]

Review Copy Purchased by Author

Hugs!

Artbook REVIEW: The Art of FE: Awakening While I know there are many camps of the Fire Emblem fandom, I sit in the camp that not only loved the revival of the series with…

#Art #Dark Horse #Fire Emblem: Awakening #Intelligent Systems #Nintendo #The Art of Fire Emblem: Awakening

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saumyajonejabhasin · 7 years

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Sharing an Amazing World of Books with my daughter

"Books are the quietest and the most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and the wisest of counsellors and the most patient of teachers.“ - Charles W. Elliot

"You know, it would be great if you could write a blog post on your experiences as a book lover and how you inculcated the habit in your daughter.” I looked askance at Rohini. Did I hear her correctly, was she asking me to write a blog post? I have a hard time writing an application - err a blog post - no way! But she insisted and assured me and here I am penning down my stray thoughts.

As for me, well I am a self-confessed bibliophile and if by way of this post if I manage to convince even one non-reading family to a pick up a book and read it to their children, my job here is done.

Let me start with my early childhood memories of reading. I remember my mother got me a set of Ladybird classics when I was in Kindergarten. Books like What Time is it, Mr Fox?, Cinderella, Snow-white and The Seven Dwarfs, among other fairytales. As I grew older my tastes evolved to all time classics of R.L. Stevenson, Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Moby Dick to name a few but what really hooked me on to reading were my treasure trove of Enid Blytons. I remember my first book still, The Mystery of the Missing Necklace from the Five Find-Outer series. I was in class three when my mother introduced me to the magical world of Enid Blyton. She would sit me down in the afternoons, when my siblings were taking a nap and the housework was done, and ask me to read out aloud; she would explain difficult words and their usage along the way. Another great thing my mother introduced me to was the wonderful habit of consulting a dictionary. She bought me an amazing Oxford dictionary (which I still use), to be consulted when I stumbled upon a new word and she wasn’t around to explain its meaning. I devoured these books and found the dictionary very useful.

Soon I found myself reading new words and understanding their meanings simply by re-reading the sentence. It thrilled me when I could answer, in class, the meanings of new words introduced, write good essays (which were read out aloud in class), and generally have a good command on grammar and spellings.

I most definitely had to introduce my daughter Ishita to the wonderful world of fairies and goblins, pixies and brownies, wizards and giants, enchanted birds and flying horses. I couldn’t possibly rob her of the joy. It wasn’t easy because children these days are surrounded by distractions. If they are bored they have a mobile phone or a tablet to engage with. Books are a rare solution for passing time nowadays.

Then one day I came across these lines “T.V. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they’ll have with twenty-six. Open your child’s imagination. Open a book.”

It was then that I wondered to myself, “Shouldn’t my daughter have the right to enjoy the magical world of books the way I have?” And “Isn’t it boring for her to watch the same cartoons and play the same games over and over again on my iPad?” I am sure it was dreary for she was forever bored. So one day I sat her down, just like my mother did, and invited her to join my special world of books. She must have been around two years old then.

Now when she is nine, I don’t need to coax her to read, she loves reading on her own. Having said that, we cannot take away technology and gadgets from their world - so how about making their use less passive and more positively engaging?

I haven’t taken away gadgets from my daughter - the Kindle is her new friend, it has made reading so much more fun for her. She has her own special collection of books in a virtual format, that she can read anytime without worrying about carrying heavy books - especially while traveling. The best part is that she can access the dictionary anytime.

Ishita and I have started a ritual at home. To earn one hour of television she must read for one. That way she reads a book everyday. We generally sit together and read or she sits independently in her room and reads. To make it more interactive, we discuss what she is reading. It always fascinates me to get her point of view on things in the book. I can see her evolving as a person, just like I did, by way of books.

I haven’t stopped the practise of using a dictionary. Ever so often, we look up difficult worlds together and then try and use them in simple sentences for her to understand their usage and retain their meanings better. Over time she has become adept at using a new and difficult word correctly in a sentence. At seven years, she is fast to understand the meaning and application and immediately incorporates it in her language.

We do have another fun rewards programme at home where she gets a yellow star for every new word she learns and uses correctly. A little more about the rewards programme? - Well I keep that for another day!

I plan to do the same with my younger daughter Anaisha, who is three years old presently. Although, with her I plan to start as soon as she can sit still on my lap )she is a highly impatient and an active child) so that I can show her illustrations and picture that are engaging as I read out to her.

I have rediscovered the joys of reading with my daughter. She has taken me down the memory lane of my childhood. And reading has helped us bond better. It has brought us closer as mother and daughter. And like, today, I reminisce about how my mother and I bonded over books, perhaps, tomorrow, Ishita too will.

After all the joy of reading books must be passed down to generations.

#reading #childhood #children

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