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"Waffles are the Sponsor of my Woes"

OUT NOW ON AMAZON

"Waffles are the Sponsor of my Woes" OUT NOW ON AMAZON

"This cooked." –Michael Howe

Joshua Steely's heart is served up on a silver platter in his debut poetry collection, Waffles are the Sponsor of my Woes. Steely's food-metaphor-based poems explore themes of Hope, Rejection, Desperation, Rage & Regret, Resignation, and Sadness as if steps for the recipe of a hopeless romantic. With chocolatey tears and stained shirts, readers can experience the feeling of grasping at straws that so inspired many of the poems within.

While Waffles are the Sponsor of my Woes is written from the perspective and experiences of a 16-19 year old boy, the emotions evoked by emptied gourds and sweet cinnamon rolls are for everyone. Is a diet from love the answer? Gorging on it until there's nothing left? Steely offers spoonful after spoonful, but each taste leaves only a desire for more...

"Waffles are the Sponsor of my Woes"

OUT NOW ON AMAZON

"Waffles are the Sponsor of my Woes" OUT NOW ON AMAZON

Why a blog?

I’ve always loved sharing my ideas with whoever will listen (or is unlucky enough to be within earshot). Most of them go nowhere after that, but a couple end up worthwhile! This site is a way for me to share my ideas with people beyond earshot, and doubles as writing practice!

I hope one day somebody may be inspired by what I’ve shared and go on to do things greater than I could have ever dreamed of. I couldn’t exactly take credit, but if I’m even a slight influence towards something greater, that’s a win.

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“It’s Not Her.”

…is a heartbreaking thing to hear after spending so long on a portrait piece. And it’s even worse to know its truth.

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I want a taco truck

…but not for tacos.

I want a taco truck because of the nice shop window, and the abundance of space inside. I want to convert it into a mobile art studio.

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Creativity > Efficiency

The Zedaph plush to me represents creativity over efficiency, and that having the best things isn’t always the most enjoyable. Sometimes you just have to be a bit wacky to have a good time.

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The Tipping Point (by Malcolm Gladwell)

Nope- this is not suddenly a book review website. But, I have read Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point” and quite enjoyed it. While it mostly covers other things, I feel its concepts also apply to this summer. Especially for my art.

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Blank Space: The Game you 100% Make Up

The idea of the game I call “Blank Space” is simple. You start with a blank space that’s able to be defaced (normally a large sheet of cardboard or a posterboard) and you make a game on it. Of course this only works in a cooperative and fun-spirited manner, as winning is a bit of a myth. Rather, the fun is garnered from the joint creative process of making the game as opposed to actually playing it.

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Duck Architecture is SO COOL

My first interaction with Duck Architecture was, of course, via the internet. Of course I had seen the Oscar Mayer hot dog vehicle before, but that’s hardly architecture. Besides, the internet showed me Paperville on creativebloom.com. Instant hook. It’s paper. After I’d seen it, months went by with it tickling my mind every once in a while. Then, bam. I attended an art camp and made some awesome new friends.Incredible, really.

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Now THAT’S how you run an Art Camp

Now how do you host an “art” camp? Are group projects the answer? Is it a large collection of demos by various artists? How do you get the students to soak in all the strategies in such a short time?I feel the IWU Art + Design department has the process down beautifully.

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Thoughts about My First Ever Workshop

Well first off, it was amazing. Second off, it was tiring. There’s simply a way about kids that brings energy and yet saps energy at the same time. I’m not talking my age of “kid”, rather around the tween age (9-12). The group for my first ever workshop was an amazing group of tweens who regularly attend a group my library calls “Between Makers” (very clever naming). There were about 8 who really got into the activity, and it was amazing guiding them through the creation process.

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The Legend that is Harry Smiles

I actually didn’t know who Harry Styles was until I was 14. If you still don’t know, Harry Styles is an English singer, songwriter, and actor (according to Google). He was a part of the famous boy band One Direction until they broke apart, and he still holds the hearts of so many teenage girls to this day. I had never joined the One Direction listeners, nor followed them into their individual music careers until a friend of mine forcefully recommended I do.

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The Heads or Tails Machine

A.K.A. another post about “What is really pointless?” Just kidding. This machine doesn’t even make an argument of usefulness.

The idea was sparked when I heard about a “probability” themed project in sixth grade Pre-Algebra. The idea being an overengineered coin flipping machine… of course.

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