Admiration, Anticipation

Audrey Niffenegger
http://audreyniffenegger.com/, author of The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry and artist, just visited my university.

My professor, and one of few subjects of my admiration, Mille Guldbeck http://www.milleguldbeck.com/,
worked very hard to have her come.  Throughout the duration of the semester up until this point, Mille had expressed to me her excitement about Audrey's visit, as she was first introduced to Audrey during a residency, nearly 10 years ago or so.
Mille, I find, is an incredibly intelligent, introspective individual, who has most likely (and unknowingly) opened up my eyes to a whole, much more expansive field of art than what I had known previously.
Naturally, someone I admire being excited about someone else coming to visit makes me excited, so I had to check out what she was all about.
Currently, I'm a little over 100 pages into The Time Traveler's Wife.  It's a good read.  Nathan finished first (he reads much more quickly than I do) and remarked on how it's one of the best books he's read in a long time, and he's read a lot of books and has a fairly critical eye for such.
I can't help but be inspired.  For those of you who know me, and for those of you who don't, I have been writing a novel for the past 4.5 years.  I used to be paranoid about how long it was taking me, but I've discovered throughout the journey, that the length of time it has taken me has been the best thing to happen to the novel.  I've sat with the idea long enough, that it's more than just a story, it's a whole universe now.  The characters, not just a skeletal idea, but living, breathing personalities.
My insight, now much less naïve, facilitates room for a much more complicated, thought provoking idea.  The gravity of it is much more real now than what it was when I was 17 (If you can only imagine).
Talking to Audrey was wonderful.  For the first time instead of being intimidated or discouraged, I thought, "Yeah, this is something I really can do."
It doesn't sound scary at all.
I was also quite flattered that Mille spoke of me specifically to Audrey, telling her of my current work, my aspirations, and my in progress novel.
I started to revisit my novel today, being as though such inspiration shouldn't go to waste.  My conclusion, "This is actually pretty good."

That's comforting.  That's usually the exact opposite of what happens.
In short, I think that's all I am left feeling the urge to say.  At the end of anything I write, or create for that matter, I'm left feeling/knowing I excluded more than I included, and sometimes that's frustrating... but that is the nature of things is it not?

So this is just an old "digital painting" I did back in 2007 of one of 4 main characters from my novel.  Her name is Evelyn Bordeaux and at one point is the Empress of the Empire of Alunae, Alunae being the title of the novel.  Admittedly, I had no idea what I was doing on Photoshop at the time, and still fumble around when I'm on it.  Bettering my digital skills is among one of many of my post-graduate aspirations.

In other news...

I make an excellent David Bowie Goblin King don't I?  With one obvious difference...