Why, There I Am!

It has been 7 years since I last popped up in my blog, and for that I apologize. It has been said that life is what happens while you are busy making other plans, and for me, there has been no exception. Gone are the sunny San Diego skies, replaced by the four seasons of Long Island's coastline. It is always cold here, even in the summer, since I have known the California sun. I feel like I will never be warm again. I put away my camera and picked up a paintbrush. Dozens of canvases bear my thoughts in acrylic now. Another Facebook page sells these paintings, just as I have one for the pictures. Even I am splashed across the internet, a model born on the West Coast and sought after here on the East Coast. Three Facebook pages to manage, plus other social media machines, then a fourth one selling soap, because why not? Sometimes the spirit of the enterpenuer cannot be tamed, and I've let go of the leash. All of these exciting threads are so important to me because I am busy with the most serious thing of all: fighting for my life. I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer back in February 2021. So far, I have undergone 5 brutal months of chemotherapy, and I just completed a surgery to remove the tumor in my breast and some lymph nodes under my arm. I have more lymph nodes across my collarbone that are affected, so I will be doing radiation very soon. My hair is growing back and I am thrilled about it! I feel that it is necessary to continue to be creative and artistic, even while I'm having this health crisis. What better way to express my emotions than through art? By sharing my journey with others, perhaps someone will take away something positive. I continue to contribute to the community with my products. Still, I long for the warmth of the sun.

Pitter Patter Of Things Happening

The saying is that when it rains, it pours. Well, there is also a song about how it never rains in Southern California, but I will say that the former statement is truer for me than the latter. Since arriving in the golden state of California, fortune has pushed me through some of the hardest times of my life, yet has managed to reward all my efforts of the last couple of years. My artwork, which started as a whimsy to preserve my mind, has begun to take off into a serious, and rewarding, career. Alive and well on the Internet, my photography has finally hit the streets of San Diego in the form of the wonderful year-round street markets and fairs. The pleasure I have had in meeting the friendly folk of So Cal has been enormous, plus the colorful variety of tourists from all across the globe. Not only have the marketplaces increased my interaction with this community, but the laid back lifestyle has prompted my creative juices to produce not one, but two new books, both in a relatively short period of time. I never dreamed of making a photography coffee table book, and yet I have. It took an enormous labor of love to publish my first book, "The Blackness Of Indigo", but the love poetry and photography contained within my latest poetry book, "The Passion Of Red" flowed easily and seamlessly. So, my advice to all those dreamers and fledgling entrepreneurs is to stay the course and hang in there. It will take time and have a lot of set backs, but if you just enjoy the journey instead of focusing so hard on the end goal, you will achieve your aims and feel more self rewarded along the way.

The Passion Of Red by Melissa McCrann | Make Your Own Book

Hello From The Road

So.
Yes, I have finally decided to set up a blog. Interesting notion, I know. Those who know me know that I could talk the ears off of corn, so maybe this blogging isn't such a far-fetched notion. Anyway, as many folks may have noticed, I have vanished. Where is Melissa? What is she doing? Is she okay? Yes, dear fans, I am alive and well. Also a bit tan. Oh! I am also learning to swim. Most importantly, though, is that I climbed into my amethyst colored SUV, dubbed "Barney", and headed west. Why? Well, I realized that working for someone else wasn't going to work for me anymore and that life had more to offer than a fence enclosed box full of stress and unhappiness. Bereft of any gainful employment, I cashed my final paycheck and gathered my meager possessions. This grand adventure began at the end of last winter and I have traveled from the East Coast to the Golden West. I drove through ice storms and blizzards. For economic reasons, I slept in the truck. It was cold. Really cold. So I shot some really fantastic snow and ice pictures. They are beautiful. Check them out on my website. Maybe consider buying one. I did all the hard work; you need not venture forth into harsh conditions to capture beauty. I don't mind. Eventually, the frigid clime softened into the warmer winds of the plains, and finally, past the grand Rockies, the heat of the desert. I love the desert. It is so alive with life and color! The horizon stretches forever in every direction, broken only by the eroding buttes dotting the vistas. Warm tones and warm skies. I left off my winter coat and kept going, snapping that camera shutter all the way. Some people were surprised to find texts on their phones of the sunrise in Arizona, or a sunset in New Mexico. I was happy to share the beauty. I journeyed further west and south than I ever had before in my life. I reached sunny LA, and headed to San Diego. I walked along the piers on dazzling gold and black beaches. I dove into the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean. I sat in box seats and grandstands of the exciting horse racing tracks. I compiled and published my first photography book, which is now my second book published ever. I have a few exciting things in the works for my artwork now that many of you will  love, but that will be my cliffhanger for now. It's time to go swimming.