Persephone and her New Skin
Photo courtesy of Alyssa Froehling

Much like Alli’s fascination with Hamlet’s Ophelia, I’ve found myself drawn to another troubled female character over and over, this one coming at you from a Greek myth.

Persephone. Who is she? To be brief, she’s the queen of hell. 

She didn’t exactly apply or volunteer for the position, though. Hades sort of…abducted her. And then he and her mother, Demeter, worked out a compromise so that she would be back on Earth for half of the year. When Persephone rises from the Underworld, she brings all the vegetation back to life. Her presence brings the spring. When she is gone, everything withers and dies. Her absence is the cause of winter.  

The Art

In my photography class this past term of college, I knew I wanted to do some sort of portraiture, but I also wanted to explore a character. My roommate and the model pictured below, Sara Baugh, had a lot of fun conceptualizing Persephone’s persona and putting together a costume we thought would reflect a contemporary Persephone. These are two of the ten portraits I took for my project. These photographs use long-exposure-ghosting-techniques (photography buffs, correct me on my terminology) to create the ethereal effect. 

Persephone, Looking at Cerberus 

Photo courtesy of Alyssa Froehling

Persephone, Kidnapped

Photo courtesy of Alyssa Froehling

The Poetry

Persephone is having sex in hell.

Unlike the rest of us, she doesn’t know

what winter is, only that

she is what causes it.

She is lying in the bed of Hades.

What is in her mind?

Is she afraid? Has something

blotted out the idea

of mind?

She does know the earth

is run by mothers, this much

is certain. She also knows

she is not what is called

a girl any longer. Regarding

incarceration, she believes

she has been a prisoner since she has been a daughter.

-Louise Gluck, excerpt from “Persephone the Wanderer”

The Prompts

1. Title a poem “Persephone.”

2. Write a poem in which you respond to Gluck’s “Persephone the Wanderer.” Answer the questions Gluck posed in her poem, or write a poem about how you imagine Persephone spends her half-year in hell. Is their any possibility that she is in love? Is she lonely? Is she authoritative in her place as queen, or timid?

3. Free write while looking at the above photographs. Eerie green light fading to white. Twisting flowers and splashes of red. Does she look frightened? Or maybe just inquisitive? Is she in pain? Is she indignant or resigned to her fate? Does she feel a chill right before she is taken below ground? Smell iron, taste blood?

Read more of Alyssa's work on Floodmark.

The Weekend Whimsy Formula

Art + Quote + Prompt = Inspiration

Find a complete list of our Weekend Whimsy writing prompts here.

The Art

I don't know if you realized this, but Valentine's Day is coming up. We here at Floodmark are more than a little excited, as this is a holiday specifically made for artsy romantics to woo their significant others, crushes, or just say nice things to their family and friends. (As a disclaimer, I don't advise you send this particular piece of art to your family, friends, or coworkers on Valentine's Day, as it might send the wrong overall message.) In honor of the big V-Day, I chose Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres's Grande Odalisque (1814) (or Une Odalisque, if you're the Louvre, where this painting hangs). 

I chose Grande Odalisque for its obvious seductive qualities. (This painting might be relevant to Vernon's recent post on Orientalism, if you're looking for some deeper thoughts on the mood.)  A throwback to the classical nude, Ingres put his own little twist on things by elongating the odalisque's back and arm. Certainly, it lends an air of elegance. But at the time, the painting received a lot of criticism for its anatomical inaccuracy. What do you think: does the exaggerated proportions of her back and arm make or break the painting? (I'm personally in Camp Make.)

But how about that gaze? Hmmmmm? The "female gaze" can be interpreted in many, many ways in art, photography, and life. True, she is being objectified physically and culturally. True, "odalisque" means "concubine". But her gaze is something a little different,  I think, than most: untamed, coy, unashamed, inviting, and powerful. Yes, she is basking in the viewer's gaze. But perhaps it's more complicated than that.

(source)

The Quote

Tell me what a person finds sexually attractive and I will tell you their entire philosophy of life.

