Normal Rockstar

The Write Stuff

I read this article by Kostya Kennedy the other day in the US Airways inflight Magazine and thought I would share it with you. It's a beautifully written ode to a tool we have had around for centuries: the pencil. 

"The metaphorical punch of a pencil comes not so much from its familiar yellow shaft — seven inches long and six-sided for an easy grip — but rather from the half-inch of pink or green rubber at its end. The eraser assumes that when we write a word, or sketch a figure, or draw a line above a child’s head on the kitchen wall, we will inevitably mismark, misspell, or somehow fail to convey what we intended. 'My pencils,' said the writer Vladimir Nabokov, 'outlast my erasers.'

There are artists’ pencils and carpenters’ pencils, and even some a diver can use beneath the waves, but there is scarcely a schoolroom or home in America that doesn’t have in it the classic No. 2 HB — an implement that endures some 450 years after the British began producing pencils, and more than 150 years since Henry David Thoreau worked at his father’s thriving pencil factory in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau, of course, was a man of simple wants, but to be without a pencil would have been unimaginable for him. It enabled him to put down his thoughts, just as the eraser, added to the pencil’s end in the mid-1800s, enables all of us to change our minds."

Here's an interesting fact: In the late 1800s, the best graphite came from China, where the color yellow signified royalty. US pencil makers, wanting to show the graphite's high origins, painted their pencils yellow.

My First Visit to Kalein

This past Monday was a day I will remember for a long time.

I was finally able to make it out to Kalein, 124 acres of beautiful property in Cannon County, Tennessee (just outside of Murfreesboro). I had the privilege of being a part of some of the initial conversations and dreams of this place with my mentor, friend, and blogfather Randy. It's his dream, and he is well on his way to seeing it realized.

The dream is "to provide a place to encourage and equip gifted artists to discover, develop and discipline their calling." Complete with a main lodge, individual cabins, beautiful tree houses scattered around the property, miles of walking/hiking trails, and plenty of birds, wild blackberries, and beautiful scenery, the finished project is going to be an incredible place of respite, inspiration, creativity, and collaboration.

So, on Monday my friend Spence and I were able to go out for a guided tour with Randy. We saw nothing but potential - we walked on some of the trails, we saw where the first tree house and cabin were going, and we got to stand together and enjoy the song of the birds and the serenity of the area in excited anticipation of what the Lord was going to do there. It already has a blessed feeling to it - when we drove onto the property a hush came over us as we were struck by the realization that this land was chosen by God and that He had great plans in store for it... It was a great reminder once again of how small and insignificant I really am in comparison to the Creator of the Universe. I'm so thankful He knows what the future holds for Kalein - whatever it is, I'm excited to be a part of it.

Technorati Tags: kalein, creative community, randy elrod

Kalein

I wanted to start spreading the word about a new and exciting opportunity for artists called "Kalein". The mission statement currently says "Kalein exists to provide a place to encourage and equip extremely gifted artists to discover, develop, and discipline their dreams." I have had the privilege of being somewhat involved from the inital dream stages, and it's been pretty exciting. Make sure you bookmark www.kalein.org and keep checking back as things continue to progress. I'll do my best to keep you in the loop here as well.