Poems no. 4, 5, and 6

On August 19, 2020 By Kristen SansomLeave a comment

So I’m already breaking my rule of sharing my poems in order of most recent to not most recent because the next poems and pictures are ones I pulled out to give to family with June birthdays. We had a birthday gathering, which was really exciting given recent COVID-19 quarantines. I gave a magnet with a different poem and picture to my Dad, my brother, and my sister. I’ve decided to share those here and now because, why not?

Canyonlands November 2017

I dream

my celestial home

will be made of all the bits of heaven

I framed or forged

on this earth

even and especially

those nestled in

the barren desert passages

So. . . Find,

Find and Forge and Forge ahead

Your gems are waiting

to be collected, remembered, reborn, relived

Next . . .

I hope every childhood can have an Eden

A spiritual garden of wonder and innocence

A reference to remember and a hope to cherish

In the years to come

Lastly . . .

Morning Camp

Just beyond the ridge

The rising sun soaks the trees

I run to touch the golden light

But the elusive sun bounds one step ahead

Until, I finally stand still

Like a tree reflecting the sun

Feet in the shadow of the forest floor.

Then I returned home

to find the sun had found them too.

Take each moment as it comes

And treasure them as they are.

Remember that to find the sun

You don’t have to travel far.

Against The Odds (poem no.2)

On June 6, 2020June 8, 2020 By Kristen SansomLeave a comment

I feel the Spirit

Bitter-Sweet

Sweet through the bitter roots that bind

Pulsing, bursting swells wrapped in ties of sadness

Breaths of hope

and muddy swirls of color

Somehow saying, “This is important.”

Somehow saying, “Don’t give up.”

But not always.

Sometimes the Spirit comes

Surprising me with floods of light and warmth

That wash out everything else

And melt the iron sinews in my heart

Beats of breathless song

Before quietly setting me down to return to the grind

Of the bitter and the sweet

My Last 100 Photos

On June 5, 2020June 6, 2020 By Kristen SansomLeave a comment

There is something therapeutic about scrolling through my photo library grid. It is like having my life flash before my eyes and getting to see all the good parts. This is a scroll through the last two months of pictures that I’ve taken.

Now for 10 that really like out the 100

100 Ways

On May 30, 2020June 3, 2020 By Kristen Sansom1 Comment

VanGogh (poem no.1)

Beauty plants within me visions

Future Creations

Flash

Swell

then Linger

Who do they belong to?

If only they could be mine.

When does one know one’s worthiness

to commune with angels

whose prints cut deeper than the fossils

Will I teach him as he has taught me

Or is my mediocrity a preexisting

Many called . . .

Few chosen.

Sometimes I do not dare desire my dreams

All I can conclude is

There is no time nor space

to effort in comparison

Offering finds significance in the unique

My offering is mine.

Kristen Sansom

100 Ways is a journal, a personal pathway to creative recovery meant to be an inspiration to the artist in all of us. I am a mother of four and an artist. I studied theatre in college, receiving a B.F.A. in Acting. One of the reasons I love theatre is because it embraces multiple art forms. I also love photography, poetry, writing, singing, music, and teaching. I have an appreciation for design and film making. I have a choreographer’s heart but not a dancer’s training. Rather than calling myself a Jack of all trades and master of none, I prefer to call myself a Renaissance Woman.

The trouble is, after graduating from college with an lovely, cooperative 18 month old daughter in tow, my small family moved out of state and I embraced my time as a stay at home mother. Fast forward 15 wonderful, crazy hard, meaningful years and I’m still in about the same boat; having given much creativity to my family and my home and my community but also having hid my artistic fears behind my responsibilities. My artistic yearnings are not something I can forget, however. They are an important part of who I am.

The ideas behind this blog have been spinning in my brain all too long. Part of my inspiration is Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way. This is book of creative recovery that I’ve read the beginning of many times and I’m one day going to explore my way through her inspiring book and process. Another inspiration comes an episode of The New Creatives that aired on BYUtv. After interviewing cartoonist and illustrator Jake Parker and inspired by of creativity exercise of his, a challenge was given to make 100 somethings of your own. My first thought was I should record 100 monologues. I didn’t. But I’m doing 100 somethings now based off the art forms I love. While I haven’t recorded my first monologue yet, that is something you can look forward too.

Here is link to that episode of The New Creatives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=585&v=oqU47nyrxaY&feature=emb_title

My first 100 somethings are going to be works of curation. Curating my poetry and photography from my past in order to cultivate future creations. Ideas I have for 100 Ways are: monologues, poetry, photography and photographic essays, songs, short films, piano pieces, educational lessons, reading games, 100 pages of a play, etc. This is a continuous process of improvement and growth and projects will overlap each other. Though I am a big proponent of excellence, these postings are going to focus more on the creative flow and the explorative process.

I would love to see and hear about 100 Ways projects you are inspired to do!

Cannon Beach 2017 all rights reserved Kristen Sansom