(Ayn Rand)

The Prompt

What do you find sexually attractive? Write your own Grande Odalisque, and let it represent everything you are sexually attracted to. Yes, it's a woman in the painting, but don't let that limit you. In fact, don't let the mood or context of the painting limit you, either. Simply describe a person you're sexually attracted to -- this person can be real or fictional. Place them somewhere with good lighting in your imagination and write your heart out. 

When you're finished, taken an hour break. Walk around, eat an apple. Come back to what you've written and think about what is says about you. 

Weekend Whimsy (prompt) = Art + Quote + Prompt. You can find all the other ones here. 

The Art 

I flipped through a whole lotta Frida Kahlo before I decided on "Roots" (1943). I know Kahlo is usually pretty surreal, so I shouldn't be surprised at just how odd this painting is. But I am. And I love it. I think it's the pillow that really gets me. The pillow is the moment the painting clicked for me, and I realized that "Roots" speaks to what we reach for in our unconscious. 

(source)

The Quote

The Prompt

You're dreaming. 

There's an "Exit" sign in front of you, glowing in the darkness. 

What's pulling you back? What are you feeling as you take a step forward? 

See what happens next -- do you gently untangle your roots and feel joy for a life well lived? Or do your roots require some more complicated excavation? Focus on the exact moment you inhabit the doorway. Try not to get into the weeds of how you came to the doorway and where you're going.

Free write for 20 minutes on this scenario.

Read more of Alexandria's work on Floodmark.

Not sure what Weekend Whimsy prompts are? Check out this one for starter's. The quick and dirty explanation is: we provide one piece of art and one quote, stir, and bake for 20 mins to make a multimedia prompt. Pretty simple. 

Today's prompt is all about Ophelia. Hamlet is my favorite Shakespeare play for many reasons, but one large reason is Ophelia. She fascinates me. I find myself drawn to her character again and again. (If you need a quick refresher course on who Ophelia is, this is for you.) 

The Art

In an Art History class in college, this painting depicting her death by Sir John Everett Millais came onto the large screen in the front of the classroom. The beauty of the painting combined with the context of the story -- these are Ophelia's final moments -- make for an unsettling viewing experience. Furthermore, the look on her face has always sent my brain racing. Is she peaceful? Is that anguish I read in her face? Ecstasy? I can never tell.

(source)

The Quote

[Ophelia] There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, 

remember. And there is pansies, that's for thoughts.

[Laertes] A document in madness! Thoughts and remembrance fitted.

[Ophelia] There's fennel for you, and columbines. There's rue for you, 

and here's some for me. We may call it herb of grace o' Sundays. 

O, you must wear your rue with a difference! There's a daisy. I 

would give you some violets, but they wither'd all when my father 

died. They say he made a good end. 

(Sings) For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy.

(Quote Source)

The Prompts

1) Title a poem "Ophelia".

2) Write a poem in which you list your own flower meanings. Take your stylistic cues from Ophelia in the quote above.

3) Free-write on the painting above for 10 minutes. Pay special attention to the colors, the flowers, and Ophelia's facial expressions and body language. What does the air around her smell like? What is she feeling? What is she thinking? Did she intend to die? All worthy questions to tackle using the evidence in this painting.

Read more of Alexandria's work here. 

You know what's awesome? Ekphrastic poetry. Here at Floodmark, we're all about exploring an interdisciplinary study of creative writing. Which is why we created Weekend Whimsy prompts this past National Poetry Month. This week, I want to share a Georgia O'Keeffe painting and quote to inspire your writing. Let me preface this with....

Georgie O'Keeffe is weird. 

Her work challenges the reader on primal and intellectual levels. It is profoundly strange and painfully self-aware and incredibly beautiful. What more could you ask of your art? 

The Painting:

Pelvis with the Distance, 1943
by Georgia O'Keeffe
(source)

The Quote:

Sun-bleached bones were most wonderful against the blue
- that blue that will always be there as it is now after 

all man's destruction is finished.

(Georgia O'Keeffe)

The Artist: 

Normally I don't share a picture of the artist, but I found this while using the Google-machine, and wow. It's magnetic. I don't know what I'm more captivated by: her eyes or her hands. Her gaze silences the voice in your head and strips you down to the same vulnerability she shows in this photograph. 

