Communications – Page 39 – For the Archives

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Jessica Dofflemyer · 8 Comments

Story to Tell

In less than three months, I will be one of 15 participants to attend a writing workshop with author Cheryl Strayed, perhaps, best known for her New York Times Bestselling memoir “Wild.”

courtesy of www.cherylstrayed.com — courtesy of http://www.cherylstrayed.com

The theme of the workshop is “The Story You Have to Tell.” Last night, I received an email from the coordinator with a gentle reminder about our pending gathering. Butterflies in my stomach quickly sank to leaden dread.

I am not excited, because I feel like a mess.

The story you have to tell…the story you have to tell…what’s the story I have to tell?

I seek, but do not find.

This morning I look within, searching for the smallest smattering of words to click upon the screen of my sporadic blog. My well is empty with echo.

Instead of prose at 5am, I’m sending RSVP’s to sixth-grade, birthday party E-vites. Emailing teachers about forms required for school events. Tracking shipment details on a Halloween mask we hope will make it to the post office before the 31st.

I do not feel wild.

I feel domestic.

This is not the worst thing in the world, by far. But it feels like death to an artist.

I question all.

Yet, I will keep seeking.

Three months to find a story that matters.

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Jessica Dofflemyer · 3 Comments

So Old It’s New

“Whoa! That’s crazy!”

This is the common exclamation among Jeb’s 11-year old friends, when he decides to wow them with our family record player.

They’ve never seen vinyl. They have absolutely no clue as to how to put the needle on the record. They gather around as if observing something from outer space. Full of intrigue and gasping in amazement, they look at the turntable with as much awe as the most high-tech device they’ve only Googled about.

“But how does it work?” they ask, bewildered. “How does the sound just come off of that black disc?”

For them, it’s been a digital world most of their lives. Music libraries stored on a computer, playlists added and deleted to an iPad or smart phone. Seeing something tangible, technology that can be held in their hands, (particularly something that’s not cold and silver), is a foreign experience.

When I liken the vinyl record to a compact disc they start to grasp the concept of a recording being “pressed” to a medium that can playback.

“That’s so cool!”

I think so too.

Technology so old, it’s new.

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Jessica Dofflemyer · 1 Comment

Functional Art

This bench sits just beyond the steps that lead to a cathedral, not far from Nerudova street, in Prague.

Judging from the litter of butts below, it seems many have enjoyed the irony of leaning into a devilish tail just outside a sanctimonious doorway.

One of many things I appreciate about Czech, and it is particularly shown in Prague, is the painstaking dedication to artful function.

What is pictured here is not just a seat, it’s a work of art…upon which you may sit.

The same is true for the very path where it rests. Each cobblestone was carefully placed, square by square. And not just one color, mind you. But multiple colors, laid with an intentional pattern to be conveyed. All done, long before computer-generated imaging and machinery.