Swish swish swish the water-dipped paint brush swipes across the paper surface—a blank one. Gentle sound to illuminate color. The art template provides a black line, an outline of an image—bird, tree, or orange—but is still void of color. Once the paint brush applies water, then the colors start to appear.
Remember these pictures that render invisible pattern to newly visible colorful design? Blog writing can be that paint brush. Click click click go the key board letters and scratch scratch scratch the pen on paper. And what surfaces are an ordinary day’s new pattern, color, and design.
Writer Zadie Smith posits that writing gives two chances—to live the original event and to relive through reflective nonfiction story. Living on Big Island Hawai'i gifts plenty thriving life, first, and next the blog story reveals. Like the paint brush on a blank canvas, once writing starts, I find, the reveals are unknown, writing as I go into mystery so discovery happens so prose builds.
What adventure awaits this lesbian mom raising her mixed-race African American and Caucasian 13-year-old son? Into food, film, and family I delve via talk-storying, a suggestion that the circuitous often has purpose. Otherwise known as not all who wander are lost. We have a set home in Kapaau, next to Hawi, two villages in the Kohala region.
Can crafting some prose and making some photography gift an emo-bounce in the day, maybe yours, a surprise laugh or cry that connects this writer and her reader? This is the grateful work I attempt now. But living in Hawai’i already rich enough, right? Who am I to live in Hawai’i and ask others for money? Preposterous, and I agree. Paradox, for sure, yet some life moments absolutely design you to go in a direction. And this one is mine, so my asking is from healthy humility.
If you wish for a direct response, do tell what’s on your mind: hawaiitalkstorying@gmail.com. And if you have an art project that requests a reciprocal donation, please ask. Seems impossible to quantify, yet reading Amanda Palmer’s book The Art of Asking or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help has taught me to seek “art patrons” as I go.
Annual gifting at $37 is the goal. The number three equates to three hopeful sides on a triangle, symbolic for balance, the geometry inside that peaceful. And seven implies each daily attempt to welcome a connecting week. Hence, $37.
And I leave this gentle ask as the minimum donation for one year's reading essays on the blog. With little to no debt, usually—the essays built are how I earn my “living,” meaning a generous life happens inside the joy of frugal anyway, simply that finances help for sure. So, I cobble a “salary” together based on donations. Whatever you gift is helpful abundance so mahalo nui loa for all generosity!
If you wish, send me a note: hawaiitalkstorying@gmail.com. ~Karolina
Mauna Kea began forming when lava spouted from the ocean floor one million years ago; over 800,000 years she took shape arriving to 32,700 feet tall. Many island energy lines emanate from her center and at the peak is earth’s clearest telescopic view of the space universes.
Karolina Garrett retains copyright to all prose and photos on this blog.