Tag: Auroras & Blossoms Creative Arts Journal Page 1 of 2

Inspirational Artist Series: Nonkululeko Nxumalo

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On March 25, 2021

In Inspirational Artist Series, Latest book releases, PoArtMo Podcast

The Inspirational Artist Series spotlights some of the artists featured in our issues and anthologies, and who have moved us in specific ways.

Today’s guest is Writer Nonkululeko Nxumalo, whose flash fiction piece will appear in the next issue of the Auroras & Blossoms Creative Literary Journal.

How does a story begin for you? Does it start with an image, a form or a particular theme?

I draw inspiration from events that happened in my life or are currently happening. Other times it would simply be inspiration from other people’s experiences, with a whole lot of fiction.

So for me, a story begins with a certain feeling or just imagining how something must have made that person feel, because ultimately I not only want my readers to imagine the story, but to feel it as well.

Are there any genres you haven’t tried yet but would like to?

Yes, definitely. My genre is more new adult and women’s fiction, but I would love to try my hand at children’s literature.

What is your relationship with your speaking and your written voices?

My speaking voice is very dormant. I write more than I speak. It has always been like that and it will most probably remain that way. 🙂

Have you considered getting other people to read your stories or is it important for you to be the one to perform your work to an audience?

Whether I read my stories to an audience or someone else does it, it doesn’t really matter to me. As long as the story does to people what is intended for it to do.

How important is accessibility of the meaning of your stories? Should we have to work hard to “solve” them and discover their deeper meanings?

I don’t want my stories to be hard to understand or for my readers to rack their brains trying to discover their deeper meanings. It’s very important for my stories to be clear and deep at the same time.

Has your own opinion or idea of what writing is changed since you first started?

I’ve loved writing stories since primary school and it was a hobby I enjoyed so much. When I first started writing, it was easy, because as a kid there’s very little that you pay attention to like grammar, sentence structuring and all the processes that writing involves. Whether your story is one big paragraph with very little commas and full stops, it doesn’t really matter. The story is what matters. When you’re older on the other hand, it’s different. Too many nitty-gritties to consider when you are writing. So yes, my idea of what writing really is has definitely changed since I first started writing.

Anything else you would like to share?

I have recently launched my career as a freelance writer. After years of working a 9 to 5 job, I have finally said yes to my calling. I have been in the freelancing business for less than a year and am still working on getting my work out there. I have an essay that was published on the SolomonStar Online News Portal and am also working on more fiction pieces.

Bio:

Nonkululeko Nxumalo is an emerging writer from South Africa. This undergraduate student aspires to pursue a career in writing. You can also often find her curled up on the couch reading fiction and autobiographies.

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nonku_Nxumi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nonku_nxumi/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nonkululeko/

Nonkululeko, thank you for answering our questions and supporting Auroras & Blossoms! We know that people will love the flash fiction piece you submitted to us!

Cendrine & David

Auroras & Blossoms Creative Literary Journal (Issue 2): Cover Reveal!

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On March 18, 2021

In Announcements, New issues

Hello everyone!

Last week, we shared the names of the artists who will appear in issue 2. Now, time to reveal the cover of the issue!

Auroras & Blossoms Creative Literary Journal – Issue 2

As you can see, we went for a spring vibe with this new cover.

We are going to do things differently from usual. There will be no pre-order period for the issue. We will announce the release in early April, on the same day it is published. Of course, you will still be able to purchase the issue for a special price. The promo will run for two weeks.

Next week, we have a special interview for you. Writer and author Nonkululeko Nxumalo, whose work is featured in the upcoming issue, will be our guest. You don’t want to miss that!

In the meantime…

Check our Our Current Submission Call

The PoArtMo Anthology (Volume 2) – After our very successful first edition, the PoArtMo Anthology is back! We want your most inspirational art created in 2020-2021.

We accept poetry, poetry-graphy, photography, short stories, six word stories, essays, flash fiction, drawings and paintings. New this year: A second anthology featuring works dedicated to 13-16 year-old artists!

Have a wonderful week!

David & Cendrine

Inspirational Artist Series: Stephen Milner

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On December 7, 2020

In Inspirational Artist Series, The PoArtMo Corner

The Inspirational Artist Series spotlights some of the artists featured in our issues and anthologies, and who have moved us in specific ways.

Today’s guest is Photographer Stephen Milner, whose work will appear in a future issue of the Auroras & Blossoms Creative Arts Journal.

What inspired you to become a photographer? Any particular story?

I have always been creative and this started with my art projects at school. It then progressed into music during my early adult life, then more recently landscape photography, which is what I now enjoy the most.

