Day 12 Shadow Casting

Eclipsing the Inner Critic through Play

Hi Everyone,

I’ll send this to all you subscribers with a warm hello from my Substack corner of the world. Feel free to poke around HERE to see everything I’ve posted since I launched. The Pantoumery is hopping with my daily pantoum. I’m enjoying the freedom of writing the poem as soon as I wake up , and then choosing to do a fast hit and run post, or allow it to evolve into something during the day.

(EDITED) I had to add this video on Jan 13, 2025. This is how I woke up this morning:

(Thanks for the inspiration Kathy C. I got inspired hearing about your creative relationship with your shadow at our monthly Zoom, last week).

This time, today’s pantoum was a reminder that Me and my Shadow go waaaaay back. I had fun going through my camera roll curating fun times with my dark side.

Play with your shadow
Cast a circadian gaze
Longs legs are asking you to dance
They’ll trust your lead

Cast a circadian gaze
Shine a flashlight on your inner mirror ball
They’ll let you lead
Follow in step

Shine a flashlight on your inner mirror ball
Longs legs are asking you to dance
Follow in step
Play with your shadow

I’ve been playing with shadows since I laid in bed with a flashlight and did rabbit monologues on the ceiling. I’m quite enamoured of how they never cease to delight.

Even now, when I can’t sleep, I sometimes do hand play on my ceiling by the light of my iPad charging cable. It shines from the floor, so I enjoy having characters dissolve into the wall of shadow that is my bed.

Here’s an entry from my 2018 “Fake Journal” - I pretended to be a vet with a broken hand for a month. My goal that month was to learn to write and draw with my non-dominant hand.

This was Day 75 from a word challenge I gave myself. My goal was to learn how to draw simple black and while cartoons in 100 days:

And for the grand finale… Parker the Barker’s first walk on a leash - 4 years and 70 lbs ago.

I invite you to explore your shadow self - grab your phone or sketchbook and enjoy some play time. Life is to short to stay in the dark.

See you tomorrow for Day 13, here in the Pantoumery.

Heidi