We had the second Hubbard Hall Writer’s Workshop last night and it was a wonderful experience for me – some great ideas bubbling up from very focused and committed people. Mostly, we had to get past the usual stuff about people feeling worthless about themselves and their work, part of our culture, I think, that spreads like an infection. People seem to need to feel that only the very few can be creative in the same way that people need to feel that dogs can speak and think the way we do.

For me, part of the awakening of any creative person is seeing that this is not so. None of these people are dumb, worthless or lack creativity. Why do they think so? To be creative, this idea must be purged. There are no wannabees, people who create and people who don’t.  One of the great ideas touched my heart, and was from Christine Glade, who also happens to be my photo instructor. Like me, she believes buildings speak and she hears their stories in her head and takes photos of them. A great story for our book on rural life. I talk to buildings all the time, and they talk to me, like this milkhouse in my back yard that I often visit at dawn. I close my eyes, it tells me stories of people, places, other times, loss and commerce and family life. Thanks for listening to me, it says. I hear you too.