Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:41:05 +0000 Fractured Brilliance: Styrofoam, paper mache, shattered mirror, and grout. www.carolineallen.com Over the past month in my studio, I've been working on a mosaic (see picture above). Usually I build the structure from scratch, but have been overwhelmed by world events, emotionally and psychically, and after writing my own novels and coaching clients on their books, I had very little energy left. So, I bought a…

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:13:59 +0000The town I live in in Massachusetts has a reputation. For decades, Haverhill has been known for its petty crime, domestic violence, its unemployment and poverty. Walk the streets late at night or too early in the morning (I was up at 5 to do a photo shoot of the downtown once), and you'll run into all sorts of characters, mostly homeless, mostly scary. I was…

Mon, 23 May 2011 17:46:32 +0000 Thermal Self Portrait, acrylic on canvas, 22x30, www.carolineallen.com I was talking to a client the other day about being an Artist. I use the term Artist as in capital "A", as in writer, dancer, singer, actor. I was talking about being a journalist and how I felt throughout my career that I was working exceedingly hard to "figure things out". If I was writing an…

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:42:20 +0000 I wrote a short story in Seattle years ago called "baby cow, baby cow". That morning, I rotated the ficus. Bony branches bearing withered leaves snaked out into the living room. On the branch tips here and there healthy growth surfaced in irregular bursts. The tree’s lush side hugged the living room corner. I’d let the ficus go for months, not wanting to expose its…

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:37:57 +0000 On the ocean, acrylic on cardboard, www.carolineallen.com Join us for one or both of the following workshops in Seattle in September! The Magic of the Artist and Write Out Loud! The Magic of the Artist Deep down you know you have a profound gift. You want to share it with the world. You'd like to be a full-fledged writer, artist, dancer, actor. Even when you're…

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 02:57:54 +0000 Grandparents Weider I've been working with Ellen Newhouse, a Seattle healer (wwww.ellennewhouse.com) for a few years on her memoir. Every two weeks we dive into a chapter, refine the language, explore the setting, develop the characters. We relive her childhood together, remembering everything from the living room sofa to the 6th grade classroom. Remembering, too, a father, a big man, a larger than life man,…

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:45:08 +0000The Heirophant, from the Visconti Sforza tarot deck I have a client I've worked with for a couple of years, and he has just finished his screenplay. I've never written a screenplay, but coached him on things like storytelling and character development, and mostly kept him accountable. How many of us need some deadline, or someone, as an impetus to keep writing? This client is a…

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:16:00 +0000[slideshow] Just after I got my first art studio in a large old Massachusetts factory with 190 other artists, they posted the above postcard. They were having a Dirty, Smelly, Noisy show. Only 24 hours were left to submit art. I remember standing for whole minutes at a bulletin board staring at the postcard and the printout calling for art submissions. I stared a long time.…

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 19:50:29 +0000 digital photography, www.carolineallen.com Because of the financial crisis, and its effect on writers and artists, I'm happy to offer a 3-month coaching scholarship. I'll coach the winner on memoir, nonfiction, novels or short stories twice a month, including written feedback and phone consultations, a $900 value. This is a full-scholarship and will not cost the winner anything. I am passionate about helping writers find and…

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:15:05 +0000 Detail from Set In Concrete, a painting I'm currently working on. www.carolineallen.com "We must be willing to let go of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." E.M. Forster You have an idea for a book, and no matter how hard you work, the idea, the fantasy of the creative work is much greater than what's coming…