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Welcome to Pairings
Pairings by Jann Alexander include creativity, inspiration, books, writing, photography, art, history, travel, Texas life, lore and more
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Jann Alexander
Dec 125 min read
Debunked: Top Five Excuses Writers Give For Not Using Scrivener
Here’s why Scrivener can easily become your go-to tool for organizing your research and writing and pictures.
Jann Alexander
Dec 41 min read
Focus Only on What You Are Writing Now
Henry Miller's own Eleven Commandments of Writing helped him maintain his focus on work in progress. Can they help with yours, too?
Jann Alexander
Dec 13 min read
How to Have Fun with Panoramas
The panorama feature on the iPhone is Apple’s way of saying, “Go out and have fun with your phone" and use your pano wherever.
Jann Alexander
Dec 14 min read
How Four Words Got Me Back on the Writing Track
Here's how four words — Create First, React Later — can help to keep you on the writing track.
Jann Alexander
Nov 182 min read
Think In Threes To Amp Up Your Photos
How to amp up your photos: Think in threes when you lift your camera to your eye, squint and shoot.
Jann Alexander
Nov 182 min read
Do Rainy Days Get You Down?
Do rainy days always get you down, or are they the best days for creativity?
Jann Alexander
Nov 155 min read
Making Space for What Counts
Abundance, and possibilities, are the constants the creative mind seeks. But making space lets the magic materialize.
Jann Alexander
Sep 14 min read
How Do You Start What You’re Afraid To?
Knowing when to stop writing is a lot easier than starting to write in the first place. But it's simple: You just have to show up.
Jann Alexander
Jul 154 min read
Why The Fear of Ruining Your Art Will Ruin Your Art
Don’t let fear become the biggest influence in your creative life. Find your commitment to painting and writing by delving into your fears.
Jann Alexander
May 282 min read
Where Old Typewriters Go to Die
Crowded out by more robust tools, typewriters have vanished from our desks. But not our back yards.
Jann Alexander
Dec 2, 20232 min read
Creativity Works … When You Work
Don’t fight it. Creativity is a choice. Once you make it, the ups, and the downs, are the fun part.
Jann Alexander
Aug 31, 20232 min read
15 Things Learned From 1440 Miles of Texas In Six Days
There are miles and miles of Texas, and you can learn a lot about what Texans love about their great state in six days on the road.
Jann Alexander
May 19, 20232 min read
Where You Look Is Where You'll Go
Life provides obstacles, but you can choose what you focus on
Jann Alexander
Apr 20, 20231 min read
Renewed Inspiration In An Artist’s Poem
In 2006 I wrote this ode to my creative spirit, "Artist's Poem," and found renewed inspiration.
Jann Alexander
Apr 12, 20233 min read
When in Doubt, I Hit the Road
Hitting the road is part of my creative process. And I never pass by a historical marker without braking.
Jann Alexander
Mar 10, 20232 min read
What It’s Like
"The work never never matches the dream of perfection the artist has to start with" — William Faulkner
Jann Alexander
Mar 6, 20233 min read
Three Surprising Sources for Writers ISO Ideas
Inspiration strikes in strange and unexpected ways. But when it doesn’t strike, there are three tricks to juice it along.
Jann Alexander
Oct 29, 20223 min read
What Happens When You Let Go
When you let go, you create space for something else to move in to your life, as Holiday Mathis told me in my horoscope.
Jann Alexander
Apr 29, 20222 min read
Requirements for Writing Fiction
Embrace your dual gifts: you can inhabit two worlds, and you can slide between them with ease. It’s just what writers do.
Jann Alexander
Apr 4, 20221 min read
What Are You Doing This Morning?
In one short paragraph author Flannery O'Connor nails down her work ethic — one that will motivate your creative soul.
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