Nisaa (she/her)

A temple rises out of the mists on the shore of a lake. It is just before sunrise and the sky is streaked with pink and purple and blue. The columns of the temple are wrapped in vines and flowers for a celebration. There is a gorgon at the center of the temple’s roof and it has a snake on either side of it.

#ScribesAndMakers 11. Describe a setting that feels magical without using the word magic.

A temple rises out of the mists on the shore of a lake. It is just before sunrise and the sky is streaked with pink and purple and blue. The columns of the temple are wrapped in vines and flowers for a […]

#ScribesAndMakers 10. Has your art/craft/writing changed over the years? If so, how?
I’m sure my photography has changed over the years. I hope that my photography skills have improved (I think they have). I also think my style has changed. I still love taking photos of things kept in arrested […]

And when I'm out on a photo shoot at sunrise, I have a playlist I listen to that wakes me up. It includes Florence + The Machine, and Mumford & Sons (first album).

#ScribesAndMakers 9. Which sound in your environment sparks the most creativity?
Two sounds:

1) The kettle clicking off which means tea will soon follow.

2) Lofi Girl. I've mentioned before that I go to an online creative coworking on Fridays. The host streams Lofi Girl. I know it's not just […]

‘British feminism needs reshaping’: Kate Nash on her new single about trans rights The British pop musician questions the gender-critical movement in her new song GERM, and argues that cis women need to stand up for the trans community

Here's an article about Kate Nash's GERM song: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jun/03/british-feminism-needs-reshaping-kate-nash-on-her-new-single-about-trans-rights

#ScribesAndMakers 8. Tell us about the book you no longer enjoy, and why you no longer enjoy it.

90% of you guessed the Harry Potter book correctly.

I had a deluxe set of the books, a custom-made Victorian outfit in scarlet and gold, and many HP branded things. I gave them away because the […]

I don't do this often here but I'm going to rant:

The next time someone tries to explain to me why they voted for Trump, I'm going to tell them to fuck right off.

Our health insurance is going to go up nearly $1500 a month. I don't mean it's going to cost $1500 a month, I mean, that's how much […]

#ScribesAndMakers 6. Do you subscribe to any newsletters? Do you read them?
Yes, I subscribe to a bunch of them. I read a handful of them regularly. Some I keep unread until I have quiet time to read them.

Fiction Podcast Magic | Stormfire Productions Stormfire Productions transforms your inner world with the magic of audio storytelling and award-winning fiction podcasts.

I also love audio drama podcasts! Two of my faves are "Havana Syndrome" by Lisette Alvarez of Stormfire Productions and "Midnight Burger".

https://stormfireproductions.com/
https://www.weopenatsix.com/

#ScribesAndMakers 5. Tell us about a podcast you enjoy.

My absolute favorite podcast is "The Allusionist" by Helen Zaltzman. It's all about language. Helen does deep dives into language and often the culture and history around words.

I don't know if I have one favorite episode but there's a […]

@kmherkes that’s gorgeous!

#ScribesAndMakers 4. Describe a statue you have seen that struck your fancy.
There’s a 40-foot tall sculpture of a woman whose eyes are closed and she’s dancing. Her hair is in a messy bun. She is made of metal and the mesh is see-through. At night, colors light up different parts of her. “Bliss […]

#ScribesAndMakers 3. Do you read blogs? If so, how often?

I don't read blogs often anymore. This question prompted me to go look at my neglected feedly. I stopped looking at it a while ago. I could use it again and just look at the categories I want to actually read.

The blogs I read most […]

#ScribesAndMakers 2. Egg?
I went to a brunch place yesterday and asked if they could make me a tornado egg without the sauce that was full of gluten. The waitress said no but I was glad she was very careful to steer me from gluten. (The ube latte was great and so was the millionaire bacon.)

So […]

Or maybe I'll make plush Krampus ornaments instead of embroidered cards. I saw an easy pattern on etsy and now I'm intrigued.

#ScribesAndMakers 1. What creative project(s) do you hope to work on this month?

I'll start embroidering a Yule gift and maybe some cards. (I only give out Yule cards to family. Everyone else gets Lunar New Year cards.)

Any other creative projects will be related to helping my friends who are […]

A white woman dressed as Pelia from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds holds a pint of beer

A Lanthanite walks into a bar...
#halloween #startrek #strangenewworlds

@wendypalmer thank you! He seemed happy with it.

Two people in medieval outfits. The woman on the left has red and blonde hair and is wearing a blue and white Turkish coat with a burgundy underdress and patterned pants, and a green belt. The man on the right is wearing a white skull cap with the ties open. He has on an orange and yellow tunic over black and white striped pants. He also has a black embroidered bag with a green sea wolf and a black swan. The bag is across his torso and the embroidery is centered for the photo. They are standing in a covered wooden hall with benches and some people in the background.

#ScribesAndMakers 31. How did your creativity go this month?

It went well! I finished the embroidered bag a few days early. I learned a lot, and it was mostly fun.

Here's a photo of me with the man who won the bag for his archery skills.

#ScribesAndMakers I don't think you need to understand art, necessarily. Even if a lot of conceptual art doesn't make sense to me, I still consider it to be art. Conceptual art can give a glimpse into the artist's process sometimes and that's very interesting to me […]

#ScribesAndMakers 30. How do you feel about conceptual art? I like some of it. I just found out about Eleanor Antin's "100 boots" project in which she brought 50 pairs of boots all around New York and California, Philip (Phel) Steinmetz photographed them, and then she sent postcards of them to […]

Ren has helped us a lot with moving and gardening. Anything you can do to help or boost the signal would be greatly appreciated […]

#ScribesAndMakers 29. Have you ever written a review of someone's creative work?
I write little book reviews on StoryGraph but I’ve never written a long review for a blog or anything. I have been a beta reader for a friend’s books but that’s not the same. Need more caffeine.

#ScribesAndMakers 28. What kind of lighting works best for your creativity?
For photography: all different kinds of light, but especially during golden hour.
For embroidery: light directly over the fabric I’m working on is best. I tried a neck lamp and it doesn’t work for me. Clip-on lamp on the […]

A photo of a white bird with blue wings, possibly a heron, standing on the edge of a log.The log is on a green surface, which may be a pond or a field of grass but the image is blurry and it's hard to tell. There are white bumps in the green. There are rocks in the far distance on the left. End description.

Ok, I failed to include the photo in my original post so I'm attaching it here with the alt text where it belongs. I only edited my description to include the color of the bird. In my defense, I hadn't had my morning tea before I answered this prompt.

#ScribesAndMakers 27. Write Alt text for this image https://mataroa.blog/images/79388c2c.jpeg

Alt text: A photo of a bird, possibly a heron, standing on the edge of a log.The log is on a green surface, which may be a pond or a field of grass but the image is blurry and it's hard to tell. There […]

#ScribesAndMakers 26. What do you look for when seeking critique of your work?

This is gonna be long. I am mostly *not* looking for critique. This stems from a history of trauma. I'm not talking about people saying bad things about my photos. I'm talking about childhood trauma.

Today someone […]

#ScribesAndMakers 25. Talk to me day. Today's featured creator is: adaddinsane (Steve Turnbull) ( @adaddinsane )
Hi Steve! What is the most enjoyable part of the creative process for you? 

I saw this TED Talk yesterday and thought of my #ScribesAndMakers friends: https://youtu.be/CDs2d3dJtYk?si=i5NGUP4PhMCVhm_i