So becoming a copywriter that reads on the bus commutes was a smart idea.
Via Mental_Floss
“Our study suggests that exercising your brain by taking part in activities such as [reading, writing, and playing with puzzles] across a person’s lifetime, from childhood through old age, is important for brain health in old age,” says study co-author Robert S. Wilson, PhD, senior neuropsychologist at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center.”
This past week, I spent time in New York City attending The Creativity Workshop. After getting the supplies list that included sketchbooks, I was a little nervous. Writing and cutting and pasting? I can handle that. But physically drawing objects, people, places?! I was insanely intimidated.
These drawing assignments challenged us to go out into the world, find someone and draw. Then after you were done drawing, you had to write a story. Either what they were going through at that specific moment in time, or their inner life. I found the writing part helped me shape my drawings. As I sat there thinking I had completed the drawing, all of a sudden I’d see something new from my story and need to add to the sketch.
That’s the number one lesson I’m taking from this course, that creativity is never finished. Even as the deadline hits and the pitch/concept goes out the door. Everything’s still a work in progress. Too often I think I look at that looming deadline as the be-all-end-all. And that the project, along with the ideas, just stop.
I’ve also learned to silence that inner critic of mine. That voice telling me as I’m typing, writing, creating to self-edit. It was hard at first to ignore it, but through loads of automatic writing, I’ve managed to quiet it down. After all, that’s what the editing’s process is for; why do double the work?
One of my favorite exercises was taking a blank piece of paper and just drawing lines and squiggles for about 10 minutes. All while you closed your eyes and held your pencil in a new way. It was extremely freeing and really challenged your imagination as you “remembered” where you’d already made lines. Then you opened your eyes and started to make sense of the squiggles by finding objects/shapes in the chaos. It was challenging at first as you forced yourself to make sense of it all, and then I found the more you just glance and scan, the easier it was to “see” something.
Our class was about 25 students from 12 different countries. It was insanely inspiring to hear the stories, the drawings and the thoughts of people I never would have had the opportunity to meet and collaborate alongside. And there was even another Hannah in the mix (from Saudi Arabia).
While I’m never really one for negative-based language, this was our mantra (from Samuel Beckett) throughout the class and it really did help me move past that inner critic that’s so used to being heard.
I have a select number of shows I simply cannot miss. But for the most part, I’m a-okay falling behind a few weeks and catching up on a cold, rainy Saturday/Sunday. Homeland is not one of them. If I miss it on a Sunday, I feel like I’m missing the most important news in the world.
If you haven’t heard of Homeland or watched it, it’s time. This show brings an intensity to Sunday nights you never knew you needed. I get so sucked into the plot lines and characters that I really think Abu Nazir is a terrorist out there and we’re trying to catch him. The minute you think you have the show figured out, you realize you don’t. The show continues to surprise and delight, even on its less thrilling episodes (note: that is practically an oxymoron).
But it’s not just the watching of the show I enjoy. Over on Grantland, Andy Greenwald writes thrilling recaps and analyses after every episode. It’s the highlight of my Monday to read and then discuss with BLB over afternoon coffee. As the second season wraps in 3 weeks, this Christmas/Winter season is the perfect time to catch up on the series. You must start from the beginning and I can assure you, when you have all the episodes at your disposal, it will be hard to walk away.
It’s television like this that makes me so happy and grateful there are Americans out there who could careless about the latest Real Housewives or MTV reality show. People appreciate the detailed, dramatic script peppered with some lightheartedness. And I for one, cannot get enough.
I always get nervous when I come across studies based on professions. Because I get it, I know my field is rough. It’s why 85% of girls at Kansas answered the “What’s Your Major” question with “Journalism!” I know the advertising and public relations fields were super competitive. Which is why I pseudo-switched what I wanted to do for a job. I knew I wanted to do something rooted in journalism, but I didn’t want to be a reporter. I hated writing. I needed other outlets and interactions with people while being allowed to dream up crazy things. Granted, I’m writing a ton, but I appreciate it now. And cannot imagine calling myself anything but a writer.
Came across this infographic and couldn’t help but smile. via The Grindstone
After a long hiatus (but not nearly as long as Mad Men‘s), 30 Rock graced the screen again. Amanda and I ordered takeout, uncorked some wine and enjoyed seeing Liz, Jack, Tracy, Jenna and Kenneth all together again. There’s just something about a comedy that you can comfortably watch with your parents, friends, partners, bosses, etc. The writing is just fantastic and it’s a show I’ve never been disappointed with, especially with all of the guest stars that just happen to swing by.