I started exploring photography in 2011, which was about the same time I started taking an interest in the outdoors. For me, the two go hand in hand and I enjoy them both more and more with every adventure I go on, and with each image I create.

New Zealand is a great place to go on adventures to explore the outdoors, plus it is extremely photogenic.

My main camera for the last 12 months has been a medium format 120 film rangefinder called the Mamiya 7. I use 50mm, 80mm and 150mm lenses. I mainly use Fujifilm Velvia 50 for most of my portfolio work. I am actually in the process of changing my Mamiya 7 to the Hasselblad 503cw with equivalent lenses.

I have a blog on my website that lists all the gear that I use and you can find that here.

What is your favorite subject to photograph?

All my portfolio work is landscape photography. In his book The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography, photographer and teacher Glenn Randell quotes New Zealand philosopher Denis Dutton who wrote The Art of Instinct. Dennis explains that the population today has a genetic relationship with landscapes, which was formed during our very early generations.

From our early presence in the world up to the present day, humans have developed habits in a response to the environment that we have lived in, which are still present today. These habits are an emotional response to situations like exploring landscapes for food and water; taking shelter from extreme weather conditions; hiking to the top of a hill or mountain, so we can better understand the landscape around us; or gaining a vantage point or the mystery of the landscape creates a desire to learn what is beyond. The desire to explore landscapes either through practical measures or from viewing an image is human nature.

This is the essence of my philosophy. I have a passion for exploring the landscape and taking images with my film camera that reflect the wonder of what I see.

According to you, what makes a good photo?

I am not the first to say that great photos can mean different things to different people. For me to consider a photo great, it has to have a clear subject, tonal values and colour that suit the subject, and a good composition that pleases my eyes. Plus, I consider a collection of photos with a common theme to be more powerful than a single image.

Do you have any photographer you admire?

The photographer I admire the most is Bruce Percy. He lives in Scotland and is well known for is work in Scotland, Iceland and South America. His more recent work has taken on a more minimal style and he spends a lot of time studying areas with his film camera. I love his work because of how simple, yet complicated it can be. He is also a great teacher and I do encourage anyone who is looking to improve their photography to check out his eBooks.

What piece of advice would you give novice photographers?

When you are a novice photographer there are so many things to learn and most people focus on the technical aspects. Technical camera and editing skills are important to learn but I feel that many people believe that a great image is created with only technical excellence instead of excellent creativity and technicality.

My advice for a novice photographer is to set aside some time to develop your creative skills. I believe they should receive equal or more attention than the technical aspects. Great photographers are great visualizers and they then find the tools they need to create their visualizations, and their images are uniquely identifiable to them.

Anything else you would like to share?

I have a few projects that I am working on. I am trying to get a dedicated film competition off the ground — the International Film Photography Awards.

The International Film Photography Awards celebrate the medium of film photography. Each year, it will recognize and reward film photographers from around the world and showcase their images to an international audience, via the International Film Photography Awards website, social media sites and award books. It is a big project and I am looking for design and funding help with it. If anyone is interested, please contact me through my website.

Hopefully, next year I will be realizing my first zine, Volcanic Aotearoa. It is a small publication of my work and is focused on New Zealand’s Geothermal and volcanic landscapes.

I am currently working on an ebook called Ten Steps to Creating Successful Images. This will most likely be ready towards the end of 2021.

Mangawhai Sand Dune by Stephen Milner

Bio:

Stephen Milner was born and raised in the UK. In 2013, he moved to New Zealand and has been living there with his wife and son ever since.

As a landscape photographer, Stephen feels privileged that he has New Zealand as his backyard to explore and create wonderful landscape photos and images.

Links:

Website: https://stephen-milner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/SMilnerPhotography
Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephenmilnerphotography
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/StephenMilnerPhotography

Stephen, thank you for answering our questions and supporting Auroras & Blossoms!

Cendrine & David

Celebrate the Release of the Inaugural Issue of the ‘Auroras & Blossoms Creative Arts Journal’ with Us!

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On December 2, 2020

In Announcements, New issues

Hello, everyone!

We are super excited to announce that the first issue of the Auroras & Blossoms Creative Arts Journal will be out tomorrow.

To celebrate this milestone, we invite you to tune into our special PoArtMo Show tomorrow (Thursday, December 3, 2020) at 3 p.m. PDT / 5 p.m. CDT / 6 p.m. EDT.

(For those of you who do not live on the American continent, check your time zones here.)

Elizabeth Smith, one of the artists featured in the issue, will be with us for a relaxed interview. She will tell us more about her piece and literary work. You don’t want to miss this show!

We cannot wait to see you and answer your questions.

