Monique Polak

Well, hello, hello... I'm writing to you from Hammondsport, New York, a very cute little town in the Finger Lakes region of New York. We're here for a little holiday -- though I am not REALLYworking, I am reading a lot and thinking about the new project. Hopefully when I get back to my desk in a few days I'll be on a roll!

One of the things I like to do on holiday is chat with new people. And about a half hour ago, in mid-chat with a gentleman here, I realized a subject for a blog had just presented itself! The man I was chatting with is Joe Carroll, a painter and sculptor who moved to Hammondsport from Durango, California with his wife Melissa. I was admiring Joe's garden and some of his sculptures, in particular one of a horse made from rebar, a building material used to reinforce concrete. Joe told me he never really planned to make a horse from the rebar. "I collected the rebar and when I had a big enough pile, I started to lay out the pieces and I saw a horse," Joe told me. Joe kind of grinned when I told him that I have a love-hate relationship with outlines. Though Joe is not a writer, I think if he were, he wouldn't rely much on outlines. Here's what Joe has to say about his creative process: "I jump off into the void and see where it'll end." I also asked Joe what advice he has for young writers and artists. Here's what he told me: "Create!" Sensible advice, don't you think? Hey, when we're home, I'll post a pic of Joe and that horse sculpture I told you about. Have a good few days until then!