Tuesday, February 17, 2015

New Poem-The Soul's Hammer

So, I couldn't sleep the other night. Something kept running through my brain and would not let me be. So, I got up, grabbed my journal and this is what came out. Sometimes a poem just sort of pours out of you and you get surprised by the results. This did surprise me a bit but I love how it all came together. Hope you do too. #WordsandThings 

The Soul’s Hammer:

This girl; Oh so lonely
Tears cascade down the hills and valleys of her soul
Days stretch into years as light vanishes out over the twilight of the horizons edge
There is just her being and the endless darkness of silence in the velvet
No words spoken; only deep, deep thoughts remain
Deep thoughts that steal her breath and blot out the light of her arch

Dark
Dark
Dark

Night falls out of the body
Time holds no resonating beat
Rivers churn in her spirit
Trees bend with her will
This girl; Oh so lonely

Light
Light
Light

Where is the sunshine of the soul
To make it to the other side
She must grasp handfuls of summer grass
See the fields dotted with the bone white lilies of the valley
The end is illuminated on the horizon of salvation from death


Calm
Calm
Calm

The soul is quiet now
Time has a resonating beat
Time has a resonating beat

Tick tock
Tick tock
Tick tock

This girl; Oh so lonely
Lonely never more
The sunshine of the soul explodes
Time has a resonating beat

Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
Tick

(C) Anna Patten 2015






Sunday, November 30, 2014

Been Too Long!

Oh my gosh!!! I am a bad blogger for sure. I can't believe that it's been so long since I last wrote here. But, in truth, November has been such a blur. We have been so busy that the only break we have really gotten was Thanksgiving day itself. We spent a quiet day at home watching Star Trek, lol. Was really nice to not have anything pressing to do. It really made me reflect that I am so lucky to have the life I do and I am so thankful for all the blessings I have. I am hoping for an easier December but I am not holing my breath as I have quite a few things popping up and one really big thing that I can't wait to announce! Be on the lookout for that.

How was your November? I certainly hope that your holiday was a good one :)

So, with December right at the door, I thought it was a good idea to offer a print sale for the 1st 2 weeks of the month. If you place an order in that time frame, you will receive $5.00 off each print. Prints make great holiday gifts! Contact me today for more information!

All right, I have to make this one short and sweet. Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead! Happy December!
Anna
ArtfullyOdd


Thursday, October 23, 2014

Fall Things & Synopsis for New Manuscript

Hello and happy almost Halloween to you all! I hope that this fall season is making you all feel right at home. We have certainly been getting the most of the season, especially with Buzz's vacation. Headed to Vermont on Saturday and I am super excited about that as I have never been before. Hoping to get in some of the local culture as well as getting some covered bridges photographed. What I could do without though are the increasingly colder temps. I am not ready to let winter in, but I had better get used to it quick. They say it will come to us earlier, like November earlier!!! Just in case, I have gotten all my sweaters out of storage and I just finished all of my winter shopping this past week. So, I think I might be ready. How about you?

Anyway, if you follow me on FB, you know that I recently finished my second manuscript last month. It was quite a milestone for me, as my last manuscript was written with a friend. While that was an amazing experience in itself, this was just lil' ole me! It was requested by some folks interested in it, that I write a synopsis. I am posting that below so you can see what I have been up to and hopefully you will like it. I have often said that writing is such a personal thing to me, (to all writers I know), and having your work well received is an amazing feeling. So, I hope this peaks your interest a bit. Should have some news on it soon. I have also begun the start of a new manuscript and have 6 chapters into it so far. I am enjoying the feeling of accomplishment that I get from writing and sharing it with you is awesome. Oh yea, I still don't have a title yet. Any thoughts?  Ok, enough of that....

Again, I hope that your fall is a warm one. I hope that your dreams are coming true and if not, that's ok my friends. There's always tomorrow :) Sometimes it's hard to keep on moving forward, sometimes it's hard to have hope and on those days, give yourself a break. No one is perfect, (this is something that I am learning now, lol) and things don't happen overnight, as much as we would like them too. But one day, you will get there...no matter what your goal is. Here's to dreams my friends!!!!

Synopsis of

Serena Blaine, free-lance history writer, raven haired beauty is an average girl living a single life in Phoenix AZ and she is looking for love. Not just a one night stand kind of love and not her all-consuming shoe lust kind of love…the kind of love that steals her breath away and has her begging for more. The kind of love that she has been unlucky with her whole dating life. She knows it’s out there somewhere, it just doesn’t know her address.

Forming crushes on her current assignments tends to be the norm for her. She can always find something romanticize about them, but there is always one exception. THE father of the American Revolution.  You know, that guy…George Washington…Love him! As her assignment on him for History and Times magazine drags on, weird things start to happen. Serena starts to believe that she has traveled to the past and actually met the man. In her travels, they start a passionate affair that brings her quest for love to an end. She finds that all-consuming love that she has been searching for and a man who is a very sexy and in charge lover. His very touch brings a response from her body that she has never known before. Not at all what history books have written about him.  Becoming his confidant, his soul mate, she helps him with insights to the war that come with her knowledge of the future.


Then suddenly, proof of her love surfaces in the present and her whole world is turned upside down. The pull of the past proves too strong when her single girl life in the present is halted due to a car accident. In a deep coma surrounded by family in the future, will she decide to stay in the present or return to her love in the past? Is she in the reality that history has taught her or has she transported to an alternate reality where her life with the dashing General is an accepted one? 


Anna
Artfully Odd Photos 


Sunday, October 12, 2014

Art Prints


New art prints are up and ready to view on the site.


