Why Skeletons?

I don't always take life so seriously. In case you wondered why I chose to draw skeletons for my Music, Musings and the Muse posts, I'm bringing Lucianna back from the dead- more or less.

“We need the skeletons of other stories to understand our own, sometimes.” Lauren Groff

Truth!!

As you may have noticed, I like drawing skeletons. Maybe because my mom was an artist. When I was in grade school, she was going to Herron School of the Art and Design in Indianapolis. She was always sketching us and the dogs, making pottery, carving etchings. I like to think her love of art, of making things, of creating things, rubbed off on me. In previous posts, I shared my love of doodling. Because there’s something about putting a pen in my hand that stimulates my creativity.

Maybe I’m getting my skeletons out of the closet and dusting them off. Maybe I’m exposing my . . . skeleton. Maybe I’m digging up the bones. Or maybe it just makes me laugh.

Oddly, my publishing journey began with a skeleton. No, really. It did. In 2018 I had signed a contract with a big player in the publishing world. They sent me a LONG list of the things I needed to do to help publicize my book. Part of the picture then (as it is now) was social media. I had a Facebook account and a Pinterest account. I was on Twitter. My Linked In account collected dust. I opened an Instagram account and I struggled with what to post. I knew I liked taking pictures but I got no traction posting photos of my mundane life, my garden or occasionally something I cooked. None of this seemed relevant to my book because it wasn’t. Really. It wasn’t.

Best Kept Secrets is now available in paperback!

So something funny and totally unplanned happened. That year I added a slew of Halloween decorations to my collection. (My husband always says what’s mine is his and vice versa, though he claims no ownership of the Halloween decor filling 10 or 12 storage bins in our garage.) And that year after the holiday, I put everything away. Almost everything. One lonely skeleton didn’t fit in any boxes or closets. She didn’t fit anywhere.

So we named her Lucianna of Flavisham, and she took a seat near the fireplace in my office.

Lucianna of Flavisham sitting at the hearth.

The longer she stayed, the more we liked her and the more personality she developed. My husband -always with the great ideas - suggested I take pictures of her for social media. It was perfect for him, since he dislikes getting his photo shared across social media. So Lucianna joined family gatherings. She went in the car with me. We took photos of her activities. And I started posting weekly updates on Instagram at #flavishamfridays. Lucianna had developed more than a personality, she had a following!

Lucianna getting a haircut, doing yoga, walking the dog, with my son, plowing the driveway, at a campfire, gardening, catching some rays and waking from a nap. (She was dead tired.)

“Dreams are the skeleton of all reality.” -James Salter

Lucianna really grew on us. She became part of the family. But I had a deeper reason than my dark sense of humor for posting Lucianna’s “life” on social media. Skeletons fit my brand. I write about murder and mayhem, and Lucianna embodied that in a way. And as a result, she helped me build the bones of my social media content. (Sorry.)

She got me posting regular content and helped me engage with friends on social media. She helped me develop a habit. She also inspired me artistically. You could say, she is my original Muse. Since I love putting pen to paper to stimulate my creativity, it was only natural that I drew her.

Sadly, when I decided to move to this platform, I stopped posting to #flavishamfridays. Don’t worry. She’s not hiding in the closet. Lucianna continues to be a part of the family. She joins our gatherings and is always up for a photo shoot.

In case you’re missing her, here is another photo collage featuring Lucianna.

Lucianna looking for something to wear, Helping with Halloween decor, Seeing an old friend, Creeping around a cornfield, Picking flowers, With a much needed glass of wine, Getting in the holiday spirit, Celebrating New Years, Dressed for cold weather.

So, why skeletons? Because without them we’d be more like amoebas. Because they remind me of my mortality. Because having her around makes me laugh.

Food for thought - Sherman Alexie said: “Your past is a skeleton walking one step behind you; your future is a skeleton walking one step in front of you. Maybe you don’t wear a watch, but your skeletons do, and they always know what time it is. Now, these skeletons are made of memories, dreams, and voices. And they can trap you in the in-between, between touching and becoming. But they’re not necessarily evil, unless you let them be.”

Best Kept Secrets is now available in paperback!