Hello Jazz Lovers,
Last year, I posted pictures from the Jazz Age Lawn Party that happened in New York (Governor’s Island) in the hopes that I would remember to attend this year. But alas, I missed it again. This time, I am putting it in my calendar a year ahead of time so I will be ready next year. In the meantime, here are some of the inspiring photos I found after scouring the web to see what the attendees of this year’s party were up to:
I created a new blog header for Notes on the Jazz Age:
What do you think? It took me a few hours to set up the “photo shoot” (if you can call it that) and to take a ridiculous amount of photos. I have always loved black and white photography, and I have vowed to learn as much as possible about it through trial and error and studying the methods of others. I also used this image to create business cards; it is perfect timing too because I only have five cards left with my old blog header.
In addition to learning photography, I have decided that I need to learn to draw. I signed up for a six-week class at the museum in Boston. We shall see how it all turns out. You will definitely see the fruits of my labor because I plan to share my experiments with photography and drawing on this blog. I would love to illustrate my stories in the future. Being a visual person, I have always been drawn to books which incorporate visuals and words.
I just shared a few of my creative adventures. Have you tried something totally new and creative lately? If so, I would love to hear about it.
I survived the winter in New England…barely. I have not felt like doing much of anything except staying in the house, eating, and watching a disturbing amount of cooking shows (meals I will never attempt to make myself because I hate cooking). Well, I did read and write poetry, so I guess you could say I was somewhat productive. As always, I found some great people and places to share with you.
#1 = Wellspring House
This lovely carriage is called Wellspring House, and it is located in Amherst, MA. I was fortunate to stay here for a week to work on my writing project. This six room house is owned by a retired English professor who wanted to provide an affordable place for artists to get away from their busy lives and work. In addition to having a cozy room with a large wooden desk to work, guests are able to utilize the kitchen, library, and meditation room. I enjoyed conversing with the other house guests when we happened to cross paths in the kitchen. I also explored the little town, which included a hardware store which also serves as a sort of convenience store (they serve ice cream and other things you might expect to find at a gas station) and a charming, one room library which was only open three days a week during very odd hours. My time at Wellspring was productive and relaxing – I highly recommend treating yourself to a retreat such as this if you get the opportunity. Although, you should make sure it looks like the picture above instead of like this…
…which is exactly how it looked while I was there. I forgot to mention that we were also able to use the fireplace, and I sidled up to it with a book as often as possible. Check it out here http://www.wellspringhouse.net Continue reading
Over the Christmas break, I read Tilar J. Mazzeo’s engaging biography “The Secret of Chanel No. 5”. I am conducting research for my novel which includes a perfumer during the 1920s, so this book provided fantastic information about the industry and how Chanel No. 5 became a cultural icon of both the past and present. I wanted to share some of the fascinating facts I learned about this delectable perfume with all of you.
The heart of Coco Chanel’s style arises from her time spent at the orphanage called Aubazine in France, a Cistercian order which prized simplicity, cleanliness, and purity. The monks also used perfumes and ointments in prayers and rituals of purification. Although she was deeply unhappy there as a child, she carried it with her always because it was essentially her first home.
Photo Courtesy of http://www.lefigaro.fr
Photo courtesy of Central Home/Pinterest
My writing habits got woefully off track this summer. I wrote….some, but the weather was just soooo nice, and we had suuuch a hard winter that I just had to get outside, and there was just soooo much to do, and I neeeeded a break. Is my whining working yet? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Although I didn’t get as much writing done as I would have liked to this past summer, there is one ritual I maintained even during the most enticing days of summer – I woke up at least an hour and a half early to have time to myself before my day started. During that time, I would at least write my morning pages (for the uninitiated, morning pages are three pages of stream of consciousness freewriting proposed by Julia Cameron). The great thing about these pages is that they let me know what I am thinking about writing, reading, experiences, my responsibilities, and just life in general. The thoughts are not always fun or productive and sometimes they lead absolutely nowhere, but more often than not, they yield solid ideas for taking action. For example, I have written about needing to write more in my recent morning pages, and my exploration yielded the following actions to try:
1. Use morning pages to write about my current project to get my mental juices flowing
2. Work on one project during that time (I always have more than one writing project in play to keep me from getting bored)
3. Read something for inspiration everyday
4. Plan/schedule an artist date once per week (this is another suggestion of Julia Cameron’s – to do something fun once a week by yourself for at least two hours to inspire your inner artist; I’ve been doing this off and on for about three years, and it has changed my life)
5. Make time to just think (this is to remind myself to just be still and take time for daydreaming or pondering ideas I find intriguing)
6. Meditate before bed (while I used to enjoy doing this as part of my morning routine, it takes too much time away from my writing – I’ve decided to try flipping it to bedtime)
In case you are interested in learning more about Julia Cameron’s suggestions to do morning pages and artist dates, I have included her website http://juliacameronlive.com/ (there are two videos under the tab about the artist’s way video program).