Well hello there. How is everyone doing this weekend? Enjoying the month of October so far? Crisp fall has finally arrived here in upstate. We did not get much color in the Capital District, but that snap that the air gets this time of year, arrived today in full force. The smell of wood smoke has been in the air at night too...I totally love that. I think that if I could live in a world where it was this weather all the time, I could be very happy. Sweaters, hot tea, boots...Yea, its pretty great. I hope that whatever you are up to this fall, you are having a great time :)

I have a lot going on right now. I guess when fall comes around, the busy time picks up. Gone are the quieter days of summer. I am trying to take full advantage of it all. I have been working on a line of art prints that are turning out nicely I think. I have 2 novels in consideration as well as a short story, and my poetry has been coming along too. On top of all of that, I have a new job with an ad agency that I am quite excited about. Fall has been pretty good and for once, I am allowing myself to feel pretty good about all that's to come. I am, however, looking forward to December. Things will quiet down again for us then, and I plan to take full advantage of it. This has been a tough year for both Buzz and I. It taught us a lot of things about life...what's important and what isn't...so I am extremely thankful for everything. I hope that where ever you are on your journey friends, that you are happy and healthy and thankful.

Happy Sunday my friends.
Anna
artfullyodd.com 

Friday, September 26, 2014

Spooky Time and Senior Portraits

Hello again dear readers. I hope this finds you doing well today. As I write this, we are on the verge of another weekend. This week just flew by if you ask me and I can't believe that October is just around the corner! Technically a good thing for me, as I love all things October! I actually dug my sweaters out of storage the other day in preparation!!! Buzz and I have a couple of fun trips planned, like the Pumpkin Blaze and the haunted Albany tour. I can not wait! Hot cocoa time and all things spooky...yes, that's for me! And who knows what I will photograph :) Something spooky and beautiful I hope.

What's not spooky though, is what else comes around this time of year. Senior portrait time is here again and I was lucky enough to have a shoot just for that last weekend. She wanted to do something a little different than the norm. So I chose Washington park as our background and boy, did we get lucky with the weather. We could not have asked for anything better than last Saturday. While my style tends to lean toward the more odd, I reigned it in a bit and I think we were able to get some beautiful and interesting photos that will be totally unique to her. My tip for a session like this is to listen to your subject, discover what they really want and work together with them to create that vision. Allow them some wardrobe changes and props. Let their personality shine through :) I am posting a few below and giving a shout out to Michaella for a wonderful shoot! Congratulations to you and the class of 2015!





Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! Happy Haunting :)
Anna

Monday, September 22, 2014

For Mark

Well hello there. How have you all been since my last entry? Good I hope. Fall arrived here in Upstate quite quickly. To be honest, the changing of the seasons came, literally from one day to the next. I am not complaining though, because I love this time of year! Crisp air and the smell of wood smoke in the air...ah perfection.Our leaves are changing here, but slowly. I hope that in another week or so we have some really good color. Yea, photographers dream! I hope you are enjoying this time of year as much as I am.

On to other things...I was talking with a friend this morning about writing. He heard that writers should write every day no matter what. No matter if its good or not, just get the words flowing. This is true and something I tend to do every day no matter what. My house is littered with little scraps of paper with scribbled words on them, notebooks filled with stories that I write when I have writers block. Sometimes an idea will come to me while I am in the shower and I will have to jot it down as soon as I am out. Like this thought I had today, 'What would a con look like in the 1600's? And if Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were really Vampires, would they be a part of it?' You know, something ala Oceans 11 maybe. I jotted it down and it went right on the pile of scribbles. Whoever cleans out my place after I am gone will be in for a treat, lol! Lots of paper, words and library books. Did I mention that I buy old library books? Our library here sells old books, $2.00 for a bag full. I always get my bag full :)

Anyway, on to the writing. Yes, its true...writers write. Sometimes every day. I generally wake up with a mission to create something every day if possible. Photos, Painting, Writing...I try to do something every single day. That's what it's all about, isn't it. There is so much beauty out there in life, in this great big world...I like to contribute to that beauty when I can. No matter if its good or bad. No matter if anyone likes it or not, because that's what its all about. You can choose to be positive and fill your space with words that feed your mind or art even when the world outside is hard. It can be a comfort food for your soul and a soft blanket for your mind. Create my friends and see what beautiful things start to bloom! Feed your soul...

 So Mark, this is what I wrote today. It's rough, bad even, but I find it very funny and funny is good right now!

They Never Call:

Castle
Stone walls
She waits

Endless fields of green
Spread out over the vastness of time
She waits

Line of sight on the blue horizon
No horses today
She waits

Tear stained cheeks
Feelings of love lost
She waits

Years fly past
Time stands still
She waits

The Reaper’s at the door
He knocks with bony knuckles
She’s dead

Death took her in his arms
Her love never called
She waits…………..
No more

Have a wonderful week my friends.
Light & Love~Anna

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Super Moon






So, I waited patiently last night to snap some photos of the last Super Moon of the year...I got 1, LOL, To my detriment, I did not have my tripod with me because I was on a sloping surface. You almost always need it to shoot something like this, but I really need is a new telephoto lens. I have been looking at new camera and lens packages, and I think I may have settled on the Nikon D3200, 24mp DSLR. If any of you have used this camera before, drop me a line and let me know how you like it. I LOVE my Olympus so I know that this will be a hard switch for me, but I think I need to step it up a bit.

Don't let this detract from the beauty of the Super Moon though! It was an amazing site and I am glad I got to witness it. How about you? Did you get any photos of the moon last night?

Hope you are having a great week out there :) Keep snapping my friends!
Anna