liebsterDear friends, when I started Light Stories in January 2015 I had no concept for how to go about putting content on the blog. I just wanted to post my work as regularly as I can and thereby create a narrative of my creative journey. Well, I have done that and I am doing that, and it makes me really proud to find that Light Stories is prospering. So much so that is has only just received its second Liebster Award!* The fabulous Birgit Winter from Winter Art selected this blog, for which I am highly grateful. Thank you, Birgit! Liebster is a German word and means ‚most favourite‘. The award’s goal is to make high-quality but little-known blogs more widely known. This is why there are a couple of questions attached to the award which the winner is invited to answer. Birgit asked intriguing questions; here are my answers:

1. Which living person is  kind of a hero for you? I have two: Richard Sennett who is a top-notch sociologist and musician who plays in an orchestra at the same time, and James Gurney who inspires me with his tireless plein-air painting approach to most subjects. To my utter dismay, I cannot come up with a heroine. I do greatly admire Carol Marine and the writer Elizabeth Gilbert, but somehow the notion that they might be heroines jars with the way in which I appreciate their work. But they inspire me too.

2. Which trait do you admire most with other people? I’d have to say honesty and courage, or the courage to be honest. Both are connected with authenticity for me. So what I most admire is having the courage to honestly be oneself in all sorts of situations. I find that really hard!

3. Which characteristic would you excuse easiest? Mistakes people make out of insecurity. I am pretty insecure myself and am constantly working on getting over that, so I understand if someone can’t be as good as they are as a person because they lack faith in themselves.

4. If you could only read one author’s work for the rest of your life, who would you choose? Oh, that’s a tough one. I would really try to avoid ever having to make that choice but if that’s how it was I’d choose Marilynne Robinson. I have read all her novels and one volume of essays by her (Absence of Mind). Her work is erudite and humble at the same time, her language is timeless and poetic and her mind is so astute it’s simply impressive. And she deals with a lot of the topics in her work which trouble me/keep me engaged.

5. What’s your favorite tool in your art supply stash? Another tricky question; I’d have to go with a pencil, any pencil because my painting wouldn’t be anything at all without drawing. Sure, I could draw with other tools too, and I do, but I mostly draw – meaning: make preliminary sketches and value studies – with a pencil.

6. What is the last book you read and really liked? The last one I finished is Lila by Marilynne Robinson. This book is laden with powerful language and imagery, and it’s heart-breakingly beautiful. I am close to finishing The Signature of all Things by Elizabeth Gilbert.

7. Which are the three music albums you would choose if you could take only these with you on a lonely island? I’m not really a music person so I would probably forget to take any music at all. Having said that – and trying to be honest at the risk of embarrassing myself – I would not want to live without Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Nirvana’s Nevermind and Phil Collins Greatest Hits. (But see 9. below.)

8. Do you prefer sweet or salty? Sweet 🙂

9. Why did you start to blog, was there a special moment or event? I started this blog because I had the strong urge to enter into conversations about painting. Albeit I was a member of a painting group at the time, I couldn’t really delve into the topics I was interested in with my peers, and so I thought that I’d have to find conversation partners elsewhere. The blogosphere was the obvious venue for that. I post my new paintings pretty much as soon as they are presentable and it really makes a difference for me to receive feedback on them. Also, I get heaps out of seeing other creators‘ art and reading about their journeys. I couldn’t do without any of this! If I had to choose between taking music or blogging to that island with me, I’d take blogging 🙂

10. If money wouldn’t count, what would you like to do? Pretty much the same as I do now, thankfully. I’d tweak a few parameters but nothing too extraordinary.

(* Click this link in order to check out the first ever award which Light Stories has received. The entry is in German.)

This was it! Now I have to come up with 10 questions and nominate blogs which I read regularly and which I really like. For the rules which are attached to the Liebster Award are these:

  • Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.
  • Copy and paste the Liebster Award badge to your post.
  • Nominate up to 10 new bloggers.
  • Answer the 10 questions the person who nominated you asked you.
  • Create 10 new questions to ask the bloggers you nominated.
  • Copy and paste the rules to your post.
  • Notify the bloggers you have nominated by leaving them a comment on their blog.

My questions are:

  1. If you had to explain to a Martian who you are, what would you say?
  2. Which creative hobbies or activities have you pursued in your life so far?
  3. What would a perfect day look like for you?
  4. What are your thoughts on work-life balance?
  5. If money didn’t matter, what would you change about your life and the role of creativity in it?
  6. When did you start your blog, and was there a special moment or event which inspired you to do that?
  7. Do you share all of your work on your blog or only the very best pieces?
  8. Do you think makers and/04 artists have a special function for society?
  9. Does your creative work have a function in your life?
  10. What was the nicest experience you ever had in relation to the creative pursuits you blog about?

I nominate the following bloggers for the Liebster Award:

Laura from CreatearteverydayTori from CreativeEchoes
Rachel Murphee
The Wilden Marsh Blog