Sunday, March 27, 2016

Refocusing



In an effort to get more of my thoughts centered, to better focus and articulate my why's and how's of kitsuke, I'm making an concerted effort to participate in April's "Blogging from A to Z" challenge. The goal is one post for every day in April (with Sundays off 'for good behavior' as they say) centered around a common theme, as chosen by the blogger.

To meet this challenge, I plan on spending the month of April writing about motifs. Floral, geometric and 'man-made' motifs all crop up in my collection and I spend a good portion of my time thinking about what pairs well with which and why. Most motifs, especially the floral ones, have very specific connotations for mood, intention, or season, as well as personal inspirations that may have nothing to do with any of those; all good fodder for a month of blog entries.

As this is an 'A to Z' blog challenge, I must recognize (and hope that you may forgive) that there are going to be some inconsistencies in how I come up with my daily titles. The fact of the matter is, there are some letters that don't exactly occur in the Japanese language structure, as well as a lot of words with similar beginning sounds (I had no trouble coming up with at least three different topics for 'A' if I was going just by the Romanization of the word). To that end, you will be seeing a mix of Romanized Japanese terms, as well as the English translation of those terms so that I can get through the month with minimal frustration.

There are still a few days before the challenge begins in earnest, and I suspect I shall be filling my time with plotting out my entries and doing a bit of research. Until then, I leave you with a teaser: the April 1st post will be on Asanoha (or Ajisai. Or Ayame. I haven't decided yet, but I have a few days, right?).