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About Me

I write and I draw. My repertoire is eclectic – it includes children’s books, short stories and YA novels, sequential art and film. Please message me if you’d like to connect.

kajablackley

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#edwardgorey
There are many artists, writers and film directors who owe a debt to Edward Gorey. He was a true original.

Edward Gorey was a master of macabre storytelling, setting his work in either the Victorian or Edwardian period. Some of his books were wordless; others were deliciously morbid, exercising great economy of prose. Often his stories involve one or more people meeting a gruesome end. There’s mystery, drama, humour and a touch of the surreal in almost all of his works. Some people will know of Edward Gorey not by name but by the intros he made for PBS Mystery!
Gorey was said to be a rather solitary man, who lived in a house on Cape Cod, in the company of cats. Yet, he was open to meeting fans of his work, even people who showed up at his front door uninvited (Gorey was listed in the phone book). He was eccentric, and could be seen walking around town in a fur coat, his fingers cupped with rings. He liked watching soap operas, movies and attending the theatre.

Gorey’s illustrations are wonderfully distinctive. His compositions are masterful. Usually in black and white, textured with crosshatched lines, he evokes the mood of dread, despair and loneliness; his characters exude a sense of emotional detachment. The viewer becomes a voyeur or accomplice to the many dreadful acts Gorey’s characters commit on other cast members. His illustrations have inspired many illustrators to emulate his style, but no one does Gorey better than Gorey.

If I had to pick a favourite among his work, it would be the Ghastly Crumb Tinies. How could you not love a book using an alphabet that starts off with, “A is for Amy who fell down the stairs; B is for Basil assaulted by bears.” I could describe Gorey’s work as an acquired taste, though I ‘m sure those who cannot separate the humour of the stories from their gruesome elements might never acquire it. What I will say is that Gorey’s work has brought me a lot of pleasure over the years. I list him among those special artists who, even after death, continue to have a lasting impact on new and old fans alike. #blogpost #folkloreandfairytales #fictionwriter #freckledmagic #gothichorror #bookworm_insta #booksaremagic

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C. S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia

Lewis was an atheist whose friendship with J. R. R. Tolkien influenced him to embrace Christianity. Every so often one reads internet reports of the urge to make C. S. Lewis more “marketable” and less “hurtful” by expunging any Christian reference from his work or banning The Chronicles of Narnia from bookshelves.

I enjoy The Chronicles of Narnia, and have done since I was a boy. I just loved the gentle, imaginative tale and the world where both Mr. Tumnus and the White Witch existed. I certainly did not see an underlying Christian allegory. As an adult, I can see the biblical references, but it doesn’t deprive the story of one iota of magic and wonder.

We can only wonder if Lewis would have imagined Narnia had he not been aroused by his friendship with Tolkein and a call to Christianity. But I don’t have to share C. S. Lewis’ belief system to enjoy his work. Neither am I prevented by it — or Tolkein’s influence – from enjoying it. I like Lewis’ voice and I like his writing style.

I haven’t read all of Lewis’ works. I’m assured by many of my friends that his Space Trilogy is quite interesting. I think The Screwtape Letters is wonderful; so is The Great Divorce. I like the themes and symbols found in both works. However, Lewis’ The Problem with Pain and Miracles haven’t yet attracted me.

I’m appreciative of what C. S. Lewis shared with us. I resent attempts to take stories out of the context of their writing and declare them too startling, dangerous or unprofitable for a contemporary public to receive. I am grateful to live in a part of the world that affords me the right to pick up, criticize or ignore storytellers’ original, unredacted creative efforts.

May we never lose this right.

Image of C.S. Lewis © Arthur Strong, 1947

#blogpost #cslewis #narnia #loveyourlibrary #readeverywhere #thelionthewitchandthewardrobe #yafantasy #ya #opinion #fictionwriter #fantasyfiction #freckledmagic #instaread #fantasybookseries #fantasybook #imagination #bookworm_insta #booksaremagic #bookishlove #tolkien

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Miyamoto Musashi is perhaps Japan’s most celebrated swordsman. He is a historical figure whose exploits have reached mythic proportions. He defeated his first opponent at the age of thirteen and won all subsequent duels; it is said that he even defeated one master with a bokken (wooden sword) he fashioned from the oar of the boat which carried him to a remote island for this very match. Musashi was also a teacher, a vassal, a ronin, artist and calligrapher. In the latter part of his journey he became a hermit, living in a cave until his death. In this cave, he completed a manuscript which has been translated the world over –– The Book of Five Rings.

