KALEIDOSCOPE*

The kaleidoscope image holds a special significance for me. The first gift I remember receiving was from my grandmother - my father's mother - Alice Crippen Brewer - when I was about five. Her present: a kaleidoscope! It was magical, whimsical, and I never tired of looking into the cylinder and seeing the endless combinations of colored glass or plastic, or jewels - as I imagined them.

The kaleidoscope became my metaphor. Bright colors, accessories, represent the real me, who is also the me I present to the world. The colors and patterns change, yet the effect is always luminous. Modest, aren't I?!!

In selecting a symbol to represent the spirit of PLORK (PLAY + WORK), the kaleidoscope became a natural choice.

The PLORKSHOP is a journey to help you access or connect with your Creativity. This process involves being open to see things in new ways, see things differently. Surely, the kaleidoscope is a reminder that new possibilities exist!

Plorking is a practice, and Plork exercises help you form new habits. It's a joyful process.

When I had a serious accident/fall in June, 2007 - six fractures - I decided in the emergency cubicle at Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, New York, that if I could find ways to Plork through this experience, I could Plork my way through anything.

My healing journey was a long one, but I did accessorize it with the spirit of Plork!

In the hospital, I had a wonderful pain-management doctor who assigned a tune to me to help him remember my name. My song was "Put Another Nickel In, In the Nickelodean" - made famous by Teresa Brewer - no relation! Every morning, Dr. Gary would whistle that tune as he approached my room on his rounds. When he found out I was a poet, Dr. Gary always took time to discuss different poets with me. He liked Robert Frost. So, I began each day in the hospital with music and poetry. PLORK!

I wanted a way to motivate myself to make the difficult transition from my hospital bed to my wheelchair to the sink in the early morning. With a broken shoulder and pelvis, this transition was slow, awkward, and painful. Plus, I'm not by nature a morning person, but in the hospital you have to be. I called my friend, Terry, who is an Arbonne consultant. Arbonne is a line of Swiss skincare products I like. Terry brought an orange travel kit with a cleanser, toner, eye cream, serum, day cream, etc to my hospital room, and placed it near my sink. Each morning, when I woke up, I saw that spot of bright orange and went for it! Sometimes, it took me a half hour or more to get there. My reward was a glowing face to offset my broken body. PLORK!

Once I got home from the hospital in mid-July - I also spent several weeks recuperating with friends - I faced an entire summer in my 3rd floor apartment, except for trips to physical therapy. This seemed dismal, when everyone else was outside enjoying the sunshine, vacations, etc. I decided to focus on decluttering my entire apartment, one item at a time. Three friends came over to help get me started, and then I was on my own. The result was very satisfying. Eliminating physical clutter eases the mind in so many ways. I also reviewed all my poetry and writing materials, which was a huge task. I focused on examining all my poems and putting together a new manuscript, which I am convinced led to my book, A Little Breast Music. When the editors of Passager Books - Kendra Kopelke and Mary Azrael - asked me in early 2008 if I had a new manuscript, I had it ready to put in their hands. PLORK!!

Plork works in all kinds of weather, time zones, and circumstances. My Plork Humanifesto is my lighthouse.

When life situations present challenges, try the PLORK approach. Look through your kaleidoscope, and shake gently.

*With gratitude to my friend, Bonnie Schupp, for the kaleidoscope image pictured here.

Me, Shirley, the Goddess

PLORKSHOP - JUNE IN BALTIMORE!

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Another PLORKSHOP on my June calendar!

Join me at the Village Learning Place (VLP) in Charles Village on Wednesday, June 24, from 6 - 7:30 PM.

PLORKSHOP: ACCESSorize YOUR CREATIVITY
(Plork = Play + Work)

Village Learning Place
2521 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218

$10 Admission - Includes dinner and open bar - NOT!!! Does include a copy of the
Plork Humanifesto!!!

You'll walk in at 6, feeling vaguely uncomfortable about various aspects of your life and your diminishing portfolio. You''ll walk out at 7:30, feeling like a pleasant tornado has whipped through and rejuvenated your spirit.

Trust me, Shirley, the Goddess

Contact me for more Plorkshop information, or to register:
shirley@apoeticlicense.com
410.279.5487 Cell

See post below - May 9 - Shirley's Creative Pursuits - for details about Annapolis Plorkshop on June 10, 2009, at Tara's Gifts

SHIRLEY'S CREATIVE PURSUITS

Since my graduation from the University of Baltimore with my Master's degree in Creative Writing/Publications Design in 2005, I've been searching for my creative niche in the universe.

I started my own small business, called POETIC LICENSE. Check out my Web site at www.apoeticlicense.com. I write amazing personalized poems, really mini-biographies on one page. These poems are crafted with great care. I interview the family/friends of the recipient to get the information I need about a person's life, and fashion 14-18 verses which capture the essence of that person. I've written poems for weddings, anniversaries, even funerals. I once wrote a poem for a dog named Thunder who was graduating from obedience school.

I print each Poetic License on beautiful ivory parchment paper. Usually, I add a border. Poetic License poems make excellent and unique gifts.

Poems for businesses are included in my repertoire. What better way than verse to focus on the mission statement for your small business. Stand out from the competition!!

Prior to my graduation from the University of Baltimore, I received the first-ever UB Creative Writing Award for Excellence in Plorking. Plork = play + work, and is the keystone of the creative writing program at UB.

I have created PLORKSHOPS, to help others access their creativity.

A Plorkshop is an interactive experience, and fun, but it is much more than entertainment. It is an ode to joy, a vehicle for transformation, and an enriching experience that reduces stress and provides new ways of being present and positve in the world. Plorking increases the flow of creativity. The Plorkshop is a way to see things differently. Participants each receive a copy of the Plork Humanifesto to help reinforce new ways of seeing. Plork exercises accessorize this experience.

I will be giving a mini-Plorkshop at Tara's Gifts at 10 Annapolis Street in West Annapolis on June 10, 2009.

I am collaborating with my friend, Karen Guay, on a venture called PORTRAITS IN WORDS. Picture a dual frame with a fine art photograph on the left, accompanied by a personalized poem on the right - beautifully matted and framed together. What a perfect gift that captures the essence of a person (or a pet) at a moment in time.

These adventures should be enough to keep me busy!! For more information on the above, see my Web site for POETIC LICENSE - www.apoeticlicense.com

For PLORKSHOPS or PORTRAITS IN WORDS, contact me at shirley@apoeticlicense.com, or call me at 410.279.5487.

All for now, Me, Shirley, the Goddess