These are the tips I have come up with so far to get my writing back on track. What tips and tricks do you use to keep yourself writing on a regular basis?
I attended a Jazz Age Lawn Party at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA, and it was the bees knees! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist) As you can see, I dressed up for the occasion and so did everyone else. I truly felt like I was experiencing a lovely afternoon in the 1920s because everyone was dressed to impress, live jazz was playing, and people were dancing the Charleston and Lindy Hop. You can see the grand old estate in the background. The lawn extends along a grand alley all the way to the ocean. I will be posting more pictures of the inside of the Crane Estate from a house tour I attended, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy these pictures. I wish you all could have been there!
I have decided to start posting about my writing life on this blog as well. As a writer, I have quite an active life – for instance, here is a sample of the activities I participate in outside of blogging and working full-time:
I will definitely continue to post content related to the Jazz Age; this is my first passion and the reason I started this blog in the first place. Now, I will just be expanding upon this and offering you more to love. I tried creating separate menu items for these categories on my main page, but I did not like the fact that “pages” are static on WordPress (very difficult to add posts to these static pages). If the content will be based on current topics relevant to my writing life, I will label them as “On Writing”, “On Reading”…. you get the picture. If the content will be related to the 1920s, I will continue to post as usual. I attended a lot of festive events this past summer, so you will be seeing quite a few posts over the coming weeks.
I decided to compile all of my great finds for the month for your perusing pleasure! I included the pictures and the links (please let me know what you think if you check any of these out):
Salmagundi http://salmagundiboston.com
Salmagundi, a better name would probably be “hat nirvana”, is a wonderful little shop in Jamaica Plain with a BIG selection of hats (about 12,000). I spent a few pleasant hours in the shop – the shopkeepers were friendly and attentive, they served champagne, and their mission was simple: to find me the best hat to suit my tastes, face, and lifestyle. I ended up choosing a straw cloche with a black and white gingham hat band; I have worn it twice, and received no less than 20 compliments on each of the occasions I have sported it. Mission accomplished!
The Hot Sardines http://hotsardines.com
I had the pleasure of hearing The Hot Sardines perform with The Boston Pops Orchestra, and I have been an avid fan ever since. Not only do they play jazzy, New Orleans style music from the 20s, 30s, and 40s, but they also have their very own tap dancer to complement their music. I purchased one of their CDs at the performance, but I am sure I will purchase more – they are available on their website.
Photo Courtesy of Emily’s Vintage Visions
The Roaring Twenties Lawn Party at Castle Hill http://tinyurl.com/km36v5j
This lawn party will take place on August 3rd at Castle Hill in Ipswich, MA, and I can’t wait to go! There will be music, dancing, food, vintage vendors, and antique cars – this event is going to be beyond fun. Did I mention how excited I am?
Photo from Bohemians: A Graphic History
Bohemians: A Graphic History http://tinyurl.com/pru5x3g
I purchased this book as soon as I saw it – who knew you could make a graphic novel about influential artists from the past? I am about halfway through the book and I am impressed by what I have read and seen so far: stories about Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, and Josephine Baker among others. My favorite excerpt has been about Oscar Wilde on a tour circuit; it seems that he helped to lay the ground work for author readings as we know them today with his discussions about the ideas presented in his books. Maria Popova did a wonderful job of summarizing the content of this graphic novel, so please check out the link for more information.
Photo courtesy of boredom.md.com
I just spent some time pouring over pictures of this year’s Jazz Age Lawn Party at Governor’s Island in New York, and I have to say, I really hate that I missed this one! Besides the lovely suits and dresses donned by participants, there were vintage vendors, picnicking on the lawns, and entertainment in the form of dancers and big bands. Basically, it seemed like Gatsby nirvana! There are some other opportunities to get in on these type of fun events if you missed this party – there are two twenties themed events coming to the North Shore of Massachusetts on July 27th:
Roaring Twenties Lawn Party (Ipswich, MA)
http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/northeast-ma/summer2014-1049.html
Concours d’Elegance (Beverly, MA)
http://www.endicott.edu/Concours.aspx
In the meantime, I am posting lots of pictures to keep you occupied until the real events happen. Enjoy! Continue reading
I took some time to watch “Amelia” today, the movie about the brave aviatrix Amelia Earhart. It inspired me to look up information on another aviatrix who is not as well-known but who was no less brave, Bessie Coleman. They both started flying around the same time, 1920-1921, but being black, Bessie did not receive the same level of recognition as Amelia. Her story is just as inspiring – here are some fast facts about Bessie:
Primary Resource: Doris L. Rich, Queen Bess: Daredevil Aviator (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993).
For more information on Bessie, check out this website: http://www.bessiecoleman.com/default.html
Adelle Circa 1920 