It has been said about me that i am easily amused. I beg to disagree, since I cling to the illusion that I have high standards for my sense of humor. But I do like to laugh, and I think humor, in regular doses, is a great antidote to whatever ails you, and simply to getting through life on this mysterious and bedeviled planet. Troubles, sorrows, and sucker punches come along often enough that I can't imagine why we shouldn't be enjoying life to it's fullest when we can.
So in the interest of promoting world peace and joy, I give you Joe Cocker performing "With a Little Help from My Friends" at Woodstock, finally in translation so you can understand what the hell he said. This is the first of what will be an ongoing series of posts to brighten your day and your outlook.
I’m a ghostwriter, photographer and painter who moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico eight years ago, by way of New Jersey, Manhattan and the San Francisco Bay area. In addition to having a place to talk about painting, writing and photography, and post images, I have high hopes that this blog will serve to redeem my well-deserved reputation as a lousy correspondent.
Interested in writing and/or ghostwriting services? Go to LauraTorbet.com.
Photos
San Miguel is a continuous fiesta of visual delights. I'm always on the prowl for those moments when the light invites me to see the everyday world anew. I'm seduced by tricks of light, color-infused shadows, ambiguous reflections. i want my work to illuminate for viewers the ordinary beauty that is--always--right in front of our eyes.
Paintings
I’m still something of a novice at painting, though I’ve dabbled on and off through my life. Now I have a studio right around the corner from my house here in San Miguel. At the moment I’m making large, loose acrylic and pastel paintings on paper and canvas. Movement and liveliness are important to me. Often I work with a paintbrush in one hand and a pastel in the other, and rely on background music to keep me in motion. If I stand still, I tend to unconsciously rework the painting until it’s an unholy mess, dead on the page.
Writing
Ghostwriting other people’s books, and developmental editing, is my day job. I’ve written or ghostwritten over thirty books, mostly in the areas of popular psychology and memoir. Usually I begin working with clients by doing a consultation, so that I can look over their notes or drafts, discuss what they want to accomplish, and evaluate what needs to be done to produce their book. Then we write a proposal or, as is more and more the case now that the traditional publishing business is crumbling, simply go ahead to prepare their material for self-publishing. Get in touch if you need some help with your own writing project.