Many English translations of The Book of Five Rings exist, some translations are better than others. The Book of Five Rings covers parts of Musashi’s life and experiences, including his philosophy on why he never lost a duel –– a fascinating account for anyone to apply to their daily lives and chosen fields of endeavour. Musashi emphasizes a strong work ethic and the importance of transcending thought. In other words, if you have trained well, you react without thinking, your sword an extension of your own body.

My favourite part of The Book of Five Rings comes at the very beginning of the 1974 edition (though some subsequent editions have omitted it) –– a list entitled, “The Winning Strategy”. Musashi’s strategy is a guide for any life, at any stage of personal and professional development, for student and master alike. In my experience, No.3, No.5 and No.6 of the list are particularly relevant for those in the creative arts. Without further interjection, I leave the final word to Musashi:

1. Do not harbor sinister designs.

2. Diligently pursue the path of two-swords-as-one.

3. Cultivate a wide range of interests in the arts.

4. Be knowledgeable in a variety of occupations.

5. Be discreet regarding one’s commercial dealings.

6. Nurture the ability to perceive the truth in all matters.

7. Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye.

8. Do not be negligent, even in trifling matters.

9. Do not engage in useless activity. Image: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1852)
#creativepeople

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Maurice Sendak and his book Where The Wild Things Are hold a special place in my heart. It was the first children’s book by a writer and illustrator that spoke to me on a creatively spiritual level.

It wasn’t the protagonist Max who won me over; it was the idea that with enough will and imagination I could transform my bedroom into a jungle, captain a boat, set sail to a far off island and become king of the monsters that inhabited it.

I loved the design of Sendak’s monsters. Beyond the inherent charm and playfulness of Sendak’s drawings, I never trusted the monsters –– I always felt that they would eat me if they got hungry. The monster with spiked hair and a striped top remains my favourite to this day.

Sendak treated me, a young reader, with respect. The story was not preachy, the art was gritty, the colours were muted, his monsters, while playful, were slightly feral-looking and that kept a nervous excitement stirring inside of me. I liked that feeling.

I wanted stories that challenged me and my imagination and, perhaps, scared me a little. Maurice Sendak succeeded in giving me a book with that kind of a story.

What I respected as a young boy – without understanding then that it was respect – and truly appreciate as a grown man, is that Sendak understood that a child is “a complicated creature.” They can deal with a lot more than bright colours, simple shapes and hyper-safe content.

Maurice Sendak inspired Jim Henson, he inspired Mercer Mayer, he inspired me, and he inspired countless other dreamers and adventurers. May we be so accomplished as to inspire as many people with our own work.

Photo: Frank Armstrong for the Rosenbach Musem & Library
#wherethewildthingsare #mauricesendak #children_illustration #kidslit #childrensbooks #childrenbookillustration #childrenswriters #imagination #monsters #read #readingtime📖 #kids #magicofreading

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#simplicity

The older I get, the more I try to simplify my life. If I’m writing, I ask myself if I can get to the point quicker and still be thought-provoking. And if I’m drawing, I ask myself if I can say it in fewer lines but achieve a fulsome, engaging picture.

The more we learn, the more tempting it may become to overcomplicate our work. And let’s not forget the age-old desire to out-do our competition. Some people would call this having a healthy ego. I call it a recipe for disaster. I often reflect on one of my early teachers’ who called the ego “the guru of all transgressions.” But consider Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. The plot is very simple: residents from a poor farming village enlist the help of seven ronin samurai to help defend it from bandits intent on stealing their crops. Many movies, including Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, were based on Kurosawa’s classic. Why? What makes the Seven Samurai narrative so engaging? Beyond Kurosawa’s direction, it’s how fully defined the character of each samurai is, and how invested we viewers become in the nobility of their aim: self-sacrifice for a group of strangers most others deem pathetic and unworthy of support.

Conflict and a group of honourable people directed to take action by a shared moral compass make for all sorts of compelling adventures. Quite frankly, this describes many of my artistic compadres: we are all united under the common goal of making our art come to life. We all struggle. Some struggles are character-testing, like self-doubt and anxiety. Other struggles are financial and material – like the farmers from the Seven Samurai, we labour under the pressure to care for the welfare of our families. Sometimes we face bandits intent on stealing our work. However, if we can invoke the ideal of the samurai – perform simple acts, remain in the moment, be disciplined and resist distractions – we can face the risks and engage the burdens with which we live as we share the beauty of life. “A focused mind,” as the Japanese proverb says, “can pierce through stone.” #onemomentatatime #creativepeople #zen #calmyourmind #peacefulmind #artist #writer #musician #lessismore #inthemoment #breathe

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