While watching, my friend LeBaron texted me saying “Um. The day is almost coming when I may think about comparing you to Liz Lemon…” It’s an honor many people have told me. Mainly because we both wear glasses, are funny, witty, completely comfortable with ourselves, have just bizarre dating stories and dance to our own beats. But as LeBaron pointed out, these aren’t the things that sealed the deal for him. “The dancing and spraining the ankle did something to contribute. And the joint pain medication.”
Could this be the season Liz finds love while dealing with arthritic joints?
Taking a key from a lyric The Head and the Heart‘s song Coeur D’Alene, I’m finally taking the plunge and doing this. After hearing some kids talk about it after the Film Festival last year, I, Hanna E Soltys will make the grand attempt to turn out 50,000 words this November as part of the annual National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as the kids call it.
I thought, sure 50,000 words? No problem! That breaks down to less than 2k words every day. And after actually telling people I was doing this, did it only dawn on me that holy crap, that’s a lot of words. That’s a ton of words. And this is a short month. And Jayhawk basketball season starts. And there’s Thanksgiving.
But I’m confident, I’ll be able to do this. After doing some serious reading the past month, I have just one more book to read to get to my goal. Which means there’s one thing out of the way. And the weather in Chicago promises to turn at any. So what better way to spend the days indoors than with some tea, great tunes (courtesy of THATH and Explosions in the Sky) and thousands upon thousands of words? I can handle that.
This challenge is about quantity over quality, which is something I have a hard time dealing with. I’m someone who likes to write and edit. Or edit while writing. I see this solely as an exercise feat. A massive one.
Aside from this challenge, I’ll also be running my first sanctioned running event since the age of 12 and the Point Eagles Cross Country days. Maggie and I decided this past week that after living with arthritis for five years, it’s time to celebrate my journey with the disease and participate in the 5K Jingle Run for the Arthritis Foundation. 5K isn’t much. But it’s a lot when it takes a while to get out of bed in the morning. I’ve got co-werkers and friends and dear loved ones running alongside me and encouraging me every step of the way as I go from brisk walker to runner again.
I blame the book My Year With Eleanor where author Noelle took on a challenge every day for a year.
Whatever have I got myself into? It doesn’t matter. Because my mind’s made up, I’m doin’ this, I’m doin’ this with you.
After befriending a musician and Celia getting booked to werk the Treasure Island Music Fest, fate dealt some sweet cards and I was on my way to the west coast for 48 hours. Where I had a weekend full of first times.
-First trip to San Francisco
-First time navigating a new city without a map
-First time eating and drinking total German cuisine at Suppeküche
-First time walking up “hills” and being completely out of breath
-First time having a rooftop party that felt like a movie
-First time hanging with Kacee in America (Dublin reunion 4 years in the making)
-First time at a Music Festival
-First time movin’ and groovin’ in the Silent Disco (San Fran calls them “Silent Friscos”)
-First time using a sewing machine to create a beer koozie in the arts & crafts tent
-First time on a Ferris Wheel that was so old-school, it didn’t have a cage around it keeping you in
-First time getting a haircut on an island. At a music festival
And the big one:
-First time I bought a journal and started writing my book. While gazing at the Pacific Ocean.
Needless to say, I’m in love with San Francisco. And leaving was horrible. The music fest wasn’t too bad to boot either.
Exciting news! I’ve been selected to contribute write-ups for The 47th Chicago International Film Festival! I’ll be watching films billed for the festival and writing synopses and summaries for the schedule (what the public reads to determine what film they’ll see) and for the program guidebook (a 200-page book with a deeper summary of the films).
While this is quite exciting, it’s extremely daunting to take on while working full-time, seeing as you have to watch the films. And I’m going to have to take a break from the blogging world to devote to the films. Which is proving difficult seeing as I want to shout from the rooftops about the latest film I just wrote up and how much I loved it and the music and the actors and the script. Sigh.
Epic posts towards the end of September with my preview guide. Until then, my silence is golden. I’ll occasionally post about life and what not, but just a heads up for you loyal readers, it’ll be a quiet end to summer and beginning to fall.
I love Ireland and I love writing notes. I’ve always wanted to send a message in a bottle and see where it would go, who would find it and how long it would take. But I’m fearful of creeps out there. And I’m afraid I would just be way too antsy and I don’t need that kind of anxiety. But if my bottle heads to Ireland?! Sign. Me. Up.
After a 16-month journey from Florida, a bottle finally landed on the coast of Ireland. A high school in Florida did this as an experiment to test ocean currents and the Gulf Stream flows. Totally cool. Though I fear if Oakville did this, the bottle would not have fared well on the good ‘ole Mississippi.
Hanna (Non)Tana 