You can watch / listen to the show directly from this page by playing the video below. Or you can set a reminder on YouTube and / or Facebook.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru4V_jz_RVA

For more information on issue 1 and to grab a copy before anyone else, visit https://abpoetryjournal.com/creative-arts-journal-issues.

In the meantime…

Continue submitting your inspirational and positive art to us!

David & Cendrine

Inspirational Artist Series: Gloria Keh

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On November 5, 2020

In Inspirational Artist Series, Latest book releases, The PoArtMo Corner

If you have followed us for a while, you know how much we love art that seeks to inspire and change the world — even in small ways.

We believe in highlighting that kind of art, as well as the creatives behind it. This is the goal behind this new series of interviews. The Inspirational Artist Series will spotlight some of the artists featured in our issues and who have moved us in specific ways.

Our first guest is Gloria Keh, whose work will appear in the upcoming first issue of Auroras & Blossoms Creative Arts Journal.

What is your artistic background?

I began painting when I was a child. My late father, the oil painter Martin Fu, was my first art teacher. We were very poor and to subsidize my pocket money, I sold my little artworks for $3 a painting, indeed a princely sum in the mid 1950s.

I studied mandala art and symbolism in Melbourne, Australia for over 10 years and undertook a short course in art therapy at La Salle art college in Singapore.

Who and what are your biggest influences?

The works of many Japanese ukioye (woodblock print) artists especially Munakata, and of course, Hokusai; the French painter Pierre Soulages, and Picasso.

I draw a lot of inspiration from mother nature, and through my readings, as well as through classical music and the opera.

What do you like and dislike the most about the art world?

I like that there is now more acceptance to more types of art than before. That expressions have been given more freedom and less censorship. I love abstract art, and today abstraction is more accepted than say 30/40 years ago.

I dislike that some galleries and organizations attesting to promote art are only doing all this as a business and are using artists.  I realize that one needs to make money to live, but one still must be fair.  I have had bad experiences but have learnt from them. We artists act in good faith and with lots of hope that any agreement we enter into with say a gallery, or art based organization, will be for mutual benefit and that both parties will respect the time of the other.

Finally, there’s covid: yes, the pandemic has caused tremendous problems for just about everyone, but many are using covid as an excuse when they cannot or do not want to deliver the ‘goods’.

Does your work have any specific themes or social commentary we should identify with?

I paint every day and even if I am not working on a larger canvas, I always keep an art journal. This I consider my spiritual practice.

I do work on series, and most of these are ongoing: eg my Mother Series, Men of The Cloth series, my Waves Series.  I don’t make political art, simply because I have no interest in politics be it local or international. But I do honor certain “dates” — for instance World Mental Health Day, as I believe mental health is paramount. I recognise Tsunami Awareness Day, World Animal Day and days attributed towards peace. I make art specifically for these events.

I sell my work only for charity: 100% of any sales from my art is donated to charity. Hence, charities often approach me to participate in their fundraisers. At such times, my art would be in line with the respective charity’s concepts/themes.

What would be your dream project?

I paint a fair bit on large canvases and would love to have a solo art exhibition of just my very large works. Not for sale bits just to show. Selling comes with headaches and heartaches. Of course, if someone wanted to buy the works, they would be only sold for charity. And I would like to have my art blown up and used as a backdrop on stage, where a ballet or a modern dance performance is being held.

Tell us the best advice you have been given while working as an artist?

This was from an American painter, Gregory Burns, who mentored me for five years. He once saw me struggling with a painting. He asked what was the problem and I said that I liked a certain part of it but was not happy with the rest. So I kept on changing and changing stuff to go with what I liked. He said to get rid of what I liked, and stop changing things to fit what I liked. Initially, I could not accept his advice. But after deliberating on his words, I painted over what I liked and the painting literally blossomed into my ‘dream garden.’ I have applied his advice to other aspects of my life and it works.

The Inner Child - Gloria Keh

I am that child you do not see.
That unborn child who’s both you and me.
That child who watched you die
so many times ago.
That child who’ll be there
when you are born again
in the years to go.

Bio:

Born in 1952, Gloria Keh began painting during childhood. Her late father, an oil painter, Martin Fu, was her first art teacher.

As an adult, Gloria worked as a copywriter and as a journalist, and won three American Travel Writers awards for her self illustrated stories.
She studied mandala art and symbolism for over 10 years with her teacher, at the Theosophical Society in Melbourne, Australia. She also undertook a short course in art therapy at La Salle college of art in Singapore.

In 2008, Gloria founded Circles of Love, a non-profit charity outreach program, using her art and writing in the service to humanity.

Links:

Gloria, thank you for answering our questions and supporting Auroras & Blossoms!

Cendrine & David

Gloria’s work is featured in the inaugural issue of Auroras & Blossoms Creative Arts Journal.

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