Mission Creep

This is a short vertical video carrying a scratchy dark noir island dispatch from Nan in which she’s graphically and symbolically dressed in an unofficial but also official pilot’s hat. This video was uploaded to 4seasonshelf channels/profiles on multiple social media platforms with audio added in from each platform. The video itself was created in Canva using a mobile video template selected for its mood and aesthetic.

When you begin, there’s the idea, an inspiration, a fluttering of the heart?

Then a path appears, so you take it.

Next thing you know, you’re signaling to merge onto a superhighway.

How did that happen?

It might be mission creep.

Nan, what are you talking about?

Mission creep. Wow will you look at that view!

Poetry of Love?

As Canadian wildfire smoke turned skies orange way down here in the Outer Lands Archipelago, I wrote love poems…

TikTok video of Stolen Moment, one of the first poems
in the poetry collection Hold Me Tight.

Why A Poem?

At our wedding, our best man advised us to follow the KISS principle: keep it simple stupid — the shortest speech in the history of weddings. Now that we’ve had a lot of time to think about it, that was darn good advice for a twenty-something guy to give.

And now, what could be simpler than a poem?

And did you know, poetry is alive and well? So I thought I’d give it the old college girl try.

Immediately yes! I loved it. I’m a pen and paper note taker, a list writer, a scrapper, a note hoarder. My entire career thus far has been about making stuff up, fitting it into impossibly small spaces, and broadcasting it.

More Love

You’ve probably heard some version of the Cherokee legend in which an elder uses a story of two wolves to explain to a child how to choose a course of action. One wolf is FEAR and the other LOVE, the one we feed is the one that will survive.

In that vein, I started a new project early in the summer of 2023 — a series of love poems — to be dedicated to my husband of more than three decades. I carried around a notebook almost everywhere I went. When I got an idea, I jotted it down. When time allowed, I worked poems out like word puzzles.

I kept the poems short to make them easier to read and share.

Before long, there were a dozen poems. I started setting them up as a collection of love poems in a 6x9” book format using Canva. I created a black and white photo collage illustration for each poem. Each poem got its own two-page spread.

As I finished poems, I added them to the book. By Labor Day weekend, I had 36 poems. That was a good place to stop, I decided. When you’re the decider, you can decide anything!

With the world burning, I wanted to give love more oxygen in my life.

I played around with the title, subtitle, description, and cover design. I researched key words and categories. I added the dedication to Cary and a copyright page, the inside title pages and the acknowledgements — and a couple of About pages.

Cover reveal

So here is the final cover:

Can you spot the typographical error?… I’ve decided to keep it there lol, at least for now. And also to give my inner perfectionist a chance to relax.

Going Wide, Going Global

I purchased a bundle of ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) from Bowker and published the book as a paperback on Amazon, as a hard cover on Ingram Spark (which offers it to independent bookstores, libraries, and other retailers), and as an ebook on Draft2Digital.

The book is now available on a wide range of platforms all around the world. That’s cause for a celebration right there! No?

Draft2Digital offers a nice thing called a Universal Book Link on its sister platform Books2Read. Using one link, you can direct readers to get the book in all of its formats wherever they get books around the world. I’m slowly building those links… Here is the UBL for my book of love poems, Hold Me Tight.

Time & Money

This little poetry collection took six months to conceive and bring to this point. It’s been a labor of love! The main investment was my time and focus, which I borrowed from my loved ones a day at a time.

How Print on Demand Works

Print-on-demand publishing is free for authors who can create, edit and produce their own books and upload them. Only when someone orders the book is it printed/produced. The author sets the book’s price and receives royalties from any sales. There is no up front print cost.

Sharing Poetry

I’ve definitely been dragging my feet about sharing the book, even though I feel pretty good about its contents. As the lion in The Wizard of Oz said, “C-c-courage!”

Final Thoughts for Today

Though published, the book is still a work in progress.

I’ve barely touched the promo work that would have to be done for readers and the book to find each other.

I’ve learned so much, and there’s still a lot to learn.

Writing a love poem can lead to the permanent existence of a book of love poems for posterity, what’s left of it.

~ Nan

P.S. I made 4You a FREE pdf sampler of the poems in the book. Click here!

How you dune?

Here's a photo of an ocean dune by the Incredible Mr. C, please enjoy.

Now, turn south and face the ocean.

Take a deep breath!

That gorgeous video was also captured by my husband. I invite you to take a deep breath and a little break from the news and the rest of your life from time to time. Wow, there’s a lot happening these days. Big stuff!

Fun facts

During the Ice Age of 30,000 years ago, the great Labrador Glacier came to a halt here at the ocean, leaving a ridge of moraines that form the Outer Lands Archipelago islands of Long Island, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape Cod, Block Island, and the many other smaller islands.

These sandy beaches have a lot of quartz — that magical stuff that pulses under pressure (e.g., see quartz watches). Combined with sea mist, it’s a very nice thing. A walk on the shore the cure, body and soul.

Many Atlantic Ocean beaches are accessible in two hours or less from major East Coast cities. Some ocean beaches are within New York City and accessible by bus or subway! (Shout out to Coney Island and the Rockaways!)

~ Nan

P.S. I shared the video on a small constellation of 4seasonshelf social media, too. If you found this post from one of those platforms, thank you for coming! Glad you could make it.

P.S.S. The video is part of the #100daychallenge, which as I’ve posted, I’m using to learn more video skills and to get 4seasonshelf (and myself) out there more.

Hundred day challenge: daily video?

Today, I finished getting dressed when I got the idea to make a short video about my socks and shoes.

I need the practice. Not practice putting on my shoes, making videos! esp with myself in the shot.

Well, here's the video:

I mean, yes, critics gonna critique, and they're not wrong, but I'm just putting my dumb ass out there.

Since I need to do more of this kind of thing, and since the #100daychallenge starts today, and since a good challenge helps motivate me, I'm making content and uploading it for 100 days.

Will my 100th be any better than my 1st? Let's hope so.

~ Nan