On the Railway
Written by: Maranda Russell
On the railway,
no one studies your face.
No grief is given,
but neither is grace.
The wheels are loud,
and the engine is hot,
bringing to mind
all things better forgot.
With the changing landscapes,
and nature’s colorful hue,
remember this thought
that will always ring true:
On the long ride back
from wherever you roam,
never return the same person
as when you left home.
After a few years of being a professional writer/artist, I have come to a sad yet seemingly true conclusion – in order to be a success in any creative field, you have to adopt somewhat of a f***-it attitude. In other words, you have to stop caring so much what people think. Yes, some people will hate your work no matter how great it is…but on the up side, some people will love your work even when it sucks. Hopefully in the end it evens out.
If you dare to create work dealing with important subjects, you are bound to eventually come under attack from people who disagree with you. Many times it won’t be your work they dislike but your point of view…unfortunately most people are unable to be objective about anything relating to subjects they are passionate about. Learn to shrug your shoulders at the oddities of human nature and let it go.
Remember that in the end it is yourself you must please as an artist. There is nothing wrong with making money from your creations or even becoming popular, but always make sure to stay true to yourself. Make what you love. Make a contribution that only you could make.
I really wanted to write some kind of deep, thoughtful post that would make you all say “wow” and possibly change a few lives…but unfortunately, I have absolutely no inspiration for that type of thing right now, so instead, I’m just going to share a few personal things that are going on and one of my recent artworks. Hope that will do ok.
First off, I do want to say that I am thrilled that it looks like several of my artworks will be featured in an upcoming book entitled “Uncommon Minds, A collection of poetry and prose created by individuals on the autism spectrum”. Also, I have a few poems that will be featured in a poetry anthology coming out before too long (I will share more details on that when I can). So luckily, my art and writing career seems to be flourishing and that makes me exceptionally happy. My next goal for my art is to have at least one piece exhibited in an art museum. It gives me something to work towards 🙂
I am also hoping that if my health improves enough I may be able to teach art/writing classes for kids once again. I really miss working with kids and just having fun with them. Unfortunately, this plan is on hiatus until my fibromyalgia and chronic infections calm down a bit. I have been given 5 courses of antibiotics for various infections since the beginning of November (a couple of the antibiotics I was allergic to which caused even more issues), so needless to say, my health has not been all that great. However, I am thankful to have such a great husband to look after me and that I am able to work at home.
As promised here is one of my recent artworks entitled “Red Eye Fright”. It was inspired by a collection of short horror stories I was reading recently. I wish I could find a book of horror stories that I actually found scary. Sometimes I think I have become immune to terror.
“Red Eye Fright”
To see more of my art, or to purchase this piece, feel free to visit my ebay seller page or just search for “MRuss art” on ebay.
