Author Archives: John Swinburn

Give yourself permission to fail without repercussions. Be kind to yourself in failure, regardless of whether others are kind to you. Failure is an indication of determination. Multiple failures; obsession.

Before I began writing this morning, I read a little. Something from Brain Pickings caught my attention. These words of Jane Kenyon, the poet, resonated with me. Though written as advice to poets, they apply to everyone. This quote merits … Continue reading →

The aroma of mint, freshly collected from a live plant, can change my mood from dark to light. There’s something about the odor of fresh mint that makes me glad to be alive. I wonder if anyone else finds mint so … Continue reading →

Social media tends to encourage a rush to judgment simply by the immediacy of feedback. Sometimes, I am guilty of failing to give adequate consideration to the ramifications of ideas expressed by others on social media. I see a comment or … Continue reading →

Poetry is a language of its own, a means of communicating ideas and emotions not well-suited to simple narrative. When we say an expression or a phrase is “poetic,” we are saying the words are framed to evoke images and ideas in … Continue reading →

I listened to music last night. I sat at my computer, ear buds blocking out the world, and allowed myself to be transported outside myself. Death Cab for Cutie’s I Will Follow You into the Dark was just one of the … Continue reading →

The sound of rain on a thin metal roof at four in the morning is unlike any other. I stood on the screened porch for just a few minutes this morning. That wasn’t noise; I’d call it music.

My mind is like a river with parallel channels. In one course, the water is a gentle stream, caressing its banks. In the other, a relentless, savage torrent claws at the shoreline. How can it be that those two forces of nature reside in … Continue reading →

The horrors of humanity show themselves in unspeakable ways. I am thinking this morning of the people of Paris, the people of France, the people of this earth who continue to endure madness. Perhaps I would embrace religion if religion … Continue reading →

I sometimes daydream about creating large semi-abstract outdoor sculptures in residential settings, sculptures whose scale is so large as to compete with and perhaps dwarf the homes around them. Having neither the technical nor the creative skills to execute such a … Continue reading →

Ideas can spring into being unexpectedly. An email exchange with a friend a short while ago got me thinking; what inspires creativity? What provokes thoughts that, as they snake their way through one’s consciousness, illuminate the dark recesses where creativity hides? … Continue reading →

Being noticed matters. It matters because being the subject of attention offers evidence that someone cares enough to notice. I appreciate being noticed by the small cadre of folks who visit my blog on a regular basis, whether daily or monthly … Continue reading →