To me, that makes sense. Primal and intellectual stimuli are all muddled together in Georgia O'Keeffe's work.

Georgia O'Keeffe, 1918
Taken by Alfred Stieglitz
(source)

The Prompt:

Write a poem with imagery that includes the following elements: 

• The color blue. 
• Bones. 
• Hands. 
• A destruction. 

And that's it! You might try free-writing on each of these elements to see what kinds of imagery you can come up with. Take inspiration from the artwork and words provided in this blog post if you're stuck. 

Happy writing!

Everyone needs a  little whimsy in their lives. That's why we dig prompts that combine visual art with quotes. (Read: we have a plethora of these prompts. Click here to access them.) These kinds of prompts make your brain work in two directions at the same time, which is awesome news for writers. Sometimes out best work comes through synthesizing two different artistic mediums. We can take inspiration from the elements of the masters, and let our brains rework them into a brand new piece of art. 

Today's work of art? A statute that's currently living at the Art Institute of Chicago's Ancient Greek / Roman art exhibit. This statue struck me while I was wandering around one rainy evening, and I felt compelled to stop, study, and size up this statue. For a lady with no head, she's pretty goddamn striking. The exquisite silence of her body is what captured my attention. When you face her, you share in her silence. There's a depth there you're unable to sound --- there's no echo. All of this adds up to an unsettling and oddly comforting experience. 

Just the way I like my art.

Statue of the Aphrodite of Knidos - Roman, 2nd Century A.D.

Whenever I think of statues looking out at the viewer, I think of Rilke. The comparison has become as natural as breathing to me. It's all tied up with a college professor of mine that used to lecture on art and Rilke's poem "Archaic Torso of Apollo". So it seemed natural to me to pair this photo with a Rilke quote. The quote below isn't from the poem my professor so loved to quote, but I thought this one a little better suited to Aphrodite. 

Today's prompt comes with an extra helping of whimsy––perhaps you remember our other Weekend Whimsy prompts we whipped up for you during National Poetry Month? Well, if not, here's how these prompts go: we give you a most spectacular piece of art and a quote. You write a most spectacular poem by free writing on art + quote until you find all the right words. 

If it helps, free write in three segments. (See my suggestions to get the ball rolling below.) Try to free write on each segment for 10 minutes. All together, you'll have spent 30 minutes generating ideas, phrases, and sounds. Then, see what you can make of what you've got.

The Art

Pablo Picasso's "Blue Nude" (1902)

1.  Art: This piece is called "Blue Nude". It's a Picasso. Currently, it's hanging on my wall about two feet away, which is what inspired me to write this post. I've spent many a moment pondering why this is my favorite Picasso painting, but there's something here that just grabs me. Try to project yourself into the painting: what lead to this vulnerable moment? What makes this vulnerability graceful? Is there beauty in baring it all––even your weakest places? What do the colors lend to the painting's meaning? At a time when Picasso was experiencing his Blue Period, what made this painting appear in his mind's eye as blue? What would this painting look like in another color? Food for thought.

The Quote

2. Quote: I'm not sure if you've surfed the quote-sphere often on the Internet, but Picasso has some fantastic one-liners about art, creativity, and talent. I'm sure there is no shortage of evidence of this on Pinterest. But, I digress. Here are some helpful starters to get you going: Has there been a time a piece of art has prompted a revelation? Write about it. Does every piece of art inherently hold a truth? If so, why do you think an artist would wrap a truth in a lie? What is the lie in your favorite piece of art? What is the truth? Give that a whirl.

3. Art + Quote = Whimsy: I chose this quote to match up with this painting because...well, in so many ways it's an accurate description of sorrow, vulnerability, and consciousness. So here's the million dollar question:

If the painting is the lie, what truth do we realize when we view it?

Free write on that awhile.

Bonus: Fun Fact!

