Has anyone out there in Blogger land heard of Story People? Created by Brian Andreas, StoryPeople came to life after Brian started taking pieces of wood from old barns and fences, painting them with bright colors and adorning them with little stories. Established in Decorah, Iowa in 1994 (yay for Iowa!), Story People is an amazing perspective on life and love and memories shared through Brian and various artists. Some stories pull on your heart strings, while others are just goofy and fun. The quirky design of the sculptures and prints captivates you (or at least me) in a way not many other kinds of art can. There's a lot I could say about Story People, but instead of going on and on, I'll share a few of my favorite stories and the coordinating prints. I had a very hard time limiting which stories to share, so I've actually got 12, which I'll share over the course of 3 Fridays (probably not all consecutively). Believe me, even this was difficult. :)
I sometimes wake in the early morning &
listen to the soft breathing of my children
& I think to myself, this is one thing
I will never regret &
I carry that quiet with me all day long.
Obviously this story appeals to the mother in me, but even before we had X, this story was captivating. It states so simply, how a child, your own child, can change your life, and your outlook on that life, forever. I don't know how many times a day, even after he's been crabby or naughty or difficult, that J & I stop, look at X and say, "I love you so much, little man!" Like I mentioned before, StoryPeople has this way of bringing a new perspective to things and sharing them in a way we can all relate to.
Her only super powers are that she can
walk in heels without wobbling & if you
don't think that's amazing, you've never tried it.
This is one of those lovingly, silly stories that I love to see. They are light-hearted and fun. This story appeals to me because it reminds me of myself. I've mentioned before how clumsy I am. Extremely so on some days. But I love high heels. And if you can believe it, I think I fall down less in heels than I do barefoot! I definitely think this would be my super power!
This is a tree on fire with love, but it's still
scary because most people think love only
looks like one thing instead of the whole world.
This story is a great way to say, "there's more than one way to love." We love our spouses and our children, our sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers and our family. We love our friends and our pets. Each one of those things take a different kind of love. I think this story also has an underlying theme of tolerance. Tolerance is something we encounter every day and some of us have a harder time than others. Unfortunately, this story does not come in a print. So I have no picture to show you. It can be purchased as a sculpture or on furniture. I wish they'd make it a print. I have a mental image of this huge tree, the top engulfed in flames shaped sort of like hearts. It also reminds me of Fall, when all the trees are changing colors and some trees almost look as though they are on fire. Love it. :)
Don't you hear it? she asked & I shook my
head no & then she started to dance &
suddenly there was music everywhere & it went on
for a very long time & when I finally found the words
all I could say was thank you.
When I graduated from college, I had already accumulated a few StoryPeople prints. Most from J. But this one I received from my family (Mom, C, my sister & brother). Mom & my sister found it, I think (if I remember it correctly). I was very involved in music through my entire educational career. I started playing piano when I was 7 (2nd grade) when I took my first piano lessons. Playing piano is still a love of mine, I'm so happy I had the opportunity to learn. Although I don't so much anymore, I used to sit down at the piano after a long, difficult day, and just play. I sang in the choir through middle and high school, going out for musicals and singing in concerts. In 5th grade I went out for band, starting on the clarinet and then switching to bassoon in 6th grade. I loved playing the bassoon because it was different and funky. It set me apart from others and provided a lot of opportunities in the music world (like traveling the world!) I probably wouldn't have had if I had stayed on clarinet. I continued on bassoon all the way through college, being a member of the Wartburg Wind Ensemble. In high school I played in the Pit for Marching Band. Man, I loved marching band, the weekend competitions and being a part of something bigger. Needless to say, music has been a big part of my life and soothes me in a way that's hard to describe. I don't think it's necessary then, at this point, to explain why I love this story so much. I have the sculpture hanging in my living room by all my other StoryPeople prints, where I can see it every day.
I encourage you all, today, to take a look at these wonderful stories. There are so many ways to search the site to see what pulls you in. Sometimes it's fun to just browse, not knowing what you're going to come up with.
In other quick, quick news...I finished all of Chart A (on the Haruni) last night and am crossing my fingers Chart B going well!
This is quite interesting! I'm heading over to have a look now.
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