By Alicia Gomez
COZY UP with these winter reads from the shoreline
READER VIEWS REVIEW: Say Yes! to Your Creative Self
Reviewed by Elizabeth Javor for Reader Views (10/2024)
Mary O’Connor’s “Say Yes! to Your Creative Self” is an inspiring book for anyone seeking to unlock their creative potential, whether they are seasoned artists or individuals who have doubted their artistic abilities. This book’s design encourages readers to explore their creativity in new and fulfilling ways, offering practical advice and gentle encouragement along the way.
One of the most striking aspects of “Say Yes! to Your Creative Self” is its visual appeal. The cover features a graceful watercolor of a heron in flight, painted by the author, which sets the tone for the creative adventure ahead. Throughout the book, readers see a collection of artwork and photographs. Each photo is paired with a haiku written by O’Connor, creating a harmonious blend of visual and literary art. This interplay between images and words makes the book enjoyable to the eyes and the mind.
What makes “Say Yes! to Your Creative Self” stand out from other creativity guides is its accessibility. O’Connor writes in a friendly and approachable style, with each chapter feeling digestible and easy to implement. The chapters Prepping the Creative Self and Opening the Creative Door are particularly insightful, offering a balance of practical tips and emotional guidance. The advice is clear and actionable, from finding ways to stimulate the mind to incorporating daily routines that nurture the creative soul. Even those who consider themselves creatively blocked or uninspired will find helpful prompts to break down mental barriers.
The book’s emotional impact is equally noteworthy. “Say Yes! to Your Creative Self” isn’t just about improving technical skills; it’s about finding a deeper sense of self-expression. The gentle flow of O’Connor’s writing is as calming as it is motivating. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to read with a warm cup of tea, allowing the words to sink in as you reflect.
Ultimately, “Say Yes! to Your Creative Self” offers more than just artistic tips—it provides a sense of calm and creative stimulation. O’Connor’s passion for creativity shines through on every page, making this book an excellent resource for anyone looking to embrace their creative potential. Whether you’re a budding artist or want to live more creatively, this book will inspire you to say “yes” to your creative self.
PRESS RELEASE: Say Yes! to Your Creative Self and Find New Answers in Today’s Changing World
“Say Yes!” says Old Saybrook author and artist Mary O’Connor, extending the invitation to those who think they don’t have a creative bone in their body or simply want to strengthen them. Bemused by how often she has heard people lament their lack of creativity, Mary set about putting that thought to rest with her latest book, Say Yes! to Your Creative Self.
Say Yes! provides readers with tips, examples, and practices designed to boost ways of seeing the world through the lens of creative thinking. As Mary explains, “Creativity is here for us all, regardless of where your interest lies, and its effect extends far beyond artistic expression. Being creative involves repackaging beliefs and ideas in ways that unlock and revamp thinking. It can help us deal successfully with the social and environmental issues of today’s rapidly changing world.”
Beginning with an overview of the ins and outs of creativity, the full-color illustrated book offers tidbits of research — such as how color and music can affect your creative output — as well as prompts and exercises. How-tos, such as how to strengthen ways of seeing with a pocket-size inspiration bag, how to build connections through the creation of a circle poem, or how to unblock a stuck thought through squiggly lines, complement a tour of the role of our natural senses in creative expression. It is, Mary says, a compilation of ways to tickle our creative bones, accompanied by original poems and photographs.
“The spark is there. It’s just waiting for us to build on it. The images, verse, and prompts in this book help us to play with embryonic thoughts, to see things from different perspectives than expected.”
Curious? Come meet Mary and get your own copy of Say Yes! to Your Creative Self at a book signing on Saturday, July 13 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Guilford Art Center (411 Church Street, Guilford). There will be give-aways, and a chance to see the national juried exhibition Ceramics Biennial 2024 during your visit.
A writer, poet, painter, and lover of nature, Mary shares the magic of the commonplace and captures its delight through her previously published joy-centered books: Passing Shadows – Images and Words of Inspiration; Life Is Full of Sweet Spots – An Exploration of Joy, as well as Dreams of a Wingless Child, a collection of award-winning nature and inspirational verses.
Experienced in journalism, marketing, and the arts, she often complements her writings with photographic images, as well as paintings in watercolor and acrylics. Her work has been exhibited by area art associations, and her people and pet portraits are treasured by individual owners.
A popular public speaker and workshop facilitator, Mary has taught poetry writing at the York Correctional Institution for Women, is a former Executive Director of Guilford Art Center, served as a docent at the Florence Griswold Museum, and has volunteered in numerous community positions.
