Preston's Epic Blog

Neil Gaiman's Advice on the Creative Life It's an incredibly reflective idea, for the lack of a better word, to realize how modern day students are so worried about making mistakes in order to "be perfect". I often think of my next few years of having to be near perfect in order to succeed and get to the places I want to be in my future. It's a crazy turn of events to be told, "No, make mistakes, and make a lot of them". But, it makes sense. Kind of piggy backing off what Gaiman has to say, simply live your life! Don't think twice on what you're going to do, because after all, second thoughts are what hold you back from making mistakes. Don't live so carelessly that you're making a fool of yourself, but live efficient and accurate, and the mistakes you encounter will only cause you to grow in the long run. A fixed mindset that could be holding you back I'm so happy I chose to read this article because it's playing right along with...

The Gods/Devas As I've talked before in my past blog posts I have a pretty large interest in mythology and what comes with it, whether it's Greek, Roman, or now Hindu. I'm not familiar at all with the stories and blueprint of the Hindu gods/goddesses. I know this topic will keep my attention, which is why it's very tempting for me to choose this topic, but also I think it'd be fun to let my mind wander and give twists to beginning stories with Shiva. Epic Battles In pretty much any movie, TV show, or fictional story modern day you will most likely get some kind of battle scene. This battle scene can be large scale with thousands of participants, or it can be between two individuals. Either way, they're still battle scenes. I think this is because there's really no limit as to what can be in a battle. They can be manipulated or simulated to where any form of imagination can create an engaging story. By researching certain battles in Epics of India, I could ea...

The year is 3500 and our Earth has grown unsustainable. The humans inhabiting it for the last millennium refused the constant warnings of global warming and pollution. The ozone layer is now anything but what it was in the year 2021, full of dust, space debris, and toxic gases. The people of Earth knew they had to do something, and quick. They hadn't made the necessary space technology to search the universe though, so they grew hopeless.  One day, an alien who was from another world was traveling the universe and stumbled upon Earth. His instincts were so advanced that he knew the people of Earth were desperate just by looking at the sorry planet. After all, he was starving for a human brain. He swoops in to one of the last civilizations known, acting like he was about to save them all, really was plotting to eat them.  After the alien made his plead in saving the people of Earth, they were hesitant. Even in our most desperate times as humans, we can still smell a traces of d...

I really want to focus on the character of the cunning crane. It seems in every story you're told or read, there is this cunning individual. They are devious as the evil villain, but other times, why do we somehow relate to/respect them? Maybe their deceit is for the good against evil, maybe their deceit is a natural human action we're all guilty of (hence the relatability), or maybe their deceit is simply so flawless that the only thing we can do is applaud it out of amazement. While we're surely against the devious crane taking advantage of the innocent fish, for my storybook this semester I want to focus more on a cunning character that uses his devious skills to fight evil.  The cunning crane dipping his head in the little pool. W. Robinson The Cunning Crane and the Crab - From The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse with illustrations by W. Robinson

I have chosen to read Ms. Gibbs version of Ramayan this semester. Since I've begun I can tell she's extremely passionate about this subject and what it has to offer. That being said any version created by her I'm all in on. I know there will be passion in the reading, but I also am looking forward to supporting her work! The Dance of Shiva (Character in first comic I chose) (by Khitindra Nath Mazumdar, from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists , 1914) Vaishno Davi The first comic I chose was Vaishno Davi. Scrolling through the page what really caught my eye was the cover of the Temples of India that contains the story of Vaishno Davi in it. In the description it explains her as the goddess of the hills, and that the story contains metaphors on the life, struggles, and powers of being a woman. Shiva Parvati What caught my eye with this comic was the cover and how Shiva looks to be the god of the sea. My interest in Greek/Roman Mythology was at play here instantly relating to Po...