Praising YOURSELF, and moving past personal fears...

Yes You Can. 

Go For It. 

Just Do It. 

Keep on Pushin’…

Don’t Give Up…

You probably already get my point and may surmise where I am heading.

I suspect we all have articulated messages of encouragement and positivity to people we know, and yet there are still too many folks who remain reticent, anxious and just frightened when it comes to sharing their creative talents with the public.  I am willing to bet each of us knows at least one person who has superb creative talent and “refuses” to present work in a public arena.  Well…  

For the next several days, ‘aadunanotes’ will present creative winter 2017-18 aaduna contributors who can inspire, ignite a spark, and possibly motivate the “quiet ones” to put themselves out there, with our support.  So…

I say to those kindred spirits who have yet to come from behind the curtain of anonymity, find and have someone who will give you honest, and yes, critical, fair, and a supportive assessment of your work whether it is words or visual images that represent your imagination.  Unfortunately, family and friends are often not the best critics since they are slightly biased.  Open mics that are a potpourri of talents with an audience that is encouraged to be raucous as they talk, drink and ignore talent except for the person(s) that they can to support, can be daunting.  So, what to do?  Join a workshop or group that centers on what you do creatively.  Present your work at libraries, community enters, social service agencies, churches etc.  Talk to others who do what you do when they present at lectures, workshops, or other events.  Those folks will not take you for granted.  Take the step.  Just know, that everyone that aaduna provides a publication platform for had to take a first step!  Contrary to popular myth, there are NO overnight, miraculously discovered sensations. (OMG, did I just voice an opinion that is similar to saying that there is no Santa Claus?!)  So, here we go.

Josh Byer (photo provided)

Josh Byer is one of a small, select cohort of visual artists who exhibit work in “back to back” aaduna issues.  His work excites.  His work makes you imagine.  His work is invigorating.  You can find his previous work at home with aaduna in the summer 2017 issue, which is still readily available at www.aaduna.org.  You may detect his generosity of spirit in the textures and nuances of his work.    

Here are two works from his forthcoming exhibition:

"Smooth Operator," Josh Byer, artist (c) 2017

"Men Watching Television," Josh Byer, artist (c) 2017

Suyasha Subedi (photo provided)

Suyasha Subedi is an emerging poet nestled in Nepal, a part of the world most of us will never visit, experience, or know where it is without resorting to a globe or international map. Subedi’s work is subtle, quietly evolving, and wrapped in a tenderness and understanding of the human condition that is pertinent and enduring to many readers.  Her presence in aaduna’s forthcoming issue may be her first publication…we think so!   

Here are the opening stanzas to her poem, “Girl Trafficking” that will be featured in the forthcoming issue:

She looks at me

With hope in her eyes

She came to this earth

With little surprise

From the very first day

It started with a compromise

Bringing her to the earth

Was not considered wise

Please share this and all forthcoming winter 2017-18 contributors’ postings to your social media platforms.  Just realize…

aaduna does not ask for end-of-year monetary donations {though we should} but, we do need your positive proactivity to broaden and expand work of issue contributors to the public. Over the next several days, PLEASE subscribe and share “aadunanotes” to your social media platforms, and ask your contacts to share to their contacts.  Like our facebook page and follow us on twitter via the links below.  Thank you.     

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aaduna - an online adventure with words and images - a globally read, multi-cultural, and diverse online literary and visual arts journal established in 2010.  Visit us at www.aaduna.org where we put measurable actions to our words.

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