Published by Three Chairs Publishing, Say Yes! to Your Creative Self is available at several local retailers including the Florence Griswold Museum (Old Lyme) and Pieces for Home Decor (188 Main St., Old Saybrook). It can be purchased from the Three Chairs website, www.3chairspublishing.com and from Amazon. For more information, visit www.mary-oconnor.com
(Say Yes! to Your Creative Self by Mary O’Connor, 5.25 x 8, paperback, 132 pages $24.95)
PRESS RELEASE: New Gift book, Passing Shadows, features photos and haiku poems
Passing Shadows, a collection of poignant three-line haiku poems illustrated with surprising photos and watercolor paintings, is the third of a series of joy-centered books by Old Saybrook author and artist Mary O’Connor. Reflective and at times amusing, this latest book illustrates how to uncover unexpected moments of calmness through musings on ordinary, everyday objects.
Finding a measure of quietude is what this book is all about. A total of 72 full-color photographic as well as painted images, including four pet portraits, are offered as meditative stopping points, reasons to pause and to think of the subject’s lure. Accompanying each visual image is a verbal reflection expressed in the ancient Japanese poetic haiku format.
Haikus use the barest minimum of words, structured in three lines of five-seven-five syllables, to depict a single moment in time through colorful mental imagery and natural world reference. Hallmark of a haiku is its delivery in just one breath of an unexpected sense of illumination. It is this ability to inspire fresh thought, to provide moments of ahhh!, that the author seeks to deliver in Passing Shadows.
O’Connor enjoys living along the Connecticut shoreline, source of inspiration for much of her creative work, and typically turns to nature for vision. As seen throughout the book, she has a way of finding sunlight in the ordinary and drawing it out in surprising, thought-provoking observations.
Take for example, the 15-word haiku “Birth.” Illustrated with the warm pink petal of a tulip lit by a shaft of sunlight, she simply writes “life gives birth to spring/little trace of winter stress/just stretch marks of light.”
Or, with a wry sense of humor, she shows a seagull pecking at a broken clam shell and comments, “the half-eaten dish/to be served tomorrow/blessed leftovers.” Or, when she catches the stare of a bad-humored grackle, she chides, “blinded by temper/ability to laugh gone/better to calm down.”
It is this focus on finding the lessons of the commonplace and expressing them in words that deliver insight, amusement, peace and calm that defines this book.
A popular public speaker, Mary offers Haiku writing workshops, serves as a docent at the Florence Griswold Museum, has taught poetry writing to inmates at the Connecticut state prison for women, and held numerous nonprofit Board and volunteer positions in the community arena. Her watercolor and acrylics paintings have been exhibited by the Lyme Art Association, Clinton Art Society and Essex Art Association and her animal portraits are treasured by numerous individual pet owners.
All proceeds from the sale of Passing Shadows will be donated to the nonprofit Warrior Expeditions organization in support of its therapeutic programs that help veterans transition from their wartime experiences through long distance outdoor expeditions. Founded in 2013, Warrior Expeditions sends returning servicemen and women on extended forays in nature as a way of decompressing and reintegrating into society.
Outings take anywhere from three to six months and include eight trails, plus a Mississippi River kayak voyage, and a cross-country bicycle trek. Warrior Expeditions provides the gear, clothing, supplies, a small monthly stipend, and skills training needed to complete expeditions and for readjustment to civilian life after a combat zone. The camaraderie experienced with other veterans helps restore faith in humanity and build an important network of life-long friendships and relationships.
Other books by O’Connor are “Life Is Full of Sweet Spots – An Exploration of Joy,” (© 2013 Abbott Press, Bloomington, Ind.) as well as “Dreams of a Wingless Child” (© 2007, Wheatmark, Tuscon, Ariz.), a collection of award-winning nature and inspirational verses. Published by Station Square Media, New York, NY, Passing Shadows is available in select local retail shops and on amazon.com.
Rising Egret, an 18”x12.5” watercolor painting by Mary O’Connor, shown in the Clinton Art Society 72nd Annual Summer Juried Exhibition, July 13 – August 15, at the Andrews Memorial Town Hall, Clinton, Conn.
Surprise!! Acrylic on wood palette, Mary O’Connor, Miss Florence’s Artist Tree, 2018
An annual highlight of the Florence Griswold Museum’s holiday celebration is the creation of “Miss Florence’s Artist Tree.” The tradition of the signature artist’s tree began in 2004 with a 12-foot tree decorated with artists’ palettes, each painted by professional artists from Southeastern Connecticut and beyond.
The idea of the tree, as explained by Director of Education and Outreach David Rau, relates to the museum’s core story. Because many of the artists who stayed at Miss Florence’s boarding house over one hundred years ago painted directly on its doors and wall panels, the thought was to invite selected artists to once again leave their mark on the Museum through their use of wooden palettes, a traditional artist tool used to hold and mix paints.
Today, oils, acrylics, watercolors, ceramics, and collage are used to transform the palettes, provided by the Museum to the artists, into traditional holiday scenes, delightful landscapes, and more than a few surprises, many of which depict scenes or items specific to the Florence Griswold house.
