Self Portrait Challenge: Celebration (week four)

for this weeks self portrait challenge i want to celebrate the community at Planet Sark

i felt pulled today to visit the website Planet Sark which is a long time favourite of mine. way back when i first got internet-ized the main two things i came onine for was my email and the planet (actually camp...it wasn't a planet yet!) sark magical message board. it was packed full of inspiring artful people. i didn't post much but read posts almost daily. i felt very at home in that circle of beautiful people. at times there was far too much drama, so i'd take a break...but always return.

a few years ago the message board got really over run by spam. i think they called them trolls...people who would post nasty stuff and cause trouble on web forums. so the message board became only for paid members. i thought about joining but it really wasn't something i could afford. plus i think i needed a break. that was around the time i started blogging. when i started i didn't tell anyone about it, so it was really was like a journal. then a few friends. now its in a very different place. i still write for myself but i seek community in terms of other artful bloggers. i don't know if any of my face-to-face friends come here...perhaps....its not a secret...but i guess i've been seeking kind of what planet sark offered in terms of community.

so today i went back to the planet. and i'm overjoyed to find that the message board/forum is now free again. it felt so good arriving there and posting an introduction as it was one of those reminders of who the woman i am becoming is. the shyness was gone and the confident me present. you always wonder...will anyone respond to my post? will i connect with anyone here? but before that would have been a fear that stopped me from connecting. now just something to ponder....

i can't resist but share some of my favourite authors in the creativity genre. you've probably heard of 'em all..but just in case!

sark (of course)
keri smith
sabrina ward harrison
danny gregory
julia cameron

and here's a few out-takes (a.k.a. me being silly).