Monday, October 26, 2009

When Ordinary Art is Extraordinary

I’ve been on a cyber journey for the past two months – seeking out interesting and exciting blogs to populate my link list and to inspire me in writing.

I looked to ‘writing’ focused blogs and found a lot of highly motivated American mom/writers who get up every day and fold the laundry, pack the kids lunches, and find the ‘me’ time somewhere to work on their books. They talk of WIPs and ‘Me Time Thursdays’ and I feel small and excluded like junior high at recess…

I looked into funny blogs – the witty ones who’s authors think of all the cute titles for their followers and have one liners to fit all life’s day to day drone. They leave me feeling amateur and ill-equipped to comment. They are outside the world of the PC moms, a world I like but am afraid to join.

I stumbled upon racial focused blogs and made my small comments amidst those filled with angst and resentment.

I even went over to the development bloggers – those who represent a past in me that I have yet to analyse and deconstruct. Hence I am skeptical and dismissive yet still drawn to their experiences and perspective. Yet there too I am an outsider. I loathe projects and funding and all the industry entails.

I am an expat now – and looked to this group as well. The expat bloggers. I joined some sites, linked some great blogs. It is here I relate best to what is written, to the experiences and outlook.

In my search I have found some great people, sites, inspiration.

But I have been false in my intentions and I have been led astray. By the desire to fit somewhere, to get a blog award with a pretty tea cup on the picture and post it proudly on my blog, from an appreciative ‘blogger friend’. It is addictive this linking and commenting and creating of a network.

But it is not why I started to blog. It has nothing to do with the powerful gut deep desire to express, to write, to create. To share genuinely what I have to share.

And that is why today’s post is a dedication. To a blogger I randomly found, who has truly inspired me and made me regret my hours making small comments around the blogosphere.

This is a woman in a small corner of the web, in a small town somewhere, who has not been blessed with a perfect life or millions of friends and followers. But she is a true writer. She is the essence of the word. She is a great, a classic, undiscovered.

I feel like I’ve been busking and found the hidden diamond. I am torn between sharing and not. But it is not for me to hold her writing to my heart alone. After all, art is like life and should be shared, opened up and appreciated.

Her name is Kelly and the site is humbly called Ordinary Art.

Please read and digest the beauty and talent you find there. Real self-giving words that grace the page in a way I can only dream of. Share the link to this site. Send her a blog award. Or not. But she deserves recognition and a broader audience and I felt compelled today to do my little part.

Kelly – thank you for genuine inspiration and a glimpse of your beautiful soul.
Thanks For Making This Possible! Kindly Bookmark and Share it.

Technorati Digg This Stumble Stumble Facebook Twitter

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am speechless and sobbing. Sobbing without sound in the break room at work. No one has ever said something as lovely and kind as this about me. And, to be noticed by another writer. This is such a heady thing.
Let's meet for caramels. Let's have long e-mail chats. I'm here anytime you have the time.
Thank you. Truly.

Natalie said...

I LOVED the fact that you chose Kelly, I also think her work is great.

Well done, very well done.

Susan Lindgren said...

Kelly is an amazing talent and person. When I first read her blog months ago I was intimated, I really thought she would never talk to little ole' me. Sometime you meet people with with great talent and they have an ego to match- NOT Kelly. She is, for lack of better words, very down-to-earth.
You don't find people, in this small world we created, that are so extremely talented, raw, funny and most of all honest-
An acknowledgment that is WELL deserved.

The pale observer said...

Well Kelly - you will see that it's not just me!! I am just honestly recognizing an amazing talent and you have it!!! WITHOUT the ego to match.

More power to you for writing it all down with such poetic skill :)

Megan said...

I agree. Kelly's blog is awesome.

Stacey J. Warner said...

This was a wonderful post...I look forward to going to her blog and reading. Thank you for being generous and sharing what you found.

Much love,
-stacey

Jurgen Nation said...

I met Kelly by accident, by good fortune. A blogger I've known and loved for a while happens to be a prolific Twitterer and when I was just starting out he introduced me to Kelly because he thought we would really fit. And I can't speak for her, but I felt an immediate kinship, a warmth I've found in few people and even fewer on the internet. She is friendly and genuine and there doesn't appear to be a bad bone in her body, except when it's bad in the good kind of way, i.e., you know she's a hell of a person with whom to have a cocktail and snarkfest.