In case you were curious, poetry that is inspired by art is called 'ekphrasis'. Curious about how it works? Check out these three poems and the paintings that inspired them. Maybe even write your own ekphrastic poem today based on this post...who knows! Here's what I do know: if you come up with something that you're totally excited about, send it our way! We love to hear what our readers are up to, and we're always psyched to know one of our prompts helped out. :)

Sunday getting you down? It certainly gets me down----the prospect that all my glorious weekend seconds are almost spent is enough to send me into a Lord of the Rings extended edition marathon in defiance of the work week beginning yet again. 

Well, luckily for you (and me) Floodmark has just the thing to keep the despair at bay: some wonderful weekend whimsy to keep your National Poetry Month vibes rolling. Check out my art + quote pairing below:

Van Gogh's The Starry Night via MoMA

In case you missed it:

1. Weekend Whimsy: Renior & Lucado 

2. Weekend Whimsy: Friedrch & Harris

3. Weekend Whimsy: Renior & Joyce

Well, that's all folks! I hope this our weekend whims have inspired you this month! Happy writing!

Welcome to another Weekend Whimsy! To help you keep that National Poetry Month celebration rolling, we have another quick writing prompt for you.

In case you've missed our other weekend poetry prompts, all you have to do is allow the art and the quote below to inspire your freewriting. Then, turn it into a poem! An easy breezy weekend and a lovely writing prompt awaits...

source: en.wikipedia.org

Dance at Le moulin de la Galette, Pierre-Auguste Renoir

We hope this prompt gives you pages upon pages of inspiration. Happy writing!

Friends, poets, countrymen: lend me your pens!

No, seriously---lend me a pen. I keep losing all of mine. (HA, aren't I a little jokester today!) ANYWAY, all of that aside, welcome to our second Weekend Whimsy prompt, where we pair a piece of art with a quote to create an inspirational prompt. If you noticed that we don't normally do these, you're spot on: this is yet another one of our National Poetry Month projects. That's right, we are slaving away tirelessly this month to be sure that you're entertained, informed (on things like Spongebob memes, at least), and inspired. So do us a favor: read it, here and there. We'll love you forever and ever. Plus, so many of them (like this one) have pretty pictures or those new-fangled GIF things. If you're totally not into reading, we do have free, printable artwork---now hey, that's not so bad! Maybe there's something to this poetry stuff, after all. Click here if you want to check out our latest and greatest free National Poetry Month printables.

Now, let's get down and dirty with this week's Weekend Whimsy prompt. 

It's no secret that I, Alli, am obsessed with Monet. Obsessed. As in, I am that awkward gal standing in the Impressionism Wing at the Art Institute, gawking for an hour or more. That being said, this painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir just kills me---it's definitely in my top five pieces of art. It's interesting, because Renoir was generally better known for his portraits, but this seascape is just incredible. I have stood in front of it for 20+ minutes before, mesmerized. It's definitely worth seeing in person if you haven't yet. Some days, it looks stormy to me. Other days, the colors have seemed to express wild, untamed, rough joy. I'm not sure what it means, but I feel like sometimes I'll blink and be on this beach. (I have also been told I have an overactive imagination, though, so go-figure.)

Photo Cred: ME! + NO FILTER. So hah. It's just that good lookin'.
Artwork: Seascape, 1879, Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

I see no better quote to pair this with than James Joyce's lovely thoughts expressed in The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man:

Now, before I leave, I'll apologize for two things:

1. You may have noticed this was your second sea-spiration Weekend Whimsy in a row. Sorry, but also not sorry at all. If you didn't like this one, you might like Emily's sea-whimsy prompt.

2. You may have noticed that I am OBSESSED with this James Joyce quote. Again: sorry, but also not sorry at all. It's amazing. Check out the quote graphic I made for Floodmark on our Instagram account by clicking here.

Happy writing, folks. :)

What's this? We're posting on the weekend! You bet!

As part of our National Poetry Month celebration, we're offering mini-prompts called Weekend Whimsies, and you've stumbled upon our first one! The idea behind these prompts is simple: combine the painting and the quote in one quick burst of freewriting! Ready.....GO!

source: en.wikipedia.org
The Monk by the Sea, Caspar David Friedrich

Happy writing! Check back next weekend for another Weekend Whimsy!