So, is this blog written by Shani or Camille?

When I studied fiction writing, Camille was a character to whom I would always return.  This character took on a life of her own, and I was just recording it.  She was authoritative and demure, sophisticated and earthy, and most of all, she was a magnet.  Whatever Camille’s situation, she brought people of all types together and connected them whether it was in a sunswept room saturated with the smell of honeysuckle and newspapers or at a hazy, wine-drenched dinner party.  She attended the best schools and was full of bookish integrity, but wasn’t afraid to be up to her knees in mud on a back road in rural South Carolina.  She could be obnoxiously flippant and deliriously childish.  Even though it has been a while since I’ve attempted writing any kind of fiction, I still adore this character.  Camille was on my mind when I first started this blog out of a need to explore and learn from others, so of course I named it after her.

I like to think of this blog as a study in creative connections and the creative person, mixed with a love of beautiful things that help express our personalities and even the way we go about or day-to-day routine.  Colors affect our mood, sculptures and paintings connect our memories and experiences, people affect our perspective.  Conversation about these things helps us understand them better.  Using our knowledge of these things to bring a little more good into the world is even better.

In real life I am a mother, wife and writer who probably has too much energy for her own good.  This blog is a journey for which I hope you will join me.