I've only "known" Kelly for about three weeks now but I feel that I've known her for years and that we've kept up this entire time. She's real, she's funny, and one of the things I love most about her is that she doesn't try to be perfect or "popular" or do any of the other bullshit that so many other bloggers do to get noticed. She's noticed for being who she is and that's pretty fucking awesome. As is she.

What a great idea to write something about someone who moved you so. Beautifully written and a beautiful tribute to an amazing person and writer.

180360 said...

I have no idea where I fit in the blogging world either but I too discovered Kelly about two weeks ago and was totally blown away by her writing ability. She was exactly what I've been missing in my blog reader.

Anonymous said...

I love the way this post is written and will definitely check her out. Blogging means a lot to people and I'm almost certain she appreciates the recognition

Jenn Jilks said...

I'm with you. I do so loathe the cups and flowers and 'awards'. I prefer, these days, to do Shout Outs. I cannot stand competition. We all have value. We all ahve worth.

If I find an interesting thought,rant, idea, I will link to it and write about it.

It is in the writing that you improve, in the writing about your thinking that you clarify thought.

My goal, as a blogger, was to share my world with my kids. My daughter reads my blog over lunchtime! I have a few followers, and that is a fun thing. Visiting them lets me open up my world.

This is a lovely dedication, and a great blog, as is yours!

Unknown said...

I agree, Kelly's blog is well worthy of recognition, yet in my humble opinion, as is yours.

You have given me a huge amount of pleasure both in outstanding photos of your travels and thought provoking posts.

I will, however, be following Kelly as well though :)

Harlem's A Hatin said...

Wow, absolutely amazing!!!!

http://harlemshaterade.blogspot.com

kathryn said...

Holly,
This was so sweet of you to write such a tribute to your fellow blogger. She is a gifted writer and I see what you see in her.

I'm glad we've found each other....I hope you'll come back and visit me again sometime. You should NOT feel like an outsider at my place! I would NEVER want that!

Jett said...

I found Kelly's blog several weeks ago and lurked around on the edges for a bit before leaving any sort of comment.

Not long after that, I found myself in need and putting out a (somewhat rare) call for help. Kelly was the person who responded, and she did so with immediacy and without reservation. She answered my very pointed questions, did not infringe on any sense of privacy, and trusted me with her digits, all in the space of a few minutes.

Her input was invaluable, her generosity was unselfconscious and her compassion was immediately evident.

In short, I'm pretty sure I made me a friend and I'm damned tickled about it.

mangotree said...

thank you for this wonderful link, kelly's blog is really inspiring

Miss Angie said...

She is amazing! Thank you for sharing! It's all so beautiful!

Lothiriel said...

I will be checking her out as well. I love to read blogs.

Kajsa Hallberg Adu said...

Thanks for the tip! I guess we ghanabloggers need to look outside our boarders sometimes... speaking of ghanablogging.com, we meet this Thursday at 6.30 pm at Smoothies in Osu, any chance you can come?

The pale observer said...

Will definitely try! I'm actually in town (til the weekend) so hope to make it :)

DL Hammons said...

I've added the both of you to my reader! Not only do I believe I can learn how to become a better writer from absorbing both of your thoughts, I'm also moved by them.

Thank you so much for finding me!

The pale observer said...

Thanks DL!!! New cyber friends are great. Hope to be doing much mutual reading :)

julochka said...

i love to read your reasons for blogging. i think we all have our own and i too remember all the places i searched for blogs i could connect with. and it took awhile. i found those crafty mom blogs both inspiring and really disheartening, because they're such a clique and you so cannot break in. tho' i am arguably a crafty mom, i just don't read those anymore.

anyway, i'm glad you found your way to my blog and left me (several!) comments...because that's the way i find the best blogs these days.

Anonymous said...

I inclination not acquiesce in on it. I think precise post. Especially the designation attracted me to study the whole story.

Anonymous said...

Amiable fill someone in on and this fill someone in on helped me alot in my college assignement. Gratefulness you as your information.

Blog Widget by LinkWithin

Say something! Ramble a bit...

Visitor counter from June 5th, 2008


website counter
Writing Community