It's that time of year again! And for our family, that means it's time for our 2nd annual Six-Word Memoir.
Last year our friends, Robert and Christa, challenged us to join with their family in writing a six-word memoir to encapsulate the year that was passing. I loved the idea, (never a big fan of the resolution model) and immediately challenged family and friends to do the same. It was such a meaningful process for celebrating the New Year's eve, that I have pledged to do it yearly.
If you are familiar with this intriguing method of telling your life's story, you'll know that it has been popularized by the online storytelling magazine, SMITH, and was inspired by the claim that Ernest Hemingway insisted he could tell an entire story in six words. (His alleged story - "For Sale: Baby Shoes, never worn.)
Smith Magazine's bestselling book - Not Quite What I Was Planning - is filled with memoirs from lots of their readers, as well as authors like Elizabeth Gilbert, Joyce Carol Oates, and Dave Eggars, and celebrity submissions that include Stephen Colbert, Mario Batali, and Moby (amongst others). I highly recommend the book, as it's filled with "fascinating, hilarious, shocking and moving" memoirs.
The six-word method proves to be highly effective at evoking some of the most diverse glimpses of humanity from all that attempt it. When I have asked others to do the same for New Year's eve, it's always the same reaction-
A gaze into space for a moment, as he/she contemplates the question and all it entails. Six-words is at once challenging, and yet entirely approachable.
For those of you who know me, or are clients of Tilevera, you'll know that in '08 we launched 2 new lines - Neutrals and Glassware, and undertook the massive job of designing a complete line of tiles requested and inspired by Hearst Castle Collection. It all was extraordinarily daunting, inspiring my '08 memoir-
Bit off more than could chew.
Fully convinced that '09 would be a breeze compared to '08 and desperately looking forward to it's respite, I have to conclude '09 with this year's memoir-
Thought this year would be easier.
I may still have to work on that - and I've got 24 hours left to polish my prose. But this year we took on even more challenging projects including launching - Tile Envy. And with this incredible blog momentum of which you all have so kindly bestowed, I have realized that it requires a great deal of effort to deserve the time that you all continue to grant me.
I want the blog to be "pretty" - yup, pretty- informational and mostly just fun. That's quite a big bite for a mere tile-maker. But the challenge is always part of the motivation. So, off to work I go!
For this New Year's, I hope that some of you will join me in creating your own six-word memoir tradition. It would be fun if I could even get some of you to post yours???? (always worth a try)
(Header thanks to spectacular Bertolucci film - The Conformist. Beautiful movie - sets and cinematography.)