With new artists adding their works each year, the popular display has grown to multiple trees covered with an accumulation of some 200 palettes. Miss Florence’s Artist Trees – Celebrating a Tradition of Painted Palettes, published in 2019, tells the story of Miss Florence and showcases each of those 200 palettes that decorate the Museum’s trees today.
The annual holiday celebration with its Artist’s trees was on hiatus during the 2020 Covid year, but is expected to resume in 2021.
POET AND PAINTER COMPILES UNIQUE BOOK
By Amy J. Barr, GRACE Magazine, The Day, August/September 2013, photo by Peter M. Weber
“Mary O’Connor has a mission — to spread more joy in the world. But it is a mission as gentle and unassuming as the Old Lyme resident. The writer, poet, painter, and nature lover doesn’t lecture or insist that there is any one way to live a more joyful life, but instead, she stresses how important it is “for all of us to have our minds open to joy and all the beauty that’s out there.”
• To read the complete article that appeared in GRACE: A MAGAZINE FOR WOMEN, click here.
AUTHOR’S ART ON COVER OF NEWSPAPER MAGAZINE
Painting is another of Mary O’Connor’s favorite pastimes. Her watercolor of an American bison was featured by The Hartford Courant as its September 26, 2010 iTowns cover art.
• Click here to see more of Mary’s paintings.
“BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF READERS” EVENT AT TRINITY COLLEGE FOCUSES ON LITERACY AND PARTNERSHIPS
Old Lyme Author Presents Literacy Program Award
More than 100 members of the Greater Hartford community gathered November 29, 2009 at Trinity College for “Building a Community of Readers,” an event celebrating literacy and local volunteers making a difference in Hartford through literacy outreach. Elementary school children and their parents, college students, faculty, and staff, literacy advocates and volunteers, and other interested members of the Hartford community attended. The event was made even more timely, as many in the audience noted, because of the recent release by the National Endowment for the Arts of a new study showing “startling declines in how much and how well Americans read.”The idea for the celebration of literacy and literacy volunteers at Trinity was suggested by Old Lyme poet and painter Mary O’Connor, former director of communications at Trinity. A champion of literacy, O’Connor is donating all proceeds from the sale of her recently published book, Dreams of a Wingless Child, to the Freedom Writers, the group whose story was told in the movie of the same name, starring Hilary Swank. In so doing, as with the November 29th event, O’Connor hopes to reinforce the power of writing for youngsters to achieve their dreams and to decrease high school dropout rates.
PRESS ARCHIVES
Giving Wings to a Voice Inside: Old Lyme Woman’s Poetry to benefit Freedom Writers
“For a woman who is good with words, who has made them her life, Mary O’Connor is at a loss for them when talking about Maria Reyes. “I can’t describe her – because you can’t.” She looks down at the floor, out her window of her Old Lyme home to the marshes and the sea beyond, and finally finds the right way to describe Reyes, one of the Freedom Writers, a former student in a struggling California school system who turned her life around through journal writing.” (Lyme Times, by Sharma Howard, Times Arts Editor, May 24, 2007.)
Old Lyme Author’s Book Recognizes the Power of Writing to Achieve Dreams
“Writing,” says O’Connor, “has always provided me with a means of channeling thoughts and observations in ways that open my mind to new possibilities and connections. My hope in dedicating Dreams of a Wingless Child to the Freedom Writers is to reinforce their recognition of the power of writing to deal with adversities faced in daily life, and in so doing, to support them in their goal of achieving dreams for themselves and the world.” All proceeds from the sale of the book are being contributed to the Freedom Writers Foundation, which seeks to decrease high school dropout rates throughout the United States through the replication and enhancement of the Freedom Writers teaching method. (The Post Road Review, June 2007) Read the complete article (PDF).
A Time To Write
“Mary O’Connor has more time for writing poetry these days. She’s retired from her career in public relations and advertising for ConnectiCare, Trinity College, and writing for the Hartford Times…Her latest poetry collection, Dreams of a Wingless Child, is published by Wheatmark ($11.95). Profits from the book are going to Freedom Writers, the group founded by Erin Gruwell, whose story was told in the movie of the same name, starring Hilary Swank. Gruwell and Maria Reyes, one of the original student writers from the group begun in Los Angeles, spoke at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts about the writing experience.” (Hartford Courant, Donna Larcen, April 22, 2007)
Freedom Writers New Release
“The Freedom Writers Foundation is happy to announce the release of Dreams of a Wingless Child by Mary O’Connor. Ms. O’Connor has dedicated the book to the Freedom Writers and will donate all the proceeds of her book to the Freedom Writers Foundation. An award-winning poet, O’Connor draws on the rhythms and forces of the New England shoreline and turns them into metaphors for the emotions and milestones of life. Written with whimsy, playfulness and clarity of observation, each piece looks at ordinary encounters in unexpected ways.” (Freedom Writers Foundation, April 2007 Newsletter)
Life Is Full of Sweet Spots 