Things That Catch My Eye III

Carrying on from Things That Catch My Eye I and II a while ago, I’ll close this spotting-and-catching-inspiration trilogy of posts here with two more things that make me stop and wonder:

Striking Photography

Visual art is something which has always had an influence on me – my love of paintings and landscapes aside, I write using lots of imagery and metaphor, and most of this is fixed to a visual element or indicates one.  Since I joined the home-Internet revolution (always a bit of a late starter, me!), I’ve been nosing on newspaper websites (a bit of a news junkie, I don’t take a daily newspaper...because I hate the thought of wasted copies having to be recycled!  Trees, my beloved trees...!) – and found some fab photos that I’d never come across any other way.  I also like to browse Google Images and other photo sites.  Startling, beautiful, poignant, provoking...the images I find are all that and more.

Paperweights

Unfortunately, my love-of-trees doesn’t extend to writing paper – I like my notebooks, journals and scraps-of-paper-when-the-moment-strikes way too much!  I’ll only buy paper that I like and will use (plain, preferably, and certainly not heavy-lined – ugh!) – but with so many sheets flying around, I need something to keep them in place... 

So in step my trusty paperweights.  I’ve only got two (rather sparse, compared to my 70+ handbags!  Yes, really.  I have a problem, I know).  One paperweight was my Mum’s and is blue and white and makes me think of magic and space.  The other is bigger, tawny like a tiger’s eye, and robust – it does the job while the other one sits on my shelf, looking pretty (and mysterious and questing...).  Having them around, though, is essential – they’re a tool of the writer’s trade, help keep me from losing things, and inspire thoughts of orbs and spheres, crystals and stones, other worlds and travelling to them...which I do every time I write!

There are a few more inspirations/influences to talk about (fabrics, handwriting, and tea cups/pots), so watch out for a later sequel to the